Hello,
I found these words in Mrs. Forbis book of The Autenthic Arabians.
Can someone translate them in English or German?

Al Ablag

Al Abrash

Thank you very much.

Al Ablag I have never heard of, Al Abrash I have but will check for you! Best wishes, Alia

Al-Abrash= The speckled
Al-Ablag should be Al-Ablaq =extremely white

Sorry, Al-Ablaq means the black and white contrast ,like the use of blake and white stones in islamic art,there is a famous palace in Egypt named Al-Ablaq Palace.The bedou Arabs would say ablag instead of ablaq.
Hassanain

Thank you very much.

Dear Abu Ali,

I appreciate your translation skills!

You mentioned Al-Abrash, as speckled. Is Al-Abrash similar to M' thabbab, which I understand to be "flea bitten," or is it different?

With Al-Ablaq, is the "A" the letter, "ain," or an "alef?"

Majid

Dear Majid,
Hi,Al-Abrash is not flea bitten which the badou call it Dhebani or Marshoosh,Al-Abrash is much larger non-uniform speckles(Buqa3 ,the3 mean Ain like in Ali my son)
The A letter in Al-Ablaq is Alf and not 3.There are two Al-Ablaq palaces one in Eygpt and the other in Yaman.Majid,you know the horizantal lines of black and white stones used in old Damascus houses,we had some in old Mosul,this is called Ablaq so in a horse it will be a zebra like which I have never seen in pure Arab.
Hassanain

Abu Ali,

Thanks for the explanation!

I was discussing these words with Al Waaled (Abu Majid), and he thought that your original interpretation for Ablaq, as being "extremely white" might be one of the intended meanings.

As Al Waaled often does, when I ask him a question, ( which I also enjoy very much ), he told me a story from history. This story was about the Khalifa Al Moatassim ( Ibn Haroun Al Rashid).

It is told that Al Moatassim was informed that a Muslim woman living in Roman lands felt threatened by a Roman soldier, and she called for help from the Khalifa . . . . . . . "Waa Moatassimaah."

Upon hearing about her plea, Al Moatasm, said "Labaikee, Labaikee, I shall come to you on "firaasin balaq." And he gathered 10,000 soldiers, and they rode 10,000 horses (balaq) and traveled to "Amouriyah" and fought the Romans until they fled.

Al Waaled, thought that in the above story, his understanding was that the 10,000 horses being balaq, were pure white.

Word crafting and language can be interesting!

Salaam,

Majid

Well Majid,I Think your father is write,Al ABLAQ is pure or extreme white,that is what I thought first then I red something about the Alablaq palaces and why they where called that,and confused the meaning.I bet you if you call somebody Ablaq now a days ,they will think you are swearing at them

I like the idea of calling someone "Ablaq!" I will try it and let you know!



Majid

The text-passage (out of the German book) about the different colours:

"Description the Colours of Arabian horses" from Scheich Fatouh el-Badjirmi, (1850) a present to Abbas Pascha:
...
Pintos/painted horses were differenced in AL ABLAG with 10 grups and AL ABRASH with 3 grups."

Don't know the words out of the American book.

Anjuli,

I am having trouble understanding the intent of the translated sentence. Could it be that:

Paints were differentiated from Ablaq within 10 groups, and differentiated from Al Abrash, with 3 groups?

Majid

Majid,
it means 2 sorts of paints
"Al Ablaq" with10 groups,
"Al Abrash" with 3 groups

total 13 groups of paints.

Hallo again-Abu Ali and Majid, the pure white could be also the contrast thing-in that horses with very black skin,which shows around the muzzle and eyes, also makes the coat of a very white horse look more white. Our Krush family are like that in particular. Majid, yes the Moatassin story is an all-time good one-how many leaders can you imagine being that chivalrous in tis day and age? Alia

Dear Princess Alia,
Hallo,I lost track of this translation thread,I have no idea what they are talking about,10+3=13......???

Al-Abrash means the specked.
Al-Ablaq means the pure shiny white.
I agree with you about the contrast thing in gray horse hence Ablaq.
Hassanain Al-Ablaq

Hello Alia, Anjuli, Hassanein and Majid

Well, here are my 2 cents’ worth:

Ablaq - with an alef - means piebald, parti-coloured, sorry, not pure white. In architecture it is black and white striped masonry. Hassanein, I may be mistaken but I believe it is the Al Ablaq mosque not the palace. I will check.

Abrash does mean speckled or spotted. You know, in old oriental carpets, there is often a discolouration that occurs with age in the naturally dyed wools, resulting in small paler stripes across the carpet, these are called abraash, in the plural, with a long “a”. I wonder if there is any connection.

Regards,

Gulsun

Hello Gulsun,
I made a mistake,Al-Ablaq Palace not in Cairo it is in Damascus built by the Memluks(Sultan Baybars),because it was the Memluks I assumed it was Cairo.How ever,Gulsun,in Iraqi slang,we call the woman that is too fair ;Balga the G is for the Q like the Beduian pronounciation,I still think Ablaq means very white.
Princes Alia,in Jordan there is the Albalqaa province which I think it is called this because of the chalky hills and mountains of Albalqaa,am I write?
Hassanain

Abu Ali, yes there is Al Balqaa but I need to ask why! Was thinking about it as I read your text. Hope mother is better. Gulsun, (hallo), is very qualified to give us her info on such things, she knows a lot about architecture and such things as well as horses! Best wishes to you all, Alia

Nachtrag:
Danke an Susanne Hilke für den netten Hinweis:
Im Buch Pferde aus Licht und Schatten v. U. Schmidt-Basler, Seite 45

Arabische Ausdrücke für Schecken (30 verschiedene)
nach Lady Wentworth und Froehner

ablag = das scheckige Haar
abrash = Tigerung, schwarz mit weißen Flecken oder weiß mit schwarzen Flecken, oder bunt (schwarz-braun-weiß) getigert
anbat = hochweiß gestiefelt, mit Weißzeichnung bis zum Bauch
moumal = 4 hochweiße Strümpfe
sinabi = alle Arten von gescheckt
usw.

Nach der Überlieferung soll einer der 5 legänderen Stuten Mohammeds den Namen Ablag getragen haben.