DESERTS

Pakistan is blessed country which has everything Rivers, Lakes, Glaciers, Mountain ranges, Green lands and Deserts. Pakistan has three main Deserts namely Thar, Cholistan and Kharan deserts.

THAR DESERT

Thar desert comes into category of monsoon deserts, its origin is controversial some consider it to be 4000 to 10000 years old while others states that it to be around 2000-1500 BC old. Around his time the Ghaggar River dried and converted into desert .Thar desert is bounded on the north by Sutlej River, on the east by Arravali Range, on the south Rann of Katch and on the west by River Indus.

Thar Desert is world’s 7th largest desert, mostly unpopulated except small towns of Umer Kot, Mithi and Mirpurkhas spread over its vastness. The people live in round mud walled huts. The women of the area wear long, full red or orange colored skirts and cover their heads with embroidered or tie-dyed shawls. Married women encase their arms with bangles from wrist to shoulder, widow wear above the elbow only and singles only around the wrist.

CHOLISTAN

Local people call it Rohi and about the derivation of word there are two concepts which are; most of the people believe that it is derived from Turkish word Chol means Desert (Land of Desert) but a few believe that it is derived from word Cholna means Moving.The people of Cholistan, moving from one place to another in search of water and fodder for their animals Cholistan has population of about 100,000 and belongs to many different tribes, most of them are settlers of Baluchistan .The women wear full red skirts and embroidered shawls and the men pile bright colored turban on their head. The dry bed of the Hakra River runs througt hthe area, along which many settlements of the Indus Valley civilization have been found. Derawar Fort is the major landmark of Desert which is 48 km far from Dera Nawab Sahib.

KHARAN

Kharan desert locally known as Sandy desert, it is locted in district Kharan of balouchistan. Kharan desert area consists of shifting sand dunes with an underlying pebble-conglomerate floor.The height of moving dunes is between 15 and 30 meters.The desrt is in fact in continuation of barren wastes that occupy almost half of Iran. The desert includes areas of inland drainage and dry lakes. Pakistan perform 2nd nuclear test in Kharan desert on 30th May.