Cholistan Desert Cholistan Desert The Cholistan Desert (; Saraki: ), also locally known as Rohi (), sprawls from Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan and covers an area of . It adjoins the Thar Desert, extending over to Sindh and into India. The word Cholistan is derived from the Turkic word "chol", meaning "desert". The people of Cholistan lead a semi-nomadic life, moving from one place to another in search of water and fodder for their animals. The dry bed of the Hakra River runs through the area, along which many settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization have been found. The desert also hosts an
Thar Desert areas. It is world's largest irrigation which is being extended in an attempt to make the desert arable. It runs south-southwest in Punjab and Haryana but mainly in Rajasthan for a total of 650 kilometers and ends near Jaisalmer, in Rajasthan. After the construction of the Indira Gandhi Canal, irrigation facilities were available over an area of 6770 km² in Jaisalmer district and 37 km² in Barmer district. Irrigation had already been provided in an area of 3670 km² in Jaisalmer district. The canal has transformed the barren deserts of this district into rich and lush fields. Crops of mustard,