Deserts of Pakistan: Thar Desert

The deserts of Pakistan are the Monsoon Deserts. Monsoon is an Arabic word which refers to a wind system with seasonal reversal. The temperature variations between the continents and oceans cause these Monsoons. The winds of Indian Ocean from southeast provide heavy rains in summers in India and it loses moisture on the eastern Aravalli range of mountains when they enter Pakistan. Thar Desert of Pakistan is part of the Monsoon Desert region.

This seventh largest desert in the world also known as the ‘Great Indian Desert’ is located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Most of its area is in the Rajasthan, India. It covers an area of about 2,00,000 sq. kilometers. The name was derived for ‘thul’ referring to the sand ridges. It is divided into three parts in Pakistan. Northern part is in South end of Punjab where the desert is called ‘Cholistan’. The second part is in Sukkur, Umar Kot(the largest town in the desert) and Khairpur and the third part is in the district of Tharparkar where it is called Tharparkar Desert.

The origin of this desert is stated to around 10,000 years old by most of the people. The huge expanse of hot sand with endless area is what you see in Thar. Most of the desert has weathered rocks, salty marshlands and sand dunes changing places with winds. The land beyond Mirpukhas is hit badly by salinity. Despite endless burning sand Thar is not a wasteland and is called the ‘Friendly Desert’. One can make an interesting four day trip to Karachi.

The population of this desert is around half a million, mostly being Hindus. Women wear traditional clothes mostly in red or orange with embroidered head scarves. The married women wear plastic or bone bangles from their wrists to shoulders and the unmarried wear them only round their wrists. The huts are made of mud and grass surrounded by thick hedges of thorns. Rainfall is very low and people have to collect water.

Deserts of Pakistan – Thal desert

This desert is located in the Province of Punjab on Sindsagar Doab. It is a vast area between the Jehlum and Indus rivers south of the Pothohar Plateau. It covers an area of about 190 miles long from north to south and 70 miles (110km) wide from east to west. It resembles the Cholistan and the Thar deserts geographically. It is divided into six districts namely; Khushab, Mianwali, Layyah, Bahkkar, Jhang and Muzzafarabad. On the left bank of Jehlum river is where its part in Jhang exists.

Some of the main towns of the desert are Mankera, Roda Thal, Mari Shah Sakhira, Mehmood Shaheed, Dullewalla, Shahi Shumali, Koat Aazam, Jiasel, Jandan Wala, Noor pur Thal, Jandan Wala, Rang pur, Hyderabad Thal, Shah Wala and Piplan. The locals of Thal basically speak ‘Seraiki’ but Punjabi is also spoken by many in the desert .

The main activity in the region is cattle rearing. There are some reclamation projects going on in some area providing canal water for irrigation from the connecting rivers, so some agriculture is also done in those areas. There are many tribes in the desert namely; Tiwana, Sial, Chhina, Mammak, Bhachar, Baghoor, Rahdari, Jhammat, Cheenna (Jutt), Bhachar, Gahi, Aheer, Lashari, Waghra’s and Awans etc.

Just after the independence of Pakistan the Thal Development Authority  TDA developed a town named Liaqatabad also known as ‘Piplan’. A Textile mill was also established with a nice residential colony for accommodating the employees of the mill. A power plant also got installed for the town. Lots of plantations were done on the green belts which created a unique scene in the desert. Later the mill was bought by the Kohinoor group and then it got closed for some reasons. Now there is a residential town there with the name Kohinoor city.

Deserts of Pakistan – The Kharan Desert

This is also called the ‘Sandy Desert’ and is located in the Province of Balochistan. It covers an area of about 48,051 sq. km. It is basically covered with sand dunes, scrub vegetation and weathered rocks. Rainfall is very scarce in the desert leaving it with dry lakes. The largest dry lake of Balochistan is located in this desert called Hamun-i-Mashkel. The water of Kharan basin is entirely used for agriculture and domestic use and thus it is also called ‘closed basin’.

The desert consists of moving sand dunes reaching heights from 15 to 30 meters with an underlay of pebble floor. The areas between these dunes are hard when its dry and when it is wet it is sandy and treacherous. There is a huge barren area of this desert which comes in the territory of half of Iran with a continuation of waste land in Pakistan. This is a continous stretch of total barren land from the Alborz mountains in the northern direction to the plateau in Balochistan around 1200 kilometers to the southeast.

The altitude of this desert moves from about 1000 m in the north to approximately 250 m in the southwest. The average rainfall in the desert is about 100 mm annually. The entire area of the desert has inland drains and dry lakes. A lake basin in Iran called Gowd-e-Zereh gets excessive drainage and it is separated from the kharan desert in Pakistan by the hills of low Chaghai. It cause the river Mashkel to form a lake with the highlands which surrounds Koh-e-Tafta’n the great volcano. The 85 kilometer long and 35 kilometers wide  area of the surface of the Hamun-i-Mashkel is filled with sun cracked clay, salthy marshes, moving sand dunes and oxidized pebbles. This part is known for its sudden sand storms and constant mirage.

Cholistan Desert and Forts in Cholistan Desert

Cholistan Desert is situated 30 km from Bahawalpur City. It is spread over an area of 16,000 square kilometers. Its history can be traced back to 1200 BC. The Hakra Valley in Cholistan has 300 sites of Indus Valley Civilization. The Hakra River was the main source of life and signs of agriculture till 600 BC were found here. Most probably the river dried transforming the area into a desert. The locals of Cholistan are nomadic herders. They still live in huts made of mud and straw.

Cholistan is a land of forts. There are around 400 forts which actually guarded the routes of caravans. Some other forts are Derawar, Vingrot, Wilhar, Marcot and others.

Every year the Cholistan Jeep Rally is held in the Cholistan desert. Many adventurous drivers drive their four wheelers through the desert sands. The end of the rally is marked by a folk Mela, spectacular fire works wrestling competitions, Horse and Cattle Show and an exhibition of Cholistan Handicrafts.

The Cholistan Desert Safari is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Many tour operators arrange for safaris through Cholistan Deserts. They are real fun. Mounted on a camel you can have a tour of the ancient forts, nomadic villages, shrines of the saints and at night you can dance and sing along with the locals or rest by the camp fire under the starry sky. The best time to visit Cholistan is from March to October.

Forts in Cholistan Desert:

The Cholistan Desert is the home to around 400 forts. It is thus aptly named as the land of forts. The forts were built in rows of three each fort being 29 km apart from each other. The forts were actually watch towers for guarding the camel caravans. They were built from gypsum and mud and are now in a very poor condition. Some of these forts are said to be built in 1000 BC.

The Derawar Fort

The Derawar fort can be best described as “A grand structure in the middle of nowhere”. It is a masterpiece of human intelligence and skill. The actual Derawar Fort was built by a Hindu Raja and then completely rebuilt in 1733.

Derawar fort is square shaped and has forty circular towers 10 on each side. These towers are 30 meters high and 1.5 km in circumference. They can be seen miles away. They are decorated with geometric and floral patterns. The guards of the Amir of Bahawalpur guard this fort and permission has to be taken to enter this impressive place. Nearby is a mosque built with white marble in 1849. The ancestral graveyard of the Abassis the former rulers of Bahawalpur is situated close by.

Some of the forts in Cholistan are Islamgarh, Dingarh, Mao, Marcot, Vingrot, Wilhar, Banwar and Phura.