Hunting Hounds Along the Silk Road

denser coat to protect it from the Hunting Hounds along the Silk colder climate [Fig. 2]. Road – Which Way Did They Go? It has been shown recently that the dog was first domesticated Sir Terence Clark from the wolf in Eastern Asia and London spread outwards from there across the world probably about 15,000 years ago or possibly In 2001 I journeyed for the first their long limbs, deep chest, 40,000 years ago (Savolainen et time along part of the Silk Road tucked up waist, wedge-shaped al.). According to the Russian from Khiva to Bukhara, head on a long neck, pendulous cynologist V. A. Gorodtsov hunting Samarkand, Tashkent, Bishkek, ears and whippy tail, have been and other types of specialised Lake Issyk-kul and Almaty to known to exist in Western Asia dogs emerged in Central Asia in realise an ambition I had nurtured since at least the fourth the Neolithic period (8-10,000 since studying Russian at millennium BCE. Archaeological BCE) (Plakhov and Shelestova Cambridge years before. The evidence from this period in the forthcoming). This accords with following year I journeyed along shape of seal impressions from archaeological evidence in another part from Bishkek over Tepe Gawra in the Tien Shan to Kashgar, then northern Iraq through the oasis towns on the shows repre- southern side of the Taklimakan sentations of before crossing the desert to the such hounds in northern oases and on to pursuit of Dunhuang, finally leaving via cervidae (Clark Urumqi to Almaty. During these 1995, 132). journeys I came across various Similar hounds, hunting hounds peculiar to Central though with dis- Asia but similar in many aspects tinctive pricked to the Saluki, the hunting hound ears and a tail of the Middle East, where I had curled over the spent much of my professional back and gener- career. I was curious to know ally known as whether there was indeed a Tesem also occur relationship between them and, if in Ancient Egypt Fig. 2. Central Asian Tazy in Kazakhstan. Photograph so, whether these hounds owed from ca. 3,750- copyright © 2007 Terence Clark. their origins to Western or Central 3,400 BCE Asia. (Brewer 2001, 32). In the absence Western Asia and leaves a of evidence elsewhere to the considerable period of millennia Hunting hounds of the Saluki contrary, it would seem likely that for distinctive breeds of hunting family [Fig. 1], characterised by the Saluki type of hunting hound hounds to have developed before emerged first on the great the advent of the Arabian Saluki plains of Mesopotamia, to Central Asia, which Russian where they were used for cynologists, such L. P. Sabaneev, hunting mainly by sight the A. A. Sludskii and E. I. whole range of the abundant Shereshevskii, generally agree game then to be found came in the wake of the Muslim there, as well as predators conquests in the 7th and 8th such as fox, jackal and wolf. centuries and was crossed with However it cannot be local breeds to produce the Central excluded that among the Asian Tazy (Ibid.). Sabaneev says nomadic tribes of Central that the admixture of blood from Asia, who may have left few these local breeds brought about tangible clues, similar a change in the smooth-haired requirements for a hunting Saluki’s appearance to a longer hound on the steppes and coat, fringes, pendulous ears and semi-deserts there may a generally coarser build. He does have shaped a similar kind not specify what these local Fig. 1. Smooth-haired Iraqi Saluki. Photo- of hound, possibly with a breeds were but only that they graph copyright © 2007 Terence Clark. 60 Scythians’ British Library on the Silk Road in splendid 2004 there were two 7th century examples of the Tang dynasty terra cotta figurines goldsmith’s art, of such hounds in unmistakable including the poses: one sitting upright and the famous pectoral other crouching on the crupper of from the Tolstaia a horse behind its huntsman Mogila, showing master [Fig. 4]. A magnificent smooth-haired mural in an imperial 7th century hounds with Tang tomb near Chang’an shows either pricked or a falconer with a Sparrowhawk on cropped ears in his arm accompanied by a pursuit of hare beautifully represented feathered (Przezdziecki Saluki (Whitfield 1999, 89). A 9th- 2001, 67). The century painted scroll in the British Seleucids’ capital Museum of the Paradise of at Seleucia in Bhasajyaguru from Dunhuang in Fig. 3. Petroglyph from Kazakhstan. Photograph copy- contemporary the time of the Tang dynasty right © 2006 Renato Sala of the International Scientific Iraq was retained shows a smooth-haired hound Projects of the Laboratory of Geo-archaeology, Almaty. by their suc- Saluki reaching for a piece of Reproduced with permission. cessors — the meat. Another Tang painting Parthians, though shows two Salukis in a butcher’s were longhaired mountain dogs the following Sasanians built a new with pendulous ears (Sabaneev town at Ctesiphon on the opposite 1993, 13). side of the Tigris in 226 CE — and was the great hub controlling However this attribution of the international trade from Rome to origin of the Tazy to the eastward China that became known as the movement of Salukis with the Silk Road (Valtz Fino 2005, 149). conquering Arabs seems to Much of this trade for some 500 overlook other evidence that years was in the hands of the suggests the presence of very Sogdians, based around Bukhara, similar smooth-haired hunting Samarkand and the Ferghana hounds in the region at much valley, who were for long exposed earlier dates, which might equally to Hellenistic influence, not least have contributed to the since Alexander’s wife Roxanne development of the Tazy. There was a Sogdian (Sinor 1990, 175). are for example petroglyphs from So it is entirely possible that Saluki the 1st and 2nd millennium in hounds were being conveyed Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan that eastwards along that route well show stylised dogs in hunting before the Arab conquests. Indeed scenes, though in general they if we look further east in China in appear to have pricked ears and the Qin Period (221-207 BCE) we an upward curling tail more like find funerary bricks from noble Fig. 4. Tang dynasty figurine. Photo- the Tesem of Ancient Egypt [Fig. graph copyright © 2007 Victoria and tombs with graphic examples of 3]. Albert Museum. Reproduced with per- smooth-haired hunting hounds mission. In the 4th century BCE with cropped or pricked ears in Alexander the Great and his hunting scenes (Przezdziecki shop, while a Song dynasty colour Seleucid successors had 2001, 98). Similar hounds appear and ink on silk painting from the established an empire from the on stamped bricks (Ibid.) and in 10th century shows three mounted Mediterranean to Afghanistan and stone reliefs (Schafer 1985, 77) hunters carrying unmistakable the Indus. It is known that the later in the Han Period (206-220 Salukis on their horses (Waters Greeks used Saluki-like hounds for CE). and Waters 1984, 92, 40). Much hunting. Indeed there are grounds later a Jesuit painter resident in for believing that the very name Be that as it may, it is clear that Beijing in the mid-18th century Saluki comes from the Arabic word by the 7th century hounds looking painted several Salukis for a Saluqi for Seleucid (Smith 1980). remarkably like contemporary presentation album to the The Greeks traded with western Salukis were being represented in Qianlong Emperor, though it is Central Asia and their influence art across Central Asia and China. suggested that foreign dignitaries can be seen in some of the In a remarkable exhibition at the may have given them as tribute 61 Greyhound; yet it hounds, particularly since the was not a Saluki departure of many of the ethnic either. All their Russian population, and I had keeper could tell given up all thought of seeing any us was that this more hunting hounds. It was hound and all the therefore a pleasant surprise to be others we saw greeted on arrival in Tash Rabat there had come by a hound with a dense black coat originally from that the local Kyrgyz called a Russia and that Taigan [Fig. 7]. This breed is he used them for particular to the high mountains seeking out fallen where it has developed the ability gazelle in the to hunt all manner of animals in Fig. 5. Mounted Berkutchis and Tazys in Kyrgyzstan. Pho- reserve. During a the rare atmosphere above 2,500 tograph copyright © 2007 Terence Clark, from original visit to Russia in m even in the depths of winter. It on display in Cholpon Ata Museum, Kyrgyzstan. 2004 I saw many appears to be related to the Saluki (Rawski and Rawson 2005, 188- similar hounds, which were called but with a broader head, a stockier 191, 410-411). Hortaya (khortaia) [Fig. 6]. Some build and a dense coat. Russians believe that this breed It proved to be the first of a may have descended from those Against this academic evidence number of such hounds that we smooth-haired hunting hounds I set off to explore for facts on the were to see. We took a walk up shown in the early Scythian ground today. The start in the into the mountains hoping to see representations mentioned walled oasis town of Khiva in into China and on the way came above. western Uzbekistan appeared across a yurt that was protected auspicious as I spotted a Berkut After taking in the many by a red and white Taigan. A or Golden Eagle sitting on a stand. delights of Bukhara, Shakhrisabz woman emerged from the yurt The Berkut is traditionally used who turned out to be someone for hunting right across Central to whom we had given a lift Asia and is often used in earlier.

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