Hujjah of Saqlawi Jadran stallion from Tay, bought by the Tahawis, c. 1936
This hujjah comes from the Tahawi tribe website and is very interesting, because of the place of origin of the horse: unlike most of the Tahawi hujaj I saw, this one comes from the Upper Mesopotamia area (al-Jazirah) while the others came from Western Syria. I hope the horse referenced in this hujjah document left some modern descendants, because his origin is precious. Here’s my translation of the document:
“We testify by God and his Prophet, in truth and righteousness, that the grey horse, brother of the bay horse, which [the grey] has a small star on his face, and which is five years of age, and which was purchased by Abdel Aziz Bek and Husayn al-Hilal from Adham al-Humayyid that he is Saqlawi Jadran, and that his dam is a Saqlawiyah Jadraniyah, and his sire a Saqlawi Jadran, from the horses of Dari Ibn Mahmud, the Shaykh of the tribe of Shammar al-Zawba’; and the horse is ‘shubuw’ [to be mated] and can be mated, and is protected [from the side of both] his sire and his dam, and that there is no impurity in his origin; and for this reason we have prepared this testimony, and God is the best of witnesses.
August 31st 1936
The head of the tribes of Tayy
[signature of Talal al-‘Abd al-Rahman, Shaykh of Tayy] [his fingerprint] [two stamp marks of a seal of some sort]
The head of the tribe of al-Raashed
[seal of ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Hesso]
The bottom right of the document contains an additional testimony, which I can only decipher partially at this stage, because of the low resolution of the scanned hujjah.
My own remarks on this precious document:
1. The Saqlawi Jadran strain of the marbat of Dari al-Mahmud is the most established and most highly respected branch of Saqlawi Jadran among the Shammar.
2. The Saqlawiyat marbat of Dari al-Mahmud passed to the tribe of Tayy when Dari al-Mahmud, the Shaykh of the Zawba’ branch of the Shammar, in Iraq, took refuge with this tribe after he killed Cpt. Leachman, the head of British intelligence in the Iraqi desert in 1920.
3. The strain is still present among the Tayy today, and has branched out in several equally respected marabet: that of al-Dandah, that of Jadou’ al-Jaz’ah, and a couple others.
4. The horse *King John, imported to the USA at the around the same time, came from the same marbat, that of Dari al-Mahmud.
5. Husayn al-Hilal was a horse merchant from Syria who was doing business with the Tahawis.
6. Talal al-‘Abd al-Rahman was the Shaykh of the Tayy in the 1930s; his son Hamid al-Talal had a Saqlawi Jadran marbat too. I think Hamid al-Talal’s marbat came from that of Dari al-Mahmud but I need to revert to my notes to confirm this.
7. The clan of al-Hesso is the leading clan of the section of al-Raashed, which is one of the largest of the Tayy. Some twenty years ago their leader was Ghawwar al-Hesso. They own a really nice marbat of Kuhaylan al-‘Armush, and often marry into the leading clan of the Tayy (al-‘Assaf).
Remark number 8: The man the horse was bought from, Adham al-Hamid, seems to have been closely related to ‘Ebbo al-Hamid, the owner of Saqlawi ‘Ebbo, one of the main breeding stallions in Northern Arabia in the 1930s, and 1940s. Saqlawi ‘Ebbo was from the horses of Dari al-Mahmud, and may well have been the sire of the colt who is the subject of this hujjah.
Remark number 9: I can now decipher more of the additional testimony at the bottom of the hujjah: it bears the signature and seal of “the shaykh of the Sba’ah tribes, Rakan Ibn Mirshid”.
Wow.
Just to second Edouard’s remarks,
From the booklet”Les tribus nomades et semi-nomades sous mandat Francais”By La direction du services des renseignements du Levant.Beyrouth 1930
6 Talal al-’Abd al-Rahman was the Shaykh of the Tayy in the 1930s,in replacement of his brother Mohamed exiled in Turkey.
7.” The clan of al-Hesso is the leading clan of the section of al-Raashed, which is one of the largest of the Tayy”.
in 1930 they use to have 300 tents (5 to 6 persons and one armed man)
9“the shaykh of the Sba’ah tribes, Rakan Ibn Mirshid”.
Rakkan was the Sheikh of the Sbaa Gomossah branch:1200 tent 2500 camels 30000 sheep.
Rakan was the nephew of Gathouan Ibn Mershed the tribe’s Sheikh.
It seems that Gathouan had an affair with a high nobility French lady the countess of Clermont Tonnerre.In 1901 the countess saved Gathouan’s father ,prisonner of the Turcs,Gathouan died in 1925 in a Beirut hospital and young Rakkan took his place.
It seems that the Sbaa’s young Sheikhs had something who attracts European Ladies of the highest nobility;before the countess de Clermont Tonnerre, Lady Jane Digby (friend of Lady Blunt) falled in love with Sheikh Mijuel al Mesrab and married him.
About her life”If ever there was a female equivalent of Byron, Lady Jane Digby was she”
Please do Google her name Lady Jane life is better than a Hollywood scenario!
That must be a really really interesting book, Joe….
This teaser sure makes me want to read it!
Kindly provide me with the name of the books or articles that published about my grandfather.
Since I am one of Rakan’s grandsons and training to learn more about Suliman Almurshed trip to France.
And where the horses ended at.
Best Regards