Architecture
Each city is carefully planned and houses almost 40,000 people. Cities are divided into two sections, the higher section and the lower section. The higher section, known as the Acropolis, is located on a manmade mountain while the other section is located at ground level. Important buildings such as assembly halls, religious monuments, granaries and - in the case of Mohenjo-Daro - the Great Bath are found in the Acropolis.
The lower section of the city is were the homes of inhabitants are found. The city is connected with wide roads about 30 meters long. Houses are one or two stories high, made of baked brick, with flat roofs, and are similar to each other. Many houses have spacious courtyards, with a few windows or just one overlooking the courtyard. Each home has its own private drinking well and its own private bathroom. Clay pipes lead from the bathrooms to sewers located under the streets. These sewers drain into near rivers and streams. Each house is also connected to an underground sewer system (a system for carrying drainage water and waste matter) that runs throughout the city.
The Great Bath
The Great Bath is one of the earliest public water tank in the world. It measures approximately 12 meters long and 7 meters wide, about 2.4 meters deep. Two wide staircases lead down into the tank and small sockets at the edges of the stairs. At the foot of the stairs is a small brick ledge that extends the entire width of the pool.
The floor of the tank is made of bricks with gypsum plaster (material used for coating walls and ceilings) similar to the side walls. A thick layer of bitumen is laid along the sides of the tank and beneath the floor. Two large doors lead into the complex. A series of rooms are located along the east side of the building and in one room is a well that supplied some of the water needed to fill the tank.
The lower section of the city is were the homes of inhabitants are found. The city is connected with wide roads about 30 meters long. Houses are one or two stories high, made of baked brick, with flat roofs, and are similar to each other. Many houses have spacious courtyards, with a few windows or just one overlooking the courtyard. Each home has its own private drinking well and its own private bathroom. Clay pipes lead from the bathrooms to sewers located under the streets. These sewers drain into near rivers and streams. Each house is also connected to an underground sewer system (a system for carrying drainage water and waste matter) that runs throughout the city.
The Great Bath
The Great Bath is one of the earliest public water tank in the world. It measures approximately 12 meters long and 7 meters wide, about 2.4 meters deep. Two wide staircases lead down into the tank and small sockets at the edges of the stairs. At the foot of the stairs is a small brick ledge that extends the entire width of the pool.
The floor of the tank is made of bricks with gypsum plaster (material used for coating walls and ceilings) similar to the side walls. A thick layer of bitumen is laid along the sides of the tank and beneath the floor. Two large doors lead into the complex. A series of rooms are located along the east side of the building and in one room is a well that supplied some of the water needed to fill the tank.