In this paper, using the D loop of mitochondrial DNA as a maternally inherited genetic marker, we address the question of the origin and dispersal routes of domestic chicken of the Middle East Iraq and Saudi Arabia , the northern part of the African continent Algeria and Libya and the Horn of Africa Ethiopia . RESULTS: The analysis of the mtDNA D loop of 706 chicken samples from Iraq n 107 , Saudi Arabia n 185 , Algeria n 88 , Libya n 23 , Ethiopia n 211 and Pakistan n 92 show the presence of five haplogroups A, B, C, D and E , suggesting more than one maternal origin for the studied populations. ...