The World Of The Tahawy Bedouin And Their Purebred Arabian Horses

The Tahawy Bedouin have been famed breeders of pure-bred Arabian horses for centuries. Part of the great tribe of Banu Sulaym, they roamed the Nejd of the Arabian peninsula until a wave of tribal migration nearly a millennia ago took them through the Levant and North Africa until they settled in their present homeland: Sharqiya and the Salihiya desert region of Lower Egypt. The Tahawy's horses have been an integral part of their history, their lives dependent on the strength, stamina and courage of their steeds. The heritage of Bedouin breeding - by tribes such as the Tahawy, Anaze, Sab'aa, Fed'aan, Shammar, Tai, Rualla - was and still is the basis of all pure desert-bred Arab horses. The descendants of the famed horses of Abbas Pasha, the bloodlines in state and private studs around the world would not exist were it not for these desert-bred horses. As breeders of Arabian horses for more than 35 years, Bernd and Kirsten Radtke became involved with the Tahawy in early 1980 when Sheikh Soliman Abd el Hamid Eliwa el Tahawy approached them, to assist with laying down a written record and stud book of his forefather's horses. His aim - and that of the authors - was to redress the past injustice of the pure-bred Tahawy lines going unrecognized. Although Bedouin written records are generally scarce, the Tahawy have not only handed down over the centuries a detailed oral record of their horses' pedigrees, but insisted from the beginning on issuing stamped certificates for horses imported from Syria and Arabia. For several decades Bernd and Kirsten Radtke painstakingly, methodically and lovingly researched and preserved for posterity the details of the tribe, their way of life, their long history and their pure-bred Arab horses, hawks, camels and desert hunting hounds. The resulting work is a momentous achievement. Although its focus is largely on the asil horses, it contains much else. It provides an enthralling account of Bedouin daily life; tells of the Bedouin's love for their falcons and salukis and their care in breeding them; and provides a glimpse into the fading memories and half-forgotten traditions of centuries past. The work contains more than 30 original pedigrees from the 1880s onwards, in Arabic and English, as well as many hitherto unpublished and rare photographs, and first-hand accounts by the Tahawy Sheikhs and their descendants. With unique research and images, bloodlines and memorabilia, the story is brought right up to date with contemporary pictures, making the work a timely and invaluable record for enthusiasts of the Arab horse and other noble desert beasts as well as of appeal to historians and anthropologists and those with an interest in the rich cultural heritage of the Arab world.

Prized for their stamina and their acclimation to the harsh conditions of the Arabian deserts, the ancestors of the horses that are now recognized as the Egyptian Arabian purebred horse entered Egypt centuries ago, establishing the valuable bloodlines of the breed there. The breeding programs in Egypt therefore became the root source for the finest Arabian horses, attracting passionate enthusiasts from all corners of the world. Artists, poets, and historians have for centuries been inspired by their great beauty and romantic legacy. Nasr Marei is the third-generation owner of a stud farm in Giza, Egypt. His love for and knowledge of the Egyptian Arabian horse, coupled with his sensitive and striking photography, have inspired this visual tribute. His extraordinary photographs, accompanied by text that traces the history and evolution of the Arabian's journey into Egypt, celebrate the lineage of this living treasure of Egyptian heritage.

For the first time, the story of Iraq's purebred Arabian horses is recounted in words and pictures by a prominent Iraqi whose family has been breeding horses for generations, since the family migrated north from Arabia with their prize horses to settle on the grasslands around Mosul in northern Iraq in the 17th century. Dr Mohammed Al-Nujaifi has a deep understanding of the purebred desert Arabian horse, its origins, history and qualities, and his narrative corrects the Western-held belief that Arabian horses were bred and admired primarily for their beauty. It is speed, he argues, that has always been the essential characteristic sought and developed over millennia by the Arabs. The recent resurgent interest in Arabian horse racing, not only throughout the Middle East but in Europe and North America, is testimony to this truth. Mohammed Al-Nujaifi has taken a leading role in encouraging the sport of Arabian horse racing and currently owns, trains and races more than fifty prize-winning Arabians. In 2010 and 2011, according to statistics of the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) he was ranked as the world's number one Arabian racehorse owner. The book begins with the origins of the Arabian horse in pre-Islamic history and brings the story up the present day, and includes the history and current status of flat racing in Iraq. The final chapter focuses on the influence of the Iraqi Arabian on breeding programs around the world. Richly illustrated with recent photographs and many hitherto unpublished and historic images, the author writes with passion about the Arabian horses of Iraq, of the challenges faced by the breed in recent turbulent times and presents a unique and informed Arab perspective of the qualities of the purebred desert Arabian horse, one that is sure to spark controversy and debate among Western enthusiasts of the breed.