Interactive architecture · source-grounded teaching model
Inside the Great Bath
Turn the basin around and slide its east wall aside to reveal the interior. Compare the opposing stairs, floor and waterproofing layer in an architectural cutaway.
Basin. The long basin measures about 12 metres north–south by 7 metres across. The model shows the interior without water.
Brick, water and an Indus city
A basin within a city
Mohenjo-daro flourished in the third millennium BCE. Streets, wells and drainage formed part of its urban fabric. The Great Bath belonged to this built environment; the date around 2500 BCE locates the study within the mature urban period rather than assigning an exact construction year.
Construction that can be examined
The basin’s opposing stairways and brick paving survive as architectural evidence. Waterproofing used gypsum mortar and bitumen. A southwest outlet connected with drainage. These features support an explanation of construction without requiring a complete reconstruction of the water-supply system.
Every part, in words
Basin. The long basin measures about 12 metres north–south by 7 metres across. The model shows the interior without water.
Stairs. Stairways descend at opposite ends, with ledges near their feet. The model’s step count and treads are illustrative.
Waterproofing. Brick, gypsum mortar and a bitumen layer helped seal the basin. The dark band enlarges this layer so it can be seen.
Outlet. A southwest outlet led toward a drain. No inlet has been identified; the model therefore omits a speculative supply pipe.
Cutaway. The east wall moves outward as a teaching device. Pause the animation to compare the assembled basin with the exposed layer.