It is highly likely that the Arabi is descended from very ancient importations from Arabia across the narrow Bal-el-Mandeb Straits at the mouth of the Red Sea. This breed has adapted to extreme temperatures and conditions. Within the foothills of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, summer temperatures rise to and winter temperatures down to with less than rain. From 1990 to 2000, the population of the Arabi increased from 1.4 million to 1.5 million.