What is Cholistan Desert?

The word Cholistan is derived from the Turkish word Chol, which means Desert. Cholistan thus means Land of the Desert.

Cholistan is the largest of four major deserts of Pakistan and is locally known as Rohi.

It is bordered on the south by the Thar Desert in Sindh province and on the east by the Rajasthan desert in India.

The Cholistan desert covers about 26,000 km2, which corresponds to 26% of the 110,000 km2 of the Pakistan’s total desert area and 3% of its overall surface area.

Typical Cholistan vegetation consists of species adapted to a limited water supply. The dry bed of the Hakra River runs through the area, along which many settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization were found. Although a barren land, it is very fertile in arts and crafts. Livestock is the chief source of food here. Other than that, textile, weaving, leather-work and especially pottery are famous in Cholistan.