Breed Profile: Syrian Goat

An Ancient and Influential Line of Middle Eastern Goat Breeds

September 30, 2025Tamsin CooperGoat Breeds

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Syrian goats are a group of Middle Eastern breeds often known as Black Bedouin or simply Black goats. They’re known for their long lop ears, long hair (usually black), and excellent ability to conserve water.

The Syrian group includes the Syrian Mountain goat and various local variations and derivatives, often known as Baladi (meaning local), Jalabi (meaning mountain), or Mamber. Some of these have been influenced by the Damascus goat (aka Aleppo or Shami), which is descended from both Syrian and Nubian types.

Origin and History of the Syrian Goat

Origin and Influence

The Syrian type is native to the Levant, the countries along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. It would have slowly evolved over centuries of domestication in the region. Subsequently, its influence spread through the Middle East, from Türkiye to Saudi Arabia, forming the basis of many local breeds. These include the Turkish Hair goat, also called the Anatolian Black.

The Syrian goat was documented in naturalist Thomas Pennant’s Synopsis of Quadrupeds in 1771. Pennant’s book describes them as “plentiful in the East; supply Aleppo with milk. Their ears of a vast length, hanging down like those of hounds, are from one to two feet long …” The ears likely lengthened over many generations due to selection by breeders who preferred the look. Pennant’s drawing shows a straight facial profile, while many these days are slightly convex, perhaps due to Nubian influence.

syrian-goat-1781 — Illustration of the Syrian goat from *History of Quadrupeds* by Thomas Pennant, 1781.

Since the advent of shipping, the Syrian type has influenced such European breeds as the Payoya, the Maltese, and the Pyrenean goat, and forms the basis of the Brazilian Mambrina.

History and Tradition

Goat herds are important to rural Middle Eastern families, both sedentary and nomadic, due to their ability to deal with the harsh climate and utilize local vegetation. Traditionally, herds would roam over large areas, especially hilly and mountainous terrain, in a nomadic or seasonal pastoral system. Over the last century, movement restriction, urbanization, and climate change have limited this activity.

black-goat-jerusalem-1940s — Black goats at Sheikh Jerrah, East Jerusalem, in the 1940s from the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection.

Breeders tend to be nomadic pastoralists or small-scale family farms. Their goats are more than just a source of food, having social and cultural significance.

Firefighting and Research

During the last century, goats were banned from forests after uncontrolled grazing led to tree damage. As a result, the brush spreads and becomes flammable in the dry season. Recent attempts to control forest fires have encouraged the incorporation of goats into forestry management systems. Bans have been lifted to allow temporary, controlled browsing of brush. The resulting firebreaks limit the spread of wildfire in places such as Mount Carmel and the Jerusalem hills. Seasonal grazing contracts provide employment and pasture for Bedouin herds.

bedouin-goats-negev — Bedouin goat herd, Negev Desert, Israel. Photo by brewbooks from Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0.

Mamber and Damascus goats formed part of a research project near Mount Carmel into how goats use local plant species and how they can reduce fire risk. These studies examined how goats used different plants to counter gastrointestinal parasites. They found that Damascus and Mamber goats used different strategies, and that these were passed from mothers to offspring, rather than having a genetic basis. Researchers also recorded how goats removed toxic insects from forage. During the studies, they noticed a Mamber doe that pioneered a method for reaching tall milk thistle seed heads. Two years after her death, this method had spread throughout the herd. This observation demonstrates how goats learn from each other and traditions spread within a herd. As a bonus, the milk from these grazers was richer in nutrients than that of goats living in barns.

Mamber and Damascus goats browsing milk thistle at Ramat Hanadiv. Watch the brown and white doe. “In Israel, in 2015 one Mamber goat was first observed using her mouth in a circular move to break the main stem of milk thistle to reach seeds that were at a height of more than two meters. Two years after her death, this behavior had become common in the flock.” (Landau and Provenza, 2020).

Conservation Status

Their numbers have declined since the 1950s due to the restriction of grazing land. However, their unique and useful traits should lead to a reappraisal of their worth.

syrian-goats-jordan — Photo by David from Pixabay.

Characteristics of the Syrian Goat

Description

The breed type has characteristic long lop ears and is long-haired and leggy. The facial profile is straight or slightly convex. Although some are polled, most males have long, strong, twisted horns while females’ are lighter, usually curving backward.

Colors

The long hair is usually black, but sometimes gray, white, brown, or black with white or brown markings.

Weight

Does average around 71 pounds (32 kg); bucks around 110 pounds (50 kg).

Height to Withers

Syrian Mountain goats average around 24 inches (60 cm) for does and 27 inches (68 cm) for bucks, but may be larger in other areas.

bedouin-goats-petra — Petra: Bedouin herding his goats. Photo credit: BriYYZ from flickr.com CC BY-SA 2.0.

Adaptability

Due to their ability to conserve water and tolerate heat, they survive conditions too harsh for other livestock. They’re adept at finding nutrition in rugged and steep terrain. In such difficult circumstances, they raise their young and make the most of native vegetation.

Biodiversity

A genetic analysis of Mountain and Damascus goats in Syria found a wide range of physical and genetic differences between individuals of the same breed. The two breeds are also genetically distinct. The high genetic diversity is likely due to the free movement of herds and their long adaptation through natural selection. In addition, they’re close to the locations where goats were first domesticated. Therefore, they benefit from a wide genetic base. Natural selection has endowed them with traits that make them more resilient in challenging conditions. This adaptability is invaluable to rural families facing climate change and is key to sustainable agriculture in the region.

damascus-goat-ugarit — Damascus goat at Ugarit, Syria. Photo credit: Frank Kidner photographs, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, DC, via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0.

Productivity of the Syrian Goat

Popular Use

Dual-purpose in nomadic pastoral or small-scale, low-input systems. In some areas, dairy products are important, and producers favor the Damascus goat, which yields more milk, or a blend of the two breeds.

Yield Averages

Milk yield doesn’t tend to be high due to arid conditions and the need to survive at range, but the milk is rich to promote kid growth. Syrian Mountain does average 51 gallons (200 kg) over 225 days with 4.8% butterfat. They produce one or two kids per litter.

Sources

Chedid, M., 2019. Sustainability of agro-pastoralist systems undergoing global changes as reflected by farmers’ perception and value chain analysis: a Lebanese case-study. (Doctoral dissertation, Institut agronomique, vétérinaire et forestier de France).
Hassen, H., Rischkowsky, B., Termanini, A., Jessry, G., Haile, A., Baum, M., and Lababidi, S., 2016. Morphological and molecular genetic diversity of Syrian indigenous goat populations. African Journal of Biotechnology, 15(18), 745-758.
Landau, S.Y., and Provenza, F.D., 2020. Of browse, goats, and men: contribution to the debate on animal traditions and cultures. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 232, 105127.
Ramat Hanadiv Gardens and Nature Park
Wacks, R., 2020. How goats could become the next fire fighters. Israel21c.