Cholistan Desert
| Cholistan Desert | |
|---|---|
Derawar Fort is the best surviving example of the forts which used to guard desert caravan routes. | |
| Geography | |
| Country | India and Pakistan |
| State | Punjab, Sindh, Rajasthan |
| Borders on | India and Pakistan |
| Coordinates | 28°30′N 70°00′E / 28.5°N 70°E |
The Cholistan Desert (IPA: [tʃoːlɪst̪aːn]; Urdu: صحرائے چولستان; Saraiki: چولستان روہی), also locally known as Rohi (روہی), is a desert in the southern part of Pakistani Punjab that forms part of the Greater Thar Desert, which extends to Sindh province and the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of two large deserts in Punjab, the other being the Thal Desert. The name is derived from the Turkic word chol, meaning "sands," and istan, a Persian suffix meaning "land of."
Cholistan was a center for caravan trade, leading to the construction of numerous forts in the medieval period to protect trade routes—of which the Derawar Fort is the best-preserved example.