Across the valleys, jagged peaks, and coastal plains of Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jazan Region, an ancient oral tradition known locally as “tarwi’at al-ra’i” continues to echo, preserving centuries of pastoral knowledge and seasonal land stewardship.
The rhythmic herder’s call remains an essential working tool in a region home to more than 7.8 million head of livestock, serving as both a navigational compass and a shared language between herders and their animals.
According to data released by the regional branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), Jazan counts 7,876,221 head of livestock managed by 23,405 licensed herders. Sheep represent the largest share of the regional herd at 4,067,961, followed by 3,598,621 goats, 130,161 cattle, and 79,478 camels.
Local pastoralists emphasize that herding in the mountainous southwest demands far more than basic feeding and watering. The practice requires an intimate understanding of shifting grazing corridors, local flora, seasonal water sources, animal psychology, and the physical endurance to negotiate hazardous terrain.
Passed down through generations, this specialized expertise underpins livestock production as a primary rural livelihood and a vital pillar of regional food security.
The “tarwi’at al-ra’i” forms the auditory backbone of this inherited craft. Pastoralists employ distinct vocal pitches and cadences tailored to specific operational commands — ranging from calls that summon dispersed herds toward fresh pasture at dawn to low-frequency signals that safely gather them for the journey home before nightfall. Herds recognize and respond instinctively to their handler’s specific vocal timber.
In the rocky gorges of Balghazi within Al-Aidabi Governorate, folk heritage advocate Mohammed Al-Ghazwani continues to practice and document the tradition, his calls reverberating across the mountain passes in cadences ingrained in the community’s collective memory.
Al-Ghazwani notes that the call elevates herding beyond daily labor into an intangible cultural asset rooted in traditional ecological knowledge. Over centuries, he says, the sound has woven itself into the geography of Jazan’s pastures, embodying the enduring relationship between pastoralists, their animals, and the land.
