Editing Cholistan Desert (section)

== History ==
Though now an arid region, Cholistan once had a large river flowing through it that was formed by the waters of the [[Sutlej]] and [[Yamuna]] Rivers.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&q=cholistan+trade&pg=PA39|title=The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives|date=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-907-2|language=en}}</ref> The dry bed of the [[Hakra River]] runs through the area, along which many settlements of the [[Indus Valley civilization]]/Harappan culture have been discovered, including the large urban site of [[Ganweriwal]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Mughal|first=Rafique|date=Spring 2001|title=Resurrecting Sir Aurel Stein from the Cholistan Desert|url=https://www.bu.edu/archaeology/files/2016/02/Volume-15-No.2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101191432/https://www.bu.edu/archaeology/files/2016/02/Volume-15-No.2.pdf |archive-date=2021-11-01 |url-status=live|journal=Boston University Center for Archaeological Studies|volume=15|issue=2}}</ref> The river system supported settlements in the region between 4000 BCE and 600 BCE when the river changed course.<ref name=":2" /> The river carried significant amounts of water, and flowed until at least where Derawar Fort is now located.<ref name=":3" />

Over 400 Harappan sites had been listed in Cholistan in the 1970s, with a further 37 added in the 1990s.<ref name=":7" /> The high density of settlements in Cholistan suggest it may have been one of the most productive regions of the Indus Valley Civilization.<ref name=":3" /> In the post-Harappan period, Cholistan was part of the [[Cemetery H culture]] which grew as a surviving regional variant of the Harappan culture,<ref name=":3" /> which was then followed by the [[Painted Grey Ware culture]].<ref name=":5" />

The region became a center for caravan trade, leading to the construction of a dense network of forts in the medieval period - of which the [[Derawar Fort]] is the best-preserved example.<ref name=":2" /> Other large forts in Cholistan include Meergarh, Jaangarh, [[Marot]]garh, Maujgarh, Dingarh, Khangarh, Khairgarh, [[Bijnot Fort|Bijnotgarh]] and Islamgarh<ref name=":2" /> - with the suffix ''"garh"'' denoting "fort." These forts are part of the Tentative List of [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]],<ref name=":2" /> and run roughly parallel to the Indus and Sutlej Rivers 40 miles to the south.<ref name=":7" /> Smaller forts in the area include Bara, Bhagla, Duheinwala, Falji, Kandera, Liara, Murid, Machki, Nawankot, and Phulra forts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/search?q=Ancient+Cholistan+%E2%80%93+Archaeology+and+Architecture|title=Ancient Cholistan – Archaeology and Architecture - Google Search|website=www.google.com|access-date=2020-04-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.houseofpakistan.com/2018/07/the-fabulous-forts-of-cholistan/|title=Forts of Cholistan|last=Saeed|first=Hajra|date=2018-07-31|website=House of Pakistan|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-21}}</ref>