Khurasani goat is one of the most important breeds of the historical land of Arya Warsha. This breed of goat is well adapted to the climatic conditions of the region and support the food security with its specialized milk and meat. The goat keepers make Kurath from the milk when it is abundantly available in favorable season.
Habitat
The historic lands of Khurasan/Khorasan (now in Pak and Afghanistan), Toba Kakar range, Suleiman mountains region of Zhob and Sherani districts, Killa Saifullah, Loralai, Ziarat, Chaghai and Pishin districts are the main niche of the breed. This habitat is the famous and historical land of ARYA WARSHA. The breed is equally raised by nomadic, semi-nomadic, agro-pastoral tribes of Pashtoon people. The Baloch tribes of Chaghai-Kharan desert also raise this breed. The nomads with Khurasani breed move from Khurasan in autumn and may reach to Indus delta and some tribes reach to Chaghai-Kharan desert. The breed is trans-boundary. This breed is mainly a nomadic breed.
Phenotypic characteristics
The phenotypic characteristics of the Khurasani breed are black long hair coat, turned back horns and fine second hair coat in winter. The breed is predominantly black in color with a red face but some other color is also found occasionally. The males have beard also.
Vegetation of the Region
Acacia modesta, Caragana ambigua, Bararr, Gurgulla, Sarwane, Showan, Wanna, Barrai, Ghalmi, Shorai, Lani, Azghai, Sassi, Ghaz, Korai, Sperbutai, Oma, Murgha, Tarkha and Zizyphus.
Population of Khorasani Goat
The population of the goat is hard to predict, because of the widely scattered and mobile nature of the Khorasani goat as it is reared both by the transshipmentry and nomadic people. . It is estimated about 2.7 million. The trend is increasing.
Special traits
- The animal of this breed is highly intelligent, making it safe
- The Khorasani goat is loving to her soul and take care of herself, can find vegetation and water
- Always lead other livestock towards water and vegetation
- Close to wild ancestors and highly resistant to diseases
- Can travel long
Hope options
Goat is a more effective tool against drought as the breed can better thrive on the drought and climate resilient vegetation (bushes and shrubs) of the region.
Economic importance
The male animals are the major source of earning. The animal is smaller in size and cannot attain as higher prices as Kohe-Suleimani goat. Moreover, it is good in milk production, and milk is used for by-products like ghee and Kurath. The goat also produces pashmina, but the importance of pashmina is not yet being realized. The hair is used for making ropes and tents.
Reblogged this on Small Scaled Farmers and the pastoralists are the backbones of animal agriculture. They play a pivotal role not only in producing quality food item but also conserving the genetic resources as well as nature for the next generations. Contrast to the factory farming small scaled farming and pastoralism do not use (up to their level best) pesticides and chemical fertilizers etc. They do not harm the nature by the blind use of inputs like energy and water. They are the custodians of the genes and nature..
Profound history about the goats but Dr. would you elaborate as I got some impressions from the article that the bread was domsticated here in modern day Kakar khorasan region and what kind of relationship this breed have with wild goats found in the nearby mountains. Regards
Yes, it was domesticated in this region, the Arya Warsha, from Suleiman moutaionous region to Toba Kakar range in west. This area is the hometract of Suleiman Markhur. But such opinions need strong scientific support which is still lacking. Thanks for your feedback.
Excellent post. I love to learn and the amount of information about this lovable goat made a good start for my day. Thank you.
Also, thank you for reading so many posts! Are you on holiday?
I’m very happy that it is valuable and you like it. I’m reading about the series of rivers and desert. I’m really enjoying. Today, I have not much work.
Thank you. Greatly appreciated.
You are welcome. I wish you write about the desert ecosystems in my website also. arkbiodiv.com
What is Kurath? Tried researching but failed with no results. Can you please explain? Thanks in advance.
Kurath also known as Qurooth, curd is a dry whey.
Best regards