In 2014 I deployed to Qatar, which is a small country and a part of the Saudi Arabian Peninsula. I've actually had a lot of exposure to desert since then, which is rather interesting. I changed duty stations in 2015 to Las Vegas, Nevada, where I stayed for three and a half years before being reassigned to Colorado Springs. I've driven through Arizona a few times, and I have to say that Arizona is BY FAR the prettiest desert I have seen out of my three locations. It has more rock formations and the stereotypical cactus you might think of when you think of the desert. Unfortuantely, I can't seem to locate any of my photos of Las Vegas or Arizona- I'd have

This picture is a sunset at Qatar:

It is perhaps difficult to tell from a photo of overcast, but it was typically hazy in the distance. One of the reasons the desert is so hazy due to the humidity. I can tell you, having been born and raised in Florida, I have never felt a place so hot and so humid as I did in Qatar. It is also located relatively close to the equator, appearing to be a little further south (towards the equator) than Florida.

You'll also notice a large number of rocks in this photo. Qatar actually seemed to be the least rocky of the three deserts. Arizona had natural rock formations (not to mention the Grand Canyon), and Vegas had some mountains. But even in this photo, you see how many rocks there are. The rocks are formed by sand erosion, typically by wind (but can also be by water), which accumulates to form rocks. Because of this, deserts are typically very rocky, whether they are flat or mountainous.