🐾 Pejdar, the Kurdish dog: a thousand-year-old guardian at the heart of history

A silhouette carved in stone for millennia

In the mountains of Kurdistan, a massive, noble and powerful dog watches over the herds and the men: the Pejdar . This dog is not just a companion: it is a living heritage . On some ancient frescoes and engravings found in the Zagros region and other areas of the Fertile Crescent, we see men wearing hats with wide bands , sometimes conical, holding giant dogs on leashes with developed chests and proud postures.

These men are not anonymous. Their features, their clothes, and especially their headgear , are strongly reminiscent of traditional Kurdish hats , still worn today in certain rural regions of Kurdistan (such as Pshdar, Hewraman or Kelar). These engravings thus seem to establish a direct visual and cultural link between the ancient inhabitants of these lands and the Kurds of today .

The Pejdar: a lifelong companion

The Pejdar breed (sometimes also called Pshdar or Kurdish Mastiff) is specific to the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Iran and sometimes Turkey. It is distinguished by:

• An imposing size : up to 90 cm at the withers

• A weight reaching 80 to 92 kg

• A broad head, loose skin and drooping ears

• An extraordinary protective instinct

Bred in the mountains to defend flocks against wolves, bears or intruders, the Pejdar is not a simple sheepdog: he is a member of the family , a sacred protector , often raised with care from birth.

Training passed down from father to son

Kurdish shepherds don't train their dogs like Western schools. They raise them in a close bond of trust , based on daily coexistence, instinct, and respect. The Pejdar learns the terrain, sounds, smells, and dangers from a young age, often in contact with adult dogs. Very early on, it becomes the silent guardian of the flock —and sometimes of the entire village.

A symbol of Kurdish identity

This dog is not just a working animal. It embodies a deep part of Kurdish identity . Through its longevity, loyalty, and strength, it reflects the core values of the Kurdish people: resistance, attachment to the land, and the transmission of knowledge .

When we look at the old engravings showing Kurdish men in traditional clothes holding these dogs on leashes, we understand that this link is not new. It spans the centuries , witnessing a continuous presence of the Kurds on their territory , well before the current borders.

Pejdar today

Still present in the rural areas of Kurdistan, the Pejdar is today threatened by modernity , uncontrolled crossbreeding, or rural exodus. However, many Kurds strive to preserve the purity of the breed , by organizing family breeding or local competitions.

Some Kurdish heritage enthusiasts are also campaigning for international recognition of this breed , like other regional breeds, such as the Turkish Kangal or the Anatolian Shepherd. But the Pejdar remains largely unknown outside Kurdistan.

Conclusion

The Pejdar is much more than a dog: it is a companion of history . Through it, a whole memory resurfaces—a memory woven from the bonds between man and the land, between the past engraved in stone and the living present. To preserve it is to preserve a fragment of the Kurdish heritage , noble and ancient.

🔍 Sources and inspirations

• Dudley, John Paul. Among the Kurds (1892) — first Western description of a giant Kurdish dog

• Visual analyses of Mesopotamian bas-reliefs and frescoes from the Zagros region

• Testimonies of Kurdish herders from the Pshdar region (via YouTube/Instagram interviews)

• Anthropological observations on traditional Kurdish clothing and its ancient representations