Pirak is an archaeological mound a short drive south of Sibi in Balochistan, about 8 metres high and spread over roughly 12 acres, that was lived on from about 1800 to 800 BCE. A French mission dug it between 1968 and 1974, and it is known for some of the earliest clear evidence of the domestic horse and the Bactrian camel in the region, early iron tools, and the first rice and sorghum recorded on the Kachhi plain. For a visitor it is an earth mound in farmland, not a ruined town, and Sibi district is covered by advice against all travel to Balochistan, so read the safety section before you plan anything.
This guide covers where Pirak is, what the excavators found layer by layer, why archaeologists still cite it, and what a trip from Sibi actually involves.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Location | South of Sibi, east of the Nari River, near Perak railway station |
| Distance | About 15 to 20 km from Sibi town |
| Size | Mound about 8 m high, about 12 acres (4.9 ha) |
| Occupied | About 1800 to 800 BCE |
| Excavated | French mission, 1968 to 1974 |
| Protection | Protected under the Antiquities Act 1975 |
| Facilities | None confirmed on site |
| Security | UK advice is against all travel to Balochistan |
Where is Pirak near Sibi?
Pirak sits on the Kachhi plain, the flat, very hot lowland that opens out below the Bolan Pass. Wikipedia places it about 20 km south of Sibi on the east side of the Nari River. The Federal Department of Archaeology's heritage register puts it in Kolachi village in Sibi tehsil, close to Perak railway station on the Sibi to Jacobabad line, which stands at Basti Kolachi beside the Quetta to Jacobabad highway. On the map, look about 12 km south-south-west of Sibi town.
The site is part of a cluster of very old settlements on this plain. Mehrgarh, the Neolithic farming village that is far older than Pirak, lies to the north-west near the foot of the Bolan, and the two are often discussed together because the French team that dug Pirak went on to work at Mehrgarh.
Who excavated Pirak, and when?
The mound was first recorded by Robert Raikes in 1963. The French Archaeological Mission, led by Jean-Marie Casal, excavated it between 1968 and 1974, with Jean-François Jarrige, who took over the mission in 1975 and later led the work at Mehrgarh. Their dating puts the settlement between about 1800 and 800 BCE. That is after the great Indus cities such as Mohenjo-daro had declined, which is exactly why Pirak is interesting: it shows what life on the edge of the old Indus world looked like in the centuries that followed.
What was found at Pirak?
The excavators divided the site into three main periods.
Period I, from about 1700 BCE
The earliest levels had buildings of unburnt brick set around a large platform. Most of the pottery was a coarse ware decorated with applied bands and fingertip impressions. Terracotta and unbaked clay figurines of horses and camels turned up alongside the bones of both animals, and small terracotta button seals in round, square and curved shapes were common. The horse remains from this period are described in the literature as the earliest indubitable evidence of the domestic horse.
Period II
The same way of life carried on, with more figurines, now including human figures and riders on horseback. The first pieces of iron appear in this period, alongside copper and bronze tools.
Period III, about 1000 to 800 BCE
Iron becomes much more common. The plant remains from this phase include barley, rice and sorghum, which is the first recorded appearance of rice and sorghum in this region. A canal alongside the settlement points to irrigated farming, and grapes, oats and chickpeas are also reported.
The national heritage register adds that the mud brick buildings had paved platforms, that fireplaces and kilns were found with workshops, and that the finds include beads, stone tools, terracotta and copper seals, and animal figurines of humped bulls, camels, horses and dogs. Wheeled camel figurines in terracotta, a Harappan tradition, were also found.
Why does Pirak matter?
Three things keep Pirak in the textbooks. First, the animals: the register describes it as the site with the earliest evidence of horse, donkey and Bactrian camel domestication in this part of South Asia, and the horse-and-rider figurines show those animals were part of daily life. Second, iron: Pirak shows iron arriving gradually rather than all at once, from a few pieces in Period II to common use in Period III. Third, crops: rice and sorghum are summer crops while barley grows in winter, so the plant remains suggest fields that were worked in more than one season, helped by irrigation.
Put simply, Pirak fills part of the gap between the end of the Indus cities and later history on the plains below the Bolan. If you have visited Mehrgarh or read about it, Pirak is the later chapter of the same landscape.
What can you see at Pirak today?
Manage your expectations. Pirak is a raised mound in cultivated land, and the walls the French team exposed are not presented for visitors. We could not confirm any signboard, caretaker, fence or ticket office, and there is no site museum. The finds are not displayed at the mound. What you get is the shape of a settlement that stood for a thousand years, broken pottery on the surface, and a sense of how the Kachhi plain was farmed long before Sibi existed.
Please leave potsherds where they lie. The site is protected under the Antiquities Act 1975, and surface material is part of the record.
How do you get to Pirak from Sibi?
Sibi is the base. It sits on the N65, the Quetta to Jacobabad road, and on the railway line that climbs from Jacobabad to Quetta through the Bolan. From Sibi, Pirak is a short drive south along the Jacobabad road towards Perak station; the last stretch is on rural tracks, so go with a local driver who knows the village rather than relying on a phone map. Our Sibi guide covers the town itself, where to stay and the annual mela.
Go between November and February. The Kachhi plain is one of the hottest places in Pakistan in summer, and a bare mound with no shade is no place to be at midday in May or June.
Is it safe to visit Pirak?
Pirak is in Sibi district, Balochistan, and the UK government's Pakistan travel advice (updated 22 September 2026) advises against all travel to Balochistan. The province has seen repeated militant attacks, and the Bolan route north of Sibi was where the Jaffar Express was hijacked in March 2025. Pakistani travellers still pass through Sibi, which sits on the main road and rail line, but an off-road visit to a remote mound needs care.
- Check local news and current police advice before setting out, and tell the local police where you are going.
- Travel in daylight only and carry your CNIC; our guide to documents for Balochistan travel explains the checks.
- Overseas visitors should know their own government's advice may say not to go, which can void travel insurance, and foreigners have generally needed a No Objection Certificate for Balochistan.
Our wider guide on whether Balochistan is safe to travel goes into more detail.
Is Pirak worth the trip?
For most travellers, no, not on its own. It suits archaeology students, people already in Sibi with a local contact, and anyone tracing the long history of the Kachhi plain from Mehrgarh onwards. If you want ancient sites you can actually walk through, start with Mohenjo-daro and the other places in our guide to Indus Valley sites in Pakistan, and see the experiences page for heritage trips we can help plan.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is Pirak?
Pirak is on the Kachhi plain in Balochistan, south of Sibi on the east side of the Nari River, near Perak railway station and Kolachi village. It is roughly 15 to 20 km from Sibi town.
How old is Pirak?
The French excavators dated the settlement to about 1800 to 800 BCE, which places it after the decline of the major Indus cities.
What is Pirak famous for?
Early evidence of the domestic horse and Bactrian camel in the region, the gradual arrival of iron, and the first recorded rice and sorghum on the Kachhi plain.
Is Pirak the same as Mehrgarh?
No. Mehrgarh is a much older Neolithic site to the north-west near the Bolan Pass. The same French mission worked at both, which is why they are often mentioned together.
Is there an entry fee or opening time?
We found no ticket office or set hours. Pirak is an open mound in farmland, so arrange a visit through local contacts in Sibi and check with the police first.
