Damascus goat
| Other names |
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|---|---|
| Country of origin | Greater Syria |
| Distribution |
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| Use | milk and meat |
| Traits | |
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The Damascus or Damascene is a Middle Eastern breed of dairy goat, named after the city of Damascus in Syria. It is variously also known as the Aleppo or Halep for the city of Aleppo; as the Shami or Chami, for the historical region of Ash-Sham or Greater Syria; or as the Baladi ('local').[2]: 143 It is widely found in the Near and Middle East, including Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria and Turkey; it is also present in Bolivia and Malawi.[3]: 375 [4]
The Damascus goat is a high-yield producer of both milk and meat, and therefore has been attributed a high priority by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.[5][6][7][8]
A goat of this breed ranked first place at the Mazayen al-Maaz goat beauty contest in Riyadh in 2008.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d Breed data sheet: Shami / Syrian Arab Republic (Goat). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2025.
- ^ Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2002). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types, and Varieties (fifth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 085199430X.
- ^ Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
- ^ Transboundary breed: Damascus. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2025.
- ^ Mavrogenis, A. P (1985), Relationships among criteria of selection for growth and mature bodyweight in the Damascus goat, Agricultural Research Institute, retrieved 13 September 2015
- ^ Mavrogenis, A. P; Constantinou, A; Institouton Geōrgikōn Ereunōn (cyprus) (1991), Selection index and expected genetic progress in Damascus goats, Agricultural Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, retrieved 13 September 2015
- ^ Mavrogenis, A.; Antoniades, N.; Hooper, R. (2006), "The Damascus (Shami) goat of Cyprus", Animal Genetic Resources Information, 38 (38): 57–65, doi:10.1017/S1014233900002054
- ^ Al-Saef, A.M (1 May 2013), "Genetic and phenotypic parameters of body weights in Saudi Aradi goat and their crosses with Syrian Damascus goat", Small Ruminant Research, 112 (1–3): 35(4), doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2012.12.021, ISSN 0921-4488
- ^ "Beauty is in the eye of the goat watcher". SBS World News. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2008.