Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about 24 km west of Sahiwal. The area took its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River which now runs 8 km to the north. The current village of Harappa is less than 1 km from the ancient site. Although modern Harappa has a legacy railway station from the British Raj period, it is a small crossroads town of 15,000 people today.
The site of the ancient city contains the ruins of a Bronze Age fortified city, which was part of the Indus Valley Civilisation centered in Sindh and the Punjab and then the Cemetery H culture. The city is believed to have had as many as 23,500 residents and occupied about 150 hectares (370 acres) with clay brick houses at its greatest extent during the Mature Harappan phase (2600 BC – 1900 BC), which is considered large for its time.