Burzahom

Burzahom is an archaeological site on a terrace of the Zabarwan foothills, about 16 km north-east of Srinagar near Harwan. Excavations from the 1930s onwards revealed a settlement occupied from around 3000 BCE: people living in pits dug into the ground, later in mud-brick houses above them.

The finds include bone and stone tools, burials in which dogs and other animals were buried alongside humans, and an engraved stone showing a hunting scene with what some read as two suns — sometimes described as one of the earliest depictions of a supernova. A few massive standing stones, or menhirs, still stand on the site.

What to expect

This is a protected site under the Archaeological Survey of India. What you see is grassy ground, excavated pits and the menhirs, with information boards — not a museum. It appeals to anyone interested in deep history, and the view over Dal Lake and the valley is worth the trip on its own.

Combine it with Harwan and Shalimar Bagh, both a few kilometres away.