---
title: Harappan Cities
author: Uma Kumari
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/430/harappan-cities/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# Harappan Cities

_Authored by [Uma Kumari](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/Uma_Kumari_2/)_

The most striking feature of the Harappan [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) is their town planning. The Harappan [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) was divided into the upper town (also called the Citadel) and the lower town. The various features of the Harappan town planning is given below:

**Granaries**: The granary was the largest structure in Mohenjo-daro, and in Harappa there were about six granaries or storehouses. These were used for storing grain.

**Great Bath:** This was another important structure in Mohenjo-daro. The floor of the bath had five layers. It was so watertight that even today it holds water. There were changing rooms. People probably used it during festivals and religious ceremonies.

**Town Hall**: A [palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/)-like building that looked like an assembly hall for the city government or for people to meet.

**Lower Town**: This was the residential area where the common people lived.

**Streets**: The roads and streets intersected at right angles, with covered drains along the road. Houses were built on either side of the roads and streets.

**Drainage System**: The drainage system of the Harappan cities was the best known to the world in ancient times. The brickwork prevented the dirty water from leaking. Wooden screens stopped the solid wastes from being washed away with the water. Drains were built on either side of the roads. They were covered with stones, which could be removed in order to clean them.

**Houses**: The houses varied in size. Some might have had two storeys. The houses were made of burnt bricks. Most of the houses had a central courtyard, a well, a bathing area, and a kitchen.

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## About the Author

Resident of Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Kumari, U. (2012, July 29). Harappan Cities. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/article/430/harappan-cities/>
### Chicago
Kumari, Uma. "Harappan Cities." *World History Encyclopedia*, July 29, 2012. <https://www.worldhistory.org/article/430/harappan-cities/>.
### MLA
Kumari, Uma. "Harappan Cities." *World History Encyclopedia*, 29 Jul 2012, <https://www.worldhistory.org/article/430/harappan-cities/>.

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [Uma Kumari](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/Uma_Kumari_2/ "User Page: Uma Kumari"), published on 29 July 2012. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.