Egypt at a glance

By Emma Maxwell

Ägypten auf einen Blick

In the Title: The stallion Mourad (Gassir x Mabrouka)
 

This article deals with the mare families and other stallion lines on which background Nazeer made his imprint, and also with the whole concept of breeding within limited bloodlines.

The other main sire line in Egypt – apart from Nazeer – is that of Rabdan (born in 1897). His liver chestnut son Ibn Rabdan founded several stallion lines that are still extant, if rather overshadowed by Nazeer. His two sons Shahloul and Hamdan (both out of Bint Radia) were best known for their excellent daughters, but their sire line does continue. Shahloul was grandsire of the lovely Tuhotmos (x Moniet El Nefous) who sired many beautiful mares, several of which have formed the foundation of the Kauber Platte stud in Germany. Shahloul was also grandsire of Gassir, used at the EAO for many years as was his son Mourad (x Mabrouka).

 

Gharib (Anter x Souhair)

Gharib (Anter x Souhair)

 Hamdan became the foundation of the Hamdan stud in Egypt and his son Anter was used extensively at the EAO. Anter sired Gharib (x Souhair), the black stallion used at the German State Stud Marbach. While rather maligned, not being as typey as his gorgeous stable mate Hadban Enzahi, Gharib blood pops up all over the place as a good influence for correct, well balanced, good necked horses with excellent temperaments. For example he is great grandsire of the elegant bay The Minstril (Ruminaja Ali x Bahila). Gharib’s reputation may be on the up again as paternal grandsire of the 1998 World Champion Stallion Hadidi (Norus by Gharib x Hebet Allah), an impressive horse who also sems to be a sire of quality.
 

Also from the Ibn Rabdan sire line is Sameh (El Moez x Sameera) – born in 1945 – who was used to improve conformation, especially a strong hindquarter. Sameh‘s most famous grandson was El Mareekh (Aseel x Rawayeh), exported to the St Clair stud in the US, which recently disbanded. Their head sire was the strong but typey bay, Ibn El Mareekh (El Mareekh x Bint Deenaa).

It is probably true to say that the average Egyptian breeder is more pedigree educated than any other and can normally tell you with confidence what the damline and strain of his horses are, as opposed to the sire and possibly the grandsire but no further. This is in part because there are less names to juggle with, there a fewer important mare lines than in, say, Polish or Spanish horses and partly because the few main families DO, as a rough guide, show some physical differences, showing the range of shapes acceptable within classic Arabian type.

El Mareekh (Aseel x Rawayeh)

El Mareekh (Aseel x Rawayeh)
 

Also, the whole Pyramid Society concept was based on limiting bloodlines to those bred in Egypt, and thus focused people more on the pedigree aspect. The prolific and excellent publications of Judi Forbis are also a boon to anyone interested in breeding.The female lines of Egyptian horses can be divided into six strains, historically reputed to be of different appearance and those differences can, I think, still be seen.

Ibn Moniet El Nefous

Ibn Moniet El Nefous

  

Saklawi

To start with the Saqlawi, which have been made famous by the elegant chestnut with the extraordinarily fine head, Moniet El Nefous. She had two influential daughters, Mabrouka and Mouna (by Sid Abouhom), and one son Ibn Moniet El Nefous (by her grandson Morafic), who have had a great impact – besides Tuhotmos.

Mabrouka was dam of Morafic, the epitome of Saqlawi type, long fine narrow head, long if slightly angualr neck and long fine legs. Morafic’s full sister was Ansata Bint Mabrouka, dam of Ansata Ibn sudan, a taller and more elegant version of his Dahman sire Ansata Ibn Halima.Mabrouka was also dam of the EAO sire Mourad (as mentioned above), Mouna was dam of Burhan (by Morafic) presented to Morocco where his blood has been very successful and filtered up to Spain, and Bint Mouna/Bint Mona (by Nazeer), one of the foundations of Gleannloch, herself dam of The Egyptian Prince (by Morafic), Mohssen (by Ansata Ibn Halima) and the twice US National Top Ten Mare Il Muna (by Morafic).

Mouna also founded a distinctive line of supremely refined, if slightly angular, chestnuts in germany through her daughters, full sisters Moneera and Mahiba (by Alaa El Din), from which branch the well-known stallion Maysoun (by Ansata Halim Shah) is descended.

Showing the Saqlawi features most clearly in England today is the stallion Crusader (Salaa El Dine x AK Kastana), from the Inshass Saqlawi through El Samraa, also the family of Sameh.The Crabbet routed branch of Saqlawis trough Helwa has fared less well of late and was most important for the two full brothers, Hamdan and Shahloul, and the former’s son Anter. One of the Babson foundation mares, Bint Serra, was also of this line. She is antecedent of another distinctly Saqlawi stallion in type who stood in Britain (and is now in Jordan), AK El Sennari (Ibn Moniet El Nefous x Il Bint Khedena).
Dahman Shahwan

The Dahman Shahwan strain is more moderate in shape than the Saqlawi, being less elongated in structure, but is still less solid than the Koheilan strains. The classic example is Ansata Ibn Halima (Nazeer x Halima), strongly typey, but much rounder and broader in bone structure than Morafic. The low, wide set round eyes of Ibn Halima are the greates feature of the strain. He was descended from the Prince Mohammed Ali mare Farida. She was dam of the record-breaking racehorse Balance and the mares Bint Farida and Ragia. Ragia was granddam of Ansata Ibn Halima, and of his half sister exported to Germany, Moheba (Sid Abouhom x Halima). Moheba is great granddam of two of Germany’s finest stallions Malik (Hadban Enzahi x Malikah) and Madkour I (Hadban Enzahi x Moheba II) and also the great great granddam of Messaoud (Madkour by Morafic x Maymoonah) – the sire of Orashan and Imperial Madheen. Meanwhile, Bint Farida was grand dam of two influential mares, Nefisa (Balance x Helwa) and Abla (Nazeer x Helwa).

Ansata Ibn Halima (Nazeer x Halima)

Ansata Ibn Halima (Nazeer x Halima)

Madkour I (Hadban Enzahi x Kamla)

Madkour I (Hadban Enzahi x Kamla)

 Nefisa is the granddam of the full-siblings El Hilal, Nourah and Negmaa (Ansata Ibn Halima x Bint Nefisaa), and also granddam of "Ramses" Fayek (Nazeer x Fayza II). Abla was one of the best-loved mares at the EAO, and bred many good daughters to Anter.

A notable trio are Looza (dam of the good liver chestnut EAO stallion Ibn Akhtal), the lovely Adaweya, dam of Mrs Ratcliff’s Ikbal in England, and Nagat, granddam of MA Alishah. Also belonging to the Farida branch is Deenaa (Sameh x Dahma II). She was known for producing excellent substance and quarters along with a beautiful eye. Her granddaughters in Britain, AK Fanniya and Bint El Sanaa show this to perfection. Deenaa’s daughter Bint Deenaa (by Ansata Ibn Halima) became the dam of three currently important stallions worldwide, Ibn El Mareekh (by El Mareekh – mentioned above) in the USA, naza Bay Shahh (by Shaikh Al Badi) in Australia and Anaza El farid (by Ruminaja Ali) in Argentina.

The second Dahman branch from Ali Pasha Sherif stock is that of Obeya. This family relies mainly on the 1924 mare Bint Sabah, who is the dam of Sheikh El Arab (by Mansour), broodmare sire to many of Nazeer’s best and Bint Bint Sabah, one of the mares to found the distinctive Babson line.
This latter line produced the wonderful US National Champion Mare, Fa Halima (Ansata Ibn Halima x Sabrah by Fabah), and of typical Dahman appearance in England, Mrs Anderson’s Kerim Shah. Bint Sabah was also dam of Bukra, herself dam of the "German" stallion Ghazal and of Ansata Bint Bukra (both by Nazeer), granddam of another ideal Dahman type, the short headed Ansata Halim Shah. Another Bint Sabah daughter, Layla, was the dam of Sid Abouhom and the granddam of Kamar, who founded the Pharrah family.

This latter line produced the wonderful US National Champion Mare, Fa Halima (Ansata Ibn Halima x Sabrah by Fabah), and of typical Dahman appearance in England, Mrs Anderson’s Kerim Shah. Bint Sabah was also dam of Bukra, herself dam of the "German" stallion Ghazal and of Ansata Bint Bukra (both by Nazeer), granddam of another ideal Dahman type, the short headed Ansata Halim Shah. Another Bint Sabah daughter, Layla, was the dam of Sid Abouhom and the granddam of Kamar, who founded the Pharrah family.

Amaal (Morafic x Bint Maisa El Saghira)

Amaal (Morafic x Bint Maisa El Saghira)
A smaller and slightly different Dahman family comes through Durra, originating in Bahrain. This family is famous for producing the superb moving bay Park Champion Bint Maisa El saghira (Nazeer x Maisa), dam of Shaikh Al Badi, Amaal (both by Morafic) and the gorgeous Dahmah Shahwaniah (by Ansata Ibn Halima), herself topseller in the Bentwood dispersal, AK Nawaal (by The Egyptian Prince) who went to Count Zichy-Thyssen for over $100,000. Now she resides in Germany.

To be continued...