K~is for Karakul Sheep

In the mountainous regions of northern Iraq, lives an ancient people known as the Kurds. For centuries, shepherds with tents and vast flocks of Karakul sheep have been a common sight in the mountain meadows of Kurdistan (which includes the regions of Iran and Turkey). The Kurdish people have inhabited this region since ancient times, since Noah’s ark landed on nearby Ararat.
Archeological evidence indicates the existence of the Karakul's Persian lambskins as early as 1400 B.C., and carvings of a distinct Karakul type have been found in ancient Babylonian temples.

Although known as the "fur sheep", the Karakul provided more than beautifully patterned silky pelts for its owner. These sheep also were a source of milk, meat, tallow, and fiber. The wool of the adult Karakul was felted or spun into fabric for garments, saddlepads, footwear, rugs, and yurts.
We bought our beautiful Karakul Ewe this past Spring. She has a wonderful personality and is curious, gentle and sweet. We named her Svetlana because it means 'Star' in Russian. It looks like she has a star on her head.
This is a photo of our sweet little Karakul sheep, taken when she was just a cute lamb.

The pelts of the Karakul lambs are historically referred to as "Persian lamb" or "Broadtail". This pelt is a lustrous coat of intricately patterned curls. They were legendary trade items on the ancient Silk Road of China, and were used extensively in America as a fabric for coats, jackets, and hats.
Here you can see how gorgeous our Karakul's coat was when she was a lamb. The texture was amazing. I wish I would have sheared a bit of it, just to save to remember how unique it was.

The Karakul has some unique qualities. It has a dominant black gene, so a very high percentage of these sheep are born black. Maybe the Karakul is sheep that the song "Ba Ba Black Sheep" originated from?
The Karakul is considered a desert animal that stores fat in its tail for nourishment in lean times. Karakul sheep are built for living in rugged harsh conditions, and just like camels have a fat-filled body part. Where in camels it is the hump, in Karakul sheep the fat filled area is in the top portion of the tail. Here you can see our Karakul's fatty tail. Why is it ok for sheep to have a fatty tail, but not me?

Karakuls' devoted shepherds love their exotic carriage, intelligence, hardiness, common-sense instincts, beauty, and independence. And of course, their rich history, which is unparalleled by any other breed of sheep! Jackson couldn't get enough of Svetlana's unique, spongy, cushiony, wool.

The Karakul sheep is also considered a rare breed in the US and Canada. You can check out any breed of sheep and livestock status at the List of Rare and Threatened Sheep and Livestock website. The US Karakul population has drastically declined, however, and the current estimate is less than 2,000. In light of this, the main interest of Karakul breeders has been to simply sustain the breed's presence in America.
The Karakul Registry was re-established in 1985. Today, small farm flocks are scattered throughout the US, with a few in Canada as well. The five or six known bloodlines are juggled within breeding programs to perpetuate the breed.


Because I have a sincere interest in heritage breed sheep, one day I do intend to breed our Karakul Ewe, Svetlana. The difficulty will be in locating a pure-bred quality ram. I would love to have a small flock of these unique and beautiful sheep while helping to increase and sustain these very special animals. If Karakuls interest you, too, you might want to check out the Karakul Sheep Registry.
So, have you ever seen or heard of a Karakul sheep before?
And if you do own sheep of your own, what breed are they?
Do you shear them and use their wool?