[...]... to the Awassi group They are undoubtedly allied to the Awassi of the mainland, which they resemble in many physical and physiological respects Maule (1937) writes that the 'Palestinian breed… is probably the one nearly akin to the Cyprus sheep' , while Mason (1967), grouping the Cyprus with the Awassi, notes that the Cyprus breed 'is similar to the breeds of the neighbouring mainland and resembles the. .. 1949/50 to 194, in 1959/60 to 440, and in 1969/70 to 723 (Fái, 1972) Physical characteristics Conformation The unimproved Awassi is a robust and vigorous, medium-sized sheep of milk and mutton type The improved Awassi of Israel is larger and more refined than the unimproved type and the characteristics of the respiratory type of milch sheep are more pronounced than are the mutton features (Fig 1-6) The. .. 'it would be confusing to include the Cyprus as a variety of the Awassi since the name Awassi has never been used for them' Origin In physical and functional properties, the Awassi seems to be very close to the prototype from which the fattailed sheep of Asia, Africa and Europe are derived Many of these still show a close likeness to the Awassi This holds true not only for the sheep of Cyprus and North... resembles the Awassi of Syria more than the White Karaman of Turkey' Yet there are also significant differences between the two breeds, which may be due to the long isolation of the Cyprus sheep on their island or the influence of Turkish sheep Thus, unlike the head of the Awassi with its typical brown coloration, that of the Cyprus sheep is commonly white with black on the nose and around the eyes, more... milking and may contribute to the uncleanliness of the milk On each side of the attachment of the udder there is an opening of a large sebaceous gland, analogous to those near the attachment of the scrotum These glands serve to keep the skin of the udder oily and pliant In an examination of the anatomy of the circulatory system of the Awassi ewe's udder, Perk and Epstein (1959) found the udder halves separated... pasturage They are not protected by their masters against torrential rains in winter nor the blazing heat of the summer Their natural protection against the strong solar radiation during the hot months of the year is their fleeces, the pigment of their heads and their habit of keeping their heads in the shade below the bellies of their flock mates It is only from the cold storms of winter that they may... Cizre on the Tigris in Turkish Kurdistan near the borders of Syria and Iraq While resembling the Awassi sheep of Israel in general conformation and the shape of the fat tail, the imported sheep were smaller than the improved type of Awassi, the live weight of adult ewes varying between 40 and 45 kg, and their fleece being somewhat heavier than that of the Awassi The body and legs were white, while the head... Al-Jazirah, west of the Tigris to the region of Mosul The breed is also widespread east of the Tigris, north of the lower DiyƗlá and Baghdad, in the pastoral region stretching intermittently into the Mosul and ArbƯl liwas and that lying between the middle DiyƗlá and extending north to the Little Zab (Williamson, 1949) The name of the Awassi is attributed to the El-Awas tribe between the Tigris and Euphrates... between the fleece and live weights of Awassi ewes in Iraq With an increase in the average body weight from 40.1 kg at the first shearing to 47.9 kg at the fourth, the average fleece weight increased from 1.38 to 1.52 kg With a fall in the average body weight of ewes to 45.8 kg at the fifth shearing, the fleece weight decreased to 1.47 kg When the ewes were divided according to their body weights into eight... cause the settlements to give up their flocks, but induced them to improve their methods of sheep farming Thus, at the first annual meeting of sheep breeders at 'Eyn Harod in 1924, the discussion centred on the importance of sheep breeding to the economy of the communal settlements and the necessity of improving Awassi flocks In 1927 an article published in the agricultural journal Hassadeh advised sheep . HEALTH PAPER 57 The Awassi sheep with special reference to the improved dairy type by H. Epstein FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS. fat-tailed sheep (see appendix Figs A-l and A-2) present a special problem with regard to their relation to the Awassi group. They are undoubtedly allied to the