Excavations at a newly identified Indus Valley Civilization site on the edge of the Rann of Kutch have revealed an extensive industrial complex dedicated to bead production. The facility features over fifty kilns and thousands of semi-finished beads made from carnelian, lapis lazuli, and agate, as well as the specialized copper drills used to perforate them.
The scale of the site suggests it was a major export hub, likely shipping finished jewelry through the nearby coastal ports to Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf. This finding emphasizes the sophisticated industrial capacity of Harappan urban centers and their role in the world's first globalized trade networks.