Cholistan Desert

The Cholistan Desert (IPA: [tʃoːlɪst̪aːn]; Urdu: صحرائے چولستان), also locally known as Rohi (روہی), is a desert in the Bahawalpur Division of Punjab, Pakistan 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.