The Indus River valley was the home of the first Indian civilization. In ancient times, another river called the Saraswati (suh•RUHS•wuh•tee) ran parallel to the Indus. The Saraswati area was also home to great cities. However, it dried up, perhaps because of an earthquake.

The Indus Valley Civilization contained more than 1,000 cities and settlements. These cities contained well-organized wastewater drainage systems, trash collection systems, and possibly even public granaries and baths. Although there were large walls and citadels, there is no evidence of monuments, palaces, or temples.

The cities of the early Mesopotamians were a jumble of buildings connected by a maze of winding streets. In contrast, the people of the Indus laid out their cities on a precise grid system. Cities featured a fortified area called a citadel, which contained the major build- ings of the city.

Culture The Harappan cities show a remarkable uniformity in religion and culture. The housing suggests that social divisions in the society were not great. Artifacts such as clay and wooden children's toys suggest a relatively prosperous society that could afford to produce nonessential goods.

The Harappan and the Mohenjodaro cities were known as well-planned cities because: The settlement was divided into two sections: Citadel (built on a higher elevation) and Lower Town. ... The cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation had an advanced system of drainage.

The city, Harappa, and another ancient city, Mohenjo-daro (shown here), are known as “the twin capitals” of the Indus Valley civilization. Both cities were planned, unlike cities in other ancient civilizations, which had grown from villages to towns to cities.

The Indus Valley civilization cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa are believed to be the world's earliest planned cities. They were laid out in a grid-like pattern similar to modern day cities such as New York. For further reading check the following articles: Prehistoric Age in India.