Sfakia sheep

When I drive up the winding roads toward Charakas, I pass through an area inhabited by sheep. They roam the mountains and, occasionally, the road itself. They look quite different from North German sheep - in fact, they even bear a slight resemblance to goats. They are Sfakia sheep.

The Sfakia sheep is a hardy breed that originates from the mountainous Sfakia region in the southwest of the Greek island of Crete.

It's a mall, narrow-chested sheep with a thin tail and a long head featuring a convex profile.

It possess a coarse coat of wool, as well as thin, long, and straight hair and the ears have medium-length, carried horizontally.

The animals are exceptionally well-adapted to the steep, rocky, and mountainous terrain of Crete.

They are primarily kept for their milk, which is used to produce traditional Cretan dairy products and cheeses (such as Graviera).

Sheep farming profoundly shapes traditional life in Crete - this includes practices such as the communal shearing of the sheep, which serves as a symbol of village solidarity, as well as the construction of traditional shepherd huts known as "mitata" .Read more