Syrian Bedouin livestock farmers and their animals - in pictures

Cows, camels, goats and sheep are raised by the farmers in the country's Badia region

Abu Mari, a Syrian Bedouin livestock farmer who raises camels, goats and sheep, poses with two lambs in the village of Ghezlaniah, in the Badia region, south-east of Syria's capital Damascus. AFP

A goat belonging to farmer Abu Mari, in Syria's Badia region. The desert and steppe region runs from Damascus to the border with Iraq. AFP

Syrian cattle farmer Saleh Farah, also known as 'Abu Ahmed', poses with his family at his farm in the village of Al Hayjana, in the Badia region. Badia was popular for grazing but Syria's decade-long civil war has turned it into a no-go zone. AFP

Farmer Mohammad Saasani, also known as 'Abu Qasim', tends to his flock of sheep and goats in Ghezlaniah, in the Badia region. Before the civil war, the region supplied 70 per cent of feed for Syria's livestock, according to the agriculture ministry. AFP

The son of Syrian farmer Abu Qasim poses with lambs from his family's flock. AFP

The Badia region is now used as a launchpad for attacks by ISIS extremists, denying farmers their main source of grazing. AFP

The wife of cattle farmer Abu Ahmed milks a cow at their cowshed in the village of Al Hayjana, in Syria's Badia region. AFP

More from The National:

Karbala residents fly kites to pass the time before iftar

Ramadan 2021: the best photos from around the region in pictures

100 Million Meals campaign: UAE raises enough to serve 216 million meals

Dubai's World Islands developer says Heart of Europe project will open to public later this year

Inside RollDXB: Why Dubai's new roller disco is the place to be