Awassi

The Awassi is a traditional breed of dairy sheep of Near-Eastern fat-tailed type. Its origins are unknown, but it is thought to originate in the historic region of Mesopotamia – the area between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, now in modern Iraq and Syria.^[5]: 115 The breed name is thought to derive from that of Al-ʿAwās, a Bedouin tribe of northern Syria.^{[5]: 115 [6]: 12} It is the most widely distributed non-European dairy breed^[7]: 727 and the most numerous sheep breed of south-west Asia. It is the principal sheep of Iraq and Syria and the only indigenous sheep of Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon.^[2]

It is reportedly present in eighteen countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, with a total population estimated in 2024 at 2.85 million head.^[1] The largest population is reported by Turkey, where the Ivesi numbers approximately 1.7–2.9 million head; other substantial populations are in Palestine (over 360000) and Lebanon (about 200000).^[1] A population in Syria of approximately 13.5 million head was reported in 2006.^[8]

It has contributed to the development of several modern breeds, among them the Assaf, Palestinian Awassi, Pak Awassi, Neimi and Shafali.^[7]: 727

The Awassi is of moderate size, with average weights of 68 kg for ewes and 70 kg for rams; average heights are 50 cm and 76 cm respectively.^[2] The usual colouring is white with brown head and legs; the face may also be white, grey, black or spotted, and a solid-coloured brown or black coat occasionally occurs.^[3]: 265 The facial profile is convex and the ears pendulous.^[2] Rams are normally horned, ewes more often polled.^[3]: 265 Hyperthermia causes the fertility of rams to fall during the hot summer months, but it recovers rapidly when temperatures fall in the autumn.^[9]: 244

Although the Awassi is considered a dairy sheep, it is commonly reared for meat, for milk and for wool. In Syria it supplies all the wool, about 30% of all milk and about 80% of all red meat.^[8] In Iraq it is raised principally for meat.^[6]: 22