Breeds of Sahiwal
The Punjab district that gave its name to the Sahiwal, perhaps the best milk zebu, close to the ruins of Harappa.
Breeds of this place
Best time: November to March, the cool season in the Punjab.
Sahiwal lies between the Ravi and the Sutlej in Pakistan's Punjab. Under British rule it was called Montgomery, and its cattle were known by that name too. The Sahiwal, a red-brown, loose-skinned zebu, was bred on the dry bar country here before the canals came, and it spread from these grazing lands to dairies in India, Africa, Australia and the Caribbean.
The Sahiwal breed
Sahiwal cattle are reddish-brown, often with white patches, with a large dewlap, a heavy hump in the bulls and a calm temper. They tolerate heat and resist ticks well, and the cows are among the best milkers of the zebu breeds. Government livestock farms in Pakistan and India keep pedigree herds. The breed was exported to Kenya, where a national stud keeps it, and used in Australia and Jamaica to build new tropical dairy breeds.
Harappa and the Indus bull
A short drive from Sahiwal lie the ruins of Harappa, one of the great cities of the Indus civilisation, which declined more than 3,000 years ago. Seals from Harappa and Mohenjo-daro carry carved humped bulls, among the earliest pictures of zebu cattle. The site museum holds seals, pottery and toy carts, a reminder that cattle have been worked on these plains for thousands of years.
A trail idea for Sahiwal
- Harappa The Indus city and its museum of seals and toy bullock carts.
- Sahiwal town The district town and its markets, once called Montgomery.
- Village dairies Sahiwal cows are milked by hand in farmyards across the district.
Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Sahiwal" on Wikipedia. Fair dates, markets and visiting rules change; check locally before travelling, and keep a respectful distance from working animals. If something is wrong, tell us.
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