Najdi (sheep)
Encyclopedia
The Najdi or Nejdi is a breed
of domestic sheep
native to the Najd
region of the Arabian Peninsula
. Though it is primarily raised in Saudi Arabia
, Nadji sheep are also present in Kuwait
, Jordan
, Oman
, and Iraq
.
The Najdi has a distinctive appearance that has even been celebrated in Saudi "sheep beauty pageants" not unlike livestock show
s and sales in the West. They are a very tall breed, averaging 76-86 centimeters (30-34 inches) in height at the withers
. They have long, Roman nose
d faces with drooping ears. Ewes are polled
and rams may be either polled or have scurs. They are generally black with white faces and white on the legs and tail. Top Najdi ewes can sell for 20,000-30,000 Saudi riyals ($5,300-$8,000 USD), while rams which can sire many more offspring can fetch hundreds of thousands.
Najdi are highly adapted to life in desert conditions, though it is less drought tolerant than some breeds, such as the Awassi. Though its meat may be consumed locally, it is especially valued for its milk and long, straight wool.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of domestic sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
native to the Najd
Najd
Najd or Nejd , literally Highland, is the central region of the Arabian Peninsula.-Boundaries :The Arabic word nejd literally means "upland" and was once applied to a variety of regions within the Arabian Peninsula...
region of the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
. Though it is primarily raised in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Nadji sheep are also present in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
The Najdi has a distinctive appearance that has even been celebrated in Saudi "sheep beauty pageants" not unlike livestock show
Livestock show
A livestock show is an event where livestock are exhibited and judged on certain phenotypical breed traits as specified by their respective breed standard. Species of livestock that may be shown include pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, llamas and alpacas. Poultry such as chickens, geese, ducks,...
s and sales in the West. They are a very tall breed, averaging 76-86 centimeters (30-34 inches) in height at the withers
Withers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
. They have long, Roman nose
Roman Nose
Roman Nose, a.k.a. Hook Nose , was a Native American of the Northern Cheyenne, and possibly the greatest and most influential warrior during the Plains Indian War of the 1860s...
d faces with drooping ears. Ewes are polled
Polled livestock
Polled livestock are livestock without horns, of species that normally have them. The term refers both to breeds or strains which are naturally polled through selective breeding and also to naturally horned animals which have been dehorned...
and rams may be either polled or have scurs. They are generally black with white faces and white on the legs and tail. Top Najdi ewes can sell for 20,000-30,000 Saudi riyals ($5,300-$8,000 USD), while rams which can sire many more offspring can fetch hundreds of thousands.
Najdi are highly adapted to life in desert conditions, though it is less drought tolerant than some breeds, such as the Awassi. Though its meat may be consumed locally, it is especially valued for its milk and long, straight wool.