by Annalisa Monticelli and Monika Savier

According to the legend - maybe inspired by a true story, who knows? - all Arabian derive from the five owned by the Prophet Mohammed (“Khamsa ar-Rasul”). Abbayyah, Saqlawiah, Kuhaylah, Hamdaniah and Hadbah created a family, a genealogical tree, a strain that has survived until today as a common denominator among horses from various countries in the world.

198 • Desert Heritage Magazine

The Bedouin Dr. Nagel (2005) wrote in Desert tribes tried to Heritage: breed horses “The Bedouins gave highest attention to that were pure the female line. Each Arabian had in the strain, at to belong to one of the known strains, if least as far as not, this mare was not considered to be a the maternal line pure bred Arabian . Any foal born was concerned. by such a mare received as well the strain Over the centuries name of its mother, and this system went sub-strains were on to apply to all the following genera- added to the five tions. The strain of the father, however, main ones until there was neglected. To make it clear, the sire were 2-300 different was known, but his strain name had no maternal lines, which can place in this system of genealogy. all be traced back to the Curiously, in this respect the Arabs fol- main strains. How can this be lowed an old Roman principle which explained? says: “Mater semper certa est.”- “The European researchers in the Arab dam is always sure”. desert give a variety of explanations. It is If we look at a pedigree from a scientific a fact, however, that for centuries the angle, the genetic influence of the pater- inclusion of a horse in a strain (defined nal line (and his strain) changes, from according to its belonging to a maternal the point of view of its biology and phe- line) was also an attempt to give a cha- notype, exactly as the genetic maternal racteristic to the phenotype rather than line. And to breed “pure in the strain” just the genotype. According to Raswan horses, i.e. always using of the (1930) and other researches, the same family, undoubtedly increases the Kuhaylans represented the masculine risk of extreme inbreeding and reduces phenotype, characterized by powerful the range of breeding choices aimed at musculature, back, broad croup and chest improving the phenotype of the mare. and a small head. The Saklawis, on the But the Bedouins knew this already, they other hand, represented the “feminine” simply did not have many chances to horse, elegant, with a light bone structu- find new compatible stallions when their re, long lines, a light head with a small mares were on heat. Today, with the glo- nose but less hardy than Kuhaylans. balization of semen available anywhere According to ancient texts the Munigis, in the world within 24 hours, the selec- the third main strain, represented the tion of the is dictated by other riding horse. criteria (i.e. economic ones). Judith Forbis (1976) also distinguishes Apart from following the religious dogma three main strains but talks about more and breeding Arabians (asil), the than 100 Kuhaylan sub-strains, 32 Bedouins understood that certain lines Saklawi sub-strains and so on. The were moredesirable in the marketplace. Bedouin tribes, who did not know how Their way of defining a more or less to record the pedigree of a horse, found noble strain was certainly rooted in an it easier to breed a strain and classify the attempt to escape the economic unifor- horses according to that strains. mity of the market and to obtain more It is worth also to analyze the belonging money for some genetic lines, regardless to a strain, which is always defined of the horse's phenotype. according to the maternal line. These strain-based value definitions have survived until today in the breeding world. make researches more easy. And what if the definition of a horse strain was wrong in What do you do if you discover that there has been a gap the first place? Today's horses certainly do not decrease in ever since the beginning or that the interpretation of the value, but if the strain is missing, their real genealogical sources is forced? identity is incomplete and the breeder is left wondering, so to speak. A minor revolution full of new stimuli. One of these mares is Yamama. Among her descendants That is what is happening among pedigree history lovers. there is Prince fa Moniet, Mohafez, El Aziza, Elf Layla When you mention Bint Yamama, people instinctively Walayla, Imperial Bareez… and many others. After com- refer to the white Kuhaylah-Jellabiyah mare bred by bing through ancient texts for a long time, Desert Prince Mohamed Ali. And what about the other two Heritage can now tell you her story. mares, Yemama-Bay and Yemamah / Yamama? Yemama-Bay is also traditionally associated to the HOW MANY YAMAMAS? Kuhaylah-Jellabiyah strain, but she was owned by Lady A horse has always been associated to a bloodline and Anne Blunt and was bred in the desert. vice versa. Yemamah / Yamama, on the contrary, is the only one to This is often done to follow a tradition, a habit or to be associated to the Saqlawi Gidran breed of Ibn Sudan,

Bint Yemama Yemama -Bey /Ibn Yemameh (Saqlawi I° x Yamama/ (a stallion desert bred x a As Saghir Yemamah) Kuhaylah Jellabiyah of Ibn (Aziz / Aziz II x Yemameh) grey mare born in 1893 Khalifa Strain) stallion, born in 1887 bred by Prince bay mare , born in 1885. bred by Ali Pasha Sherif Mohamed Ali bred by a desert tribe, () , owned by (Egypt) owned by Lady Anne Lady Anne Blunt , Blunt -Sheykh Obeyd Stud. sold in Russia in 1900.

How many mares called YAMAMA were there in Egypt the great stallion MESAOUD purchased by Lady Anne towards the end of the 19th century? Blunt? Based on the very little information - no written docu- Finally, the same Arab name can be transcribed or translated ments are available - there were at least two. in many different ways when using the Western alphabet. In that period, individual identities were irrelevant, and the same applied to people and to horses. What was rele- In 1892, Khedive Abbas Hilmi II ascended to the throne vant was the family of origin: that explains the appearance succeeding to his father, Khedive Tewfik and continued of Yamama-Yemamah-Yemameh, with all the variations of the family tradition of breeding Arabian horses. Abu-Ibn-Bint-Bint. In addition to that, it was not rare for One of the first mares that became part of his stud was the same horse to have several names, if described as a foal the white YEMAMEH, bought by his friend and ally Ali or as an adult. Pasha Sherif. He was the son of the Governor of Syria, Who would have thought, for example, that IBN YEMA- President of the Chamber of Commerce and President of MEH AS-SAGHIR, registered on the list of horses for the Law Counsel. This mare was the dam of the famous sale at the auction of Ali Pasha Sherif in 1889 was actually Mesaoud (Aziz/Aziz II x Yemameh) born in 1887.

Desert Heritage Magazine • 201 Mr. and Mrs. Blunt, keen admi- stallion, bred by Ali Pasha Sherif, with rers of Ali Pasha Sherif's hor- a “perfect head”, as Lady Anne Blunt ses, went to visit his stud herself said. Kasida's dam was MAK- and were impressed by the BULA II/MAKBULA AL AZIZA, a outstanding beauty and white mare mare sired by the renow- quality of YEMAMEH. ned Saqlawi Wazir and bred by Ali Pasha Sherif. Lady Anne Blunt had a few examples of the Kasida was the dam of Kasima, a bay KUHAYLAH JEL- mare, born in 1905, bred at Crabbet LABIYAH strain Park. Dam of KAZMEYN, bay stal- in her stud in lion born in 1916 at Crabbet Park. Sheikh Obeyd: The stallion Kazmeyn /Kazmeen was the chestnut sold to R.A.S- Egypt in 1920. KASIDA, Kazmeyn was the sire of Bint Samiha born in 1891 a - the dam of Nazeer, Bint Sabah - the daughter of dam of Bint Bint Sabbah and Bukra, Nasr: a bay Zareefa, the dam of Maisa and El Dahman Shahwan Sareei.

Makbula / Makbula II Kasida Kazmeen (Wazir x Bint Bint (Nasr APS x Makbula / (Sotamm x Kasima) Jellabiet Feysul) Makbula II 1886) bay stallion born in 1916 white mare ,born in 1886 chestnut mare bred by Lady Anne bred by Ali Pasha Sherif, owned born in 1891 Blunt -Crabbet Park, by Lady Anne Blunt, sold to bred by Ali Pasha Sherif , owned by R.A.S.-Egypt Russia in 1900. owned by Lady Anne Blunt. in 1920

The origin of the bay Yamama is rather Right now this is unclear, because the vague. The historic tradition says that, like General Stud Book initially described her as Makbula II and her dam Makbula I, she Abeyah! In Lady Anne Blunt's Journal, the descends from the legendary and famous entry for 4 December 1907 talks about a JELLABIET FEYSUL WAZIRIA, impor- conversation between Moharrem Pasha and ted from the Royal Studs of Ibn Khalifa Mutlak (Lady Anne's manager and facto- (Bahrain), for the collection of the Viceroy tum) on Yemama, the bay mare and her gray of Egypt Abbas Pasha I and paid a large daughter Yashmak. The Pasha asked who amount in gold. the gray mare was and Mutlak replied “that she was the daughter of that bay mare Moharrem Pasha Yamama-Bey's career as a […] sold to us - to which the Pasha replied “Oh THAT mare started exactly a mare, the Jellabiyah I had from Ali Sherif! I thought she year after her purchase. reminded me of that Jellabiyah. So after all Yemama was Her first foal was a gray from Ali Pasha Sherif! and her stock are filly born in 1893 in Mazbutin…..Moharrem Pasha had a fancy for the Sheikh Obeyd, sired by Jellabiyah, and traced Feusul's stock in each case…….. Shahwan: a grey stallion Ghania's long tale about Yamama having passed through of Dahman Shahwan several hands on her way from desert is all a fabrica- strain, bred by Ali Pasha tion!!” Sherif. Yashmak was the dam of Was Ghania one of Moharrem Pasha's agents for the the chestnut stallion IBN sale of Yamama in 1892? What role did Ali Bey Shahin YASHMAK. This stallion play? Why is Moharrem Pasha never mentioned in the was born at Crabbet Park Stud-Books? Are they maybe the same person? This and sired the chestnut Bint would further corroborate the theories on the value of Rissala/Razieh. Together names that I have already written about. Why is she with other horses, both were described as Abeyah in the General Stud Book? All imported to Egypt in 1920 by these questions will obviously remain unanswered… R.A.S.

Yashmak Ibn Yashmak is the sire of Bint Rissala / Razieh (Ibn Yashmak x (Shahwan -APS - Bint Rissala/ Razieh, chestnut Rissala / Risala) and Bint Riyala / Risama x Yemama-Bay) mare, born in 1920, out of (Nadir x Riyala) were sold to R.A.S. in grey mare born in 1893 Rissala / Risala, chestnut mare Egypt. Both are _ sister. bred and owned by Lady born and bred at Crabbet Park. These two chestnut mares are today the only Anne Blunt. source of KUHAYLAN RODAN -blood in the Straight Egyptians - bloodline.

After Yashmak, Yamama had two more foals, both and subsequently purchased by Lady Anne sired by Feysul - the bay stallion Ibn Yamama born in Blunt (such as MAKBULA, KASIDA, 1902 and the bay mare Bint Yamama born in 1904. MERZUK, son of WAZIR, one of the The latter was sold in Greece in 1906, when she was 2 most highly-appreciated SAQLAWI owned years old. Therefore, she is in no way related to the by Ali Pasha Sherif and a certain KUHAY- white Bint Yamama we are talking about. LAH JELLABIYAH, a chestnut That is how the tradition was created that Bint Yamama mare bred by the Royal Family of Ibn was a daughter of the bay Yamama owned by Lady Anne Khalifah in Bahrain, or like FEYSUL, Blunt. Some sources even suggest that Bint Yamama was son of IBN NURA, one of the DAH- bred by Lady Anne Blunt at Sheikh Obeyd. MAN SHAHWAN stallions that Perhaps Bint Yamama was said to be part of the strain Lady Anne Blunt admired the most: or even half-sister of Lady Anne Blunt's horses and she tried to buy him for years and she over the years this became a reference point for the only managed to do it when the stal- KUHAYLAT JELLABIET bred by Ali Pasha Sherif lion was old and almost sterile!).

Desert Heritage Magazine • 203 In 1914, Khedive Abbas Pasha Hilmi II was deposed and exiled. His brother, Prince Mohamed Ali, took control of the stud and split it in 4 studs, with the most luxurious Negma (Dahman El Azraq x Bint Yamama) one located on the island of Roda, at grey mare born in 1908 bred and the centre of the Nile. Fadl owned by Prince Mohamed Ali. Out of this incredible collection (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa) came many of the stallions and grey stallion born in 1930 bred by Prince Mohamed Ali , mares that founded RAS/EAO, the owned by H. Babson (U.S.A.) Inshass-Stud and most of the studs in , Germany and America. Except in one The matriarch, the archetypical case: when he Arabian, was Bint Yamama, the proudly describes the white, gorgeous mare that Mr. and courage and affection Mrs. Blunt talked about. In towards his horse of the “Breeding of Purebred Arabian Saqlawiyah Gidraniyah Mahroussa Horses” Prince Mohamed Ali writes: strain. (Mabrouq -Manial- x Negma) “The true quality in the shape of the 10 horses, direct descen- grey mare born in 1919 bred and owned by Prince head comes from Bint Yamama and dents of Bint Yamama were Mohamed Ali seems to be dominant…” exported and became the foun- ''The true wind's drinker'' In another chapter, the Prince pre- ders of new strains. Today, after () sents theories on his breeding princi- more than a century, writing about ples, taking as example special horses Nasr, Fadl, Kafifian, Negma, Jasir, such as Ibn Rabdan or Negma, his Maaroufa, Zarife, Roda, Hamida beloved white mare but he does not and Hamama causes a surge of emo- write a single word on their strains. tion to lovers.

Maaroufa Kafifan Jasir (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa) (Mabrouq-Manial- x Negma) (Mabrouq-Manial- x Negma) grey mare born in 1931 grey stallion born in 1916 grey stallion born in 1925 bred by Prince Mohamed Ali bred by Prince Mohamed Ali, bred by Prince Mohamed Ali, ,owned by H. Babson (U.S.A.) owned by Count Potocki owned by Princess Of Weil Dam of more National winner -Poland- in 1924. -Germany- Marbach Stud. producers than any other Egyptian mare.

204 • Desert Heritage Magazine It was during the purchase of 4 horses belonging to this strain on behalf of W.R. Brown that General Dickinson noticed a gap in the name of the female lines: the gray stallion KAFIFAN (Mabruq- Manial x Negma) born in 1916 and imported into Poland in 1924 by Count Potocki, was recorded in the first edition of the Polish-Arabian-Stud-Book as belonging to the SAQLAWIYAH-GIDRANIYAH strain, a descendent of Johara Bint Helwa GHAZIEH, a white mare also called Yamama, bred in the (Aziz / Aziz II x Helwa) (Aziz / Aziz II x Helwa) desert and bought by the Viceroy of Egypt Abbas Pasha I. chestnut mare born in 1880. grey mare born in 1887 Bred and owned by Lady Anne bred by Ali Pasha Sherif , The full brothers JASIR born in 1925, sold to the Princess Blunt. owned by Lady Anne Blunt, of Weil (Germany) in order to improve the phenotype of imported to England in 1907. the horses bred at the Marbach-Stud and Mahroussa, defi- ned as the most beautiful living mare, the actual “drinker of the ideal Kuhailan. the wind” - together with all the others related to Bint A connection or a relation between YEMAMEH of Ali Yamama were recorded as belonging to the KUHAYLAH- Pasha Sherif, the dam of Mesaoud, and BINT YAMAMA JELLABIYAH strain, descending from Wazira -Jellabiet of Prince Mohamed Ali, the dam of Negma and Nasr, was Feysul, another mare bred in the desert and owned by the never even considered… Despite the fact that Lady Anne Viceroy Abbas Pasha I. Blunt never described a mare called Yamama, bay and To sort out this discrepancy, in the subsequent editions of belonging to the K.J. strain when she was visiting Prince the Polish-Arabian-Stud-Book the strain to which they Mohamed Ali, but only and always a white mare called belonged was changed from KAFIFIAN to KUHAILAN. Yemama, and her daughter Bint Yamama, also white, belon- ging to the S.G.I.S. strain, who was also sister of her chest- But even today, the prototype of the saqlawi model for the nut stallion Mesaoud, universally known as SAQLAWI old Polish breeders remains a small, rounded, powerful, GIDRAN. muscular body, with a short and wide head and low eyes on In his writings, Prince Mohamed Ali proudly noted that his the cranium: precisely corresponding to the description of Bint Yamama, though aged 25, was still a perfect dam. This

Mesaoud / Ibn Yemameh Hamasa Harb As Saghir (Mesaoud x Bint Helwa) full brother of Hamasa (Aziz / Aziz II x Yemameh) chestnut mare 1902 chestnut stallion, bred and owned by born in 1887 Lady Anne Blunt Crabbet Park. bred by Ali Pasha Sherif (Egypt), owned by Lady Anne Blunt, sold in Russia in 1900.

Desert Heritage Magazine • 205 remark, A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION together Perhaps the horses imported to Germany with the by the Weil/Marbach stud and to America doubts rai- by W.R. Brown and H. Babson received sed by Lady that name as guarantee of their absolute Anne purity of strain? Blunt's accu- It is a fact that the ASAYEL are first and rate descrip- foremost KUHAYLAT, which are then split tions, genera- into various sub-strains depending on the ted the initial Bedouin tribe that bred them and, by bree- perplexities. ding them in strict genetic isolation, gave What if Bint origin to the various bloodlines still in exi- Yamama of Prince stence today, even though often undistin- Mohamed Ali was guishable unless one reads the pedigree. the same Bint Yamama The Prince was asked an explanation for this described several times by and he replied with an ambiguous answer, Mr. and Mrs. Blunt as the which however clarified and underlined how magnificent “Seglawiya”, with her Bint Yamama was a descendent of the horses enchanting head? bred by Ali Pasha Sherif, who inherited them from his great-grandfather, Prince SOME EVIDENCE Ilhami, son of Abbas Pasha I, and therefore The latest recorded son of Bint Yamama was that the origin of Bint Yamama was and still Nasr, the gray stallion born in 1918, when is pure. she was 25 years old. From this we can con- clude that Bint Yamama was born in 1893, SCIENCE EXPLAINS which corresponds with the information At the end of the 1990s it became possible given by the Blunts. to scientifically ascertain the presence of just But the mare Yashmak was also born in one SAQLAWIYAH GIDRANIYAH IBN 1893, which means that they cannot be SUDAN breed by analyzing the DNA of its sisters from maternal side, also because if Mitochondrion. The Mitochondrion lives in they had been somehow related, Lady Anne the cytoplasm of cells, not in their nucleus, Blunt would have certainly mentioned it. and so the DNA of the Mitochondrion is always transmitted, regardless of the heredi- These statements contradict more than half tariness of chromosomes. In mammals, the a century of traditions connected with the DNA of the Mitochondrion (called also pedigrees. But there is no doubt that Lady MT-DNA) is passed on by the mother. Anne Blunt's writings are the best and most The MT-DNA of the BINT HELWA, reliable and documented evidence: when it BINT YAMAMA and MAKBULA mater- came to considering a horse or a pedigree, nal lines was compared and it was discovered she would set aside any feeling or respect for that the MT-DNA of Bint Helwa is the the horse or the owner and she would only same as Bint Yamama, both very different be interested in his/her actual ancestors. from that of Makbula. In a nutshell, Bint What cannot be explained is how and why Yamama of Prince Mohamed Aly, the the descendents of Bint Yamama of Prince famous white mare with an enchanting head Mohamed Ali, were given the KUHAYLAT is sister by maternal side of the chestnut stal- JELLABIYAT suffix after they where lion Mesaoud (and if we observe well, the imported to Germany and America, whereas transmission of the stockings and the high Kafifan was initially registered as SAQLA- number of rabicano chestnut horses are WI in Poland. other typical traits of this strain).

206 • Desert Heritage Magazine It is important to highlight that the nature and identity of were not recorded and this mare and her descendents have not changed. The mare documented as Stud and all her descendants are the same, what has changed and Books are today, they evolved is the knowledge we have about her. were just a list of names and traditions The evidence provided by the identity of Bint Helwa's and that were passed on Bint Yamama's MT-DNA has also another implication: at orally from one gene- Dalal I° 1903 the time of the great monarchies, Arabian horses' pedigrees ration to another. (Radban El Azraq x Om Dalal) grey mare, bred and owned by The fact that there is a Prince Mohamed Ali. link between the two daughters of the mare GHAZIEH / YAMAMA (the founding mare of the entire Saqlawiyah-Gidraniyah strain, bred in the desert and brought to Egypt for Abbas Pasha I's stud), i.e. Horra - granddam of Bint Helwa - and Bint Ghazieh / Yamama II - granddam of Bint Yamama - is Ghazala / Ghazala El Beida Bint Helwa further proof that GHAZIEH really existed. (Ibn Sherara x Bint Helwa) (Aziz / Aziz II x Helwa) A modern difference of phenotype among the various grey mare 1896 grey mare born in 1887 strains is undeniable; however, if we compare the pictures bred by Ali Pasha Sherif, owned by bred by Ali Pasha Sherif , of Negma (considered by Prince Mohamed Aly as his pro- Lady Anne Blunt ,sold to Colonel owned by Lady Anne Blunt, Spencer Borden (U.S.A.) in 1909 imported to England totype of Arabian horse), Bint Helwa or Ghazala El Beida in 1907. e Dalal, you cannot but notice a striking resemblance. EXAMPLES OFGAZELLE-HEAD Following the inclusion and the intensification of blood from heavier stallions (e.g. doubled or quadrupled Ibn Rabdan), the phenotype of Negma's descendents gradually became heavier and stockier, Bint Wedad but in most cases the special and wonderful shape of the head remained unchanged. It Maarree is the so-called GAZELLE- HEAD, loved and researched by Abbas Pasha and Nafteta Koutel Koloob Mohamed Aly. See also the heads of Maar Ree, Fay Roufa, Bint Aaroufa, RDM Maar Hala, Elf Layla Walayla, El Aziza, Sakani, Bint El Bataa, Fay El Dine, Fa Deene, Ansata Bint Mabrouka and Ansata Bint Zaafarana. 23 Ghalion Ansata Aziza Sameer

Desert Heritage Magazine • 207 EXAMPLES OFCAMEL-HEAD

If we think about it, we will notice that only a small section of this great strain carries the special “Moniet El Nefous head”, or CAMEL-HEAD. The same strain section, due to marketing or personal preference of the breeders (rightly or wrongly), created the concept of the ideal Saqlawi, and being able to endlessly reproduce it has become an obsession for Ansata Shah Zaman Morafic breeders.

Wanisa Moniet El Nefous Mabrouka Maysouna Maysouna

Probably, the Saqlawi model par excellence mare Yamama, leads us to consider the com- is the one that so far we have considered as plexity of breeding. The research of the ori- “exquisitely Kuhailan” in this strain. gins helps us develop future breeding strate- gies. Those who do not see just the phenoty- Trawling through the history of Arabian pe and take also into account the genotype horses, the studies and analyses on Kuhailan of their Arabian horse have significantly bet- as well as Saglawi within the context of the ter chance to breed successfully.

-Bowling,M.-Fleming/Dickinson, M.: ''What's In A Name''- Arabian Vision Oct. 1998/CMK Heritage, U.S.A. 1998. -Forbis,J: ''The Classic Arabian Horse''- U.S.A. 1976. -Forbis,J/Sherif,G.: ''The Abbas Pasha Manuscript'' - U.S.A. 1993. -Forbis,J.: ''Authentic Arabian Bloodstock II'' - U.S.A. 2003. -Archer-Pearson- Covey-Finke: ''The : Its History and Influence'' - England 1978/1994. -Archer, Fleming: ''Lady Anne Blunt: Journal and Correspondence'' - England 1986. -Nagel, H.J.: ''Hanan'' - Germany-England 1998 Moneera -Culbertson,C.: ''Hans Nagel: Romance or Reality? ''Desert Heritage Magazine n°8, Italia 2006.