The vast desert of Cholistan is spread over an area of about twenty-eight thousand square kilometres (28,000 km2). There are many stories and legends about this ancient and huge desert. Sand dunes, wild plants, and plains (daheers) spread everywhere in this desert. All the ancient signs that could indicate the old paths have been obliterated by the strong winds.
The winds blowing in Cholistan are so fierce and strong that huge mounds are moved from one place to another. The sky remains shrouded in dust for many days, and caravans passing through the desert lose their way. Therefore, walking in Cholistan is very difficult because the feet of men and animals sink into the sand.
Cholistani people usually keep camels and ride on them. The most suitable ride for crossing the high and low sand dunes is the camel because its foot is flat and does not sink into the sand. That is why the Arabs call the camel the ship of the desert. It can travel for several days without eating or drinking. Its body has the property of storing food.
In the summer season, when people move in the desert, the high speed of the wind makes very scary noises. Winds blowing in Cholistan make passing caravans very difficult, and the sand gets very hot during the summer season, especially in the months of June and July. The Cholistanis take full advantage of the heat of the sand to the extent of making a ball of dough and then spreading it with both palms to make bread and baking it on the hot sand. After baking, the roti is scraped from both sides to remove the sand. Thus, the Cholistanis make roti (bread) without a griddle.
The sand dunes (tibbay) in Cholistan look the same to every newcomer, so the newcomer easily loses his way and gets lost in the oblivion of these dunes. But the Cholistani people are naturally aware of this. As they can easily identify a particular camel among many camels or a particular goat in a herd. Similarly, they can easily distinguish one dune from another and one elevation from another. so they reach their destination very easily.
Generally, there are two special types of dunes found in the Cholistan desert; one is the dunes that have clayey soil and are static or inactive / immobile. That is, severe storms cannot move them from one place to another. While the other types are called active dunes. They are moved by strong winds from one place to another. Therefore, caravans passing through the desert often camp near the dunes. Their main feature is that static dunes are greener than active dunes.
Apart from this, there are hard spots and steep plains in the desert called Daheer. They are smoother than roads. Lime is mixed in their soil. Jeeps and other vehicles can run at full speed on these daheers. Moreover, the ground is as hard as stone, leaving no traces of the feet of a galloping horse. Therefore, no greenery or plants grow on it.
According to archaeologists, these parts of the land have also been the epicentre of the rapid floods of the Hakra River (possibly the lost river of Veda; Saraswati River). Water is not absorbed in these ponds (tobas), so water remains in them for several days after rain. According to chemical analysis, their soil is white, and there is an excess of calcium in it. They are also known as “chiptay daheer”.
Another type of daheer is called “polay daheer”. Its soil is soft and full, so plants do not take root easily in these daheers. The foot easily sinks into them and leaves deep marks. Among them, only the leguminous "Lana" (wild plant) grows more.
The third type of daheer is called “ratte daheer”. There are many of them. Essential organic substances are found in its soil. Therefore, the plants grown in Cholistan are usually grown in these daheers. They have the ability to absorb rain water immediately. It rains after a year, and the plants survive only on this water throughout the year. Animals living in Cholistan also get food and water from these plants. Here, it will not be without interest that Cholistani camels and sheep live for almost two months without drinking water and eliminate water scarcity by eating plants that grow here.
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