On the banks of the Indus River, midway between the sea and the Punjab, a city, Mohenjo Daro, was discovered dating from 3500 B.C., and its destruction by the Aryans is believed to have taken place some two thousand years later. The museum now being built is part of a project to be completed near the excavation site, and to include a rest house for visitors, offices and store-rooms, as well as housing accommodation for the management staff and the workers employed in the digging or on the farm.

The remoteness of the excavation site, by which the museum has been built, made it necessary to adopt an extremely simple form of construction. Thus the walls are of plain brick without any decorative indentations and are parallel to the prevailing winds; only the horizontal parts are constructed of concrete and the terrace has a double flooring to provide protection against the weather. The local climate, relatively dry, is one of the hottest in the world, although it can be cold in winter. These various factors have been taken into account in planning the project. The spacious ground floor is completely open to receive large objects, and is sited in such a way as to permit the prevailing winds to blow through; on the first floor are galleries for the showcases in which small objects will be exhibited.