Extinct strain: Frayjan

The strain of the Frayjan is one of the oldest Arabian horse strains. It gets an early mention by K. Niebuhr in 1772 as of the five strains of Al Khamsa, with the spelling fradsje — see the beautifully researched article of Kate McLachlan on the five Al Khamsa strains.

The strain is not a Kuhaylan strain, but is self standing. It takes it names from the Frijah section of the Ruwalah tribe, to which it originally belonged. The Frijah were one of the first sections of the Ruwalah to migrate from West Central Arabia to North Arabia.

In the 1970s, two stallions from this strain were listed in the first Lebanese Arabian Horse Studbook submitted to WAHO. In the early 2000s, Hazaim mentioned to me a non-Asil mare from this strain in Homs. She traced in female line to an Asil Frayjah mare. She was the daughter of the Iraqi part-bred Arabian stallion al-Zir. It would be interesting to get some DNA from this line. The strain is now extinct in asil form.

Incidentally, the Frijah is the section of the Ruwalah which owned the Saqlawi strain. The Qidran (or Gidran, hence Jidran and Jadran) are one of the ten or so subsections of the Frijah. The Qidran trace to an eponymous ancestor who gave his name to the original Saqlawiyah Jadraniyah mare. The Wubayrat is another section of the Frijah. From these the related strain of Saqlawi Ubayri hailed. This is unrelated to the Frayjan strain.

2 Replies to “Extinct strain: Frayjan”

  1. This is so interesting! I love learning more about the history of the strains, who bred them, and what has happened to them over time, though it is sad to learn that the Frayjah is now extinct in the asil line.

  2. yes exactly jadran and waybran from Frijah section of the Ruwalah and finely I exploring that through anza tribe tree especially al Ruwalah branch… so the saqlawiyah jidraniyah it comes originally from Ruwalah is not sbaa According to what they claim Historically.

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