The Mehraban is an Iranian breed of coarse-woolled fat-tailed sheep. It is distributed principally in the province of Hamadan, particularly in the north-west, in areas close to the provinces of Kurdistan and Zanjan. It is the most numerous sheep breed in that region.
History
In 1990 there were about of the sheep. In 2016 a total population of was reported, while in 2023 the number was estimated to be between head.
It is not an endangered breed – its conservation status was listed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as 'not at risk' in both 2007 and 2026.
Characteristics
The Mehraban is coarse-woolled and fat-tailed. It is naturally polled (hornless). The average body weight is about , and the average height at the withers about .
The fleece may be cream-coloured, grey or light brown; the neck and face are dark.
It has some similarity to the Shal breed of Qazvin to the north-east of Hamadan.
References
Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.
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. .
Breed Data Sheet: Mehraban / Iran (Islamic Republic of) (Sheep). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2025.
Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2020). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (sixth edition). Wallingford; Boston: CABI. .