Hylke Hettema’s work
I really look forward to the publication of Hylke Hettema’s academic work. It revisits a lot of assumptions about the genesis of the Arab horse, links it to the emerging of a collective Arab ethnic identity, and highlights the role of Orientalism in creating an imagined classic Arabian horse in modern times. I have learned a lot from her over the past two years, and questioned some long-held assumptions.
You will hear a lot about her work in the coming years and decades. You may not agree with everything she concludes, but it has the tremedous merit of questioning ossified claims that have come to be accepted as timeless truths over time. Keep asking yourself questions. It keeps us alive.
Meanwhile, read Hylke’s article on “Ancient Arabians: A Closer Look at Ancient Egyptian Horses” on her blog “Remembering a Desert Horse“.
Thanks for the link to Hylke’s blog. I enjoyed her article on the Egyptian horses; the remark on colour made me think about how colourful the horses of North Africa are, from the Baladi horses of Egypt, to the Barbs, to the Dongola horses.
and the arabians before that, before color was bred out of them..
In fact it has proven impossible to “breed the color out of them” despite centuries, now, of what I believe to be cavalry-inspired selection.
Thats because all 4 of the last ice age surviving horse subspecies had spotted- piebald- skewbald-multicolored specimens among them. While true that the worlds cavalries preferred darker colored horses, since they made a more difficult to see target, frequently if wars lasted longer than the instigators wanted them to the military turned to any horse that was broke and somewhat sound regardless of color.
I had been under the belief that the English upper class types like Blunt, Clark etc. disdained colored horses as something itinerant farm workers used- which were certainly not something a gods anointed Lord of society would have in his barn..sniff sniff!
best
Bruce Peek
Bruce, not just the English! There was a well-bred racehorse, Muzhik I, belonging to Count Orlov, who was a piebald, and who, despite his breeding and his speed, was gelded and sold after the Count’s death, all because of his coat colour. Tolstoy wrote a story based on his life – Kholstomer – and throughout the story, his piebald colour is continually derided. Quoting from the translation I have: “‘He’s just like a peasant-horse!’ he continued. ‘He can’t be left in the stud – he’d shame us.'”
Michael: I fully agree. It was indeed cavalry-inspired selection that tried to breed color out of them.
In another post I mentioned the Merit of the Horse in Islam – and another interesting item I found in the text is the wide ranging description of colors and markings – and even a mention of blue eyes. Can someone assist in defining ‘akhdar’ (green) in terms of what color it corresponds to in modern terminology?
Beth
Beth, whilst I have no Arabic myself, I actually touched on akhdar in a paper last year on colour terms in Classical Greek, which corresponds to the Greek chloros (often translated as ‘green’, which leads to headaches; ‘pale’ is more appropriate). When applied to horses, my tentative understanding is that akhdar means grey, but the precise shade of grey I do not know; to make it more confusing, I’ve seen some articles saying it is dark grey, others that it is a black so intense as to verge on green, still others that it is a smutty yellow colour, and yet another that it is a roan with a red tinge! At any rate, Arabic is not the only language to use a term translated as ‘green’ to refer to the colour of a horse, as Irish glas is used for green trees, and also the grey of horses and sheep.
Akhdar is seal brown in Jim Luck’s draft translation of Abu Ubaydah’s Book of the Horse, and also in my upcoming translation. I anguished over it for many years before figuring it out. It’s a very dark brown nearing black with lighter brown areas around the eyes, muzzle, behind the elbow and in front of the stifle.
This is a good specimen: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjxlN6w3__jAhUQblAKHYg0DqUQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F508977195358670384%2F&psig=AOvVaw20chl5TqbTeUTU-cD2TuTf&ust=1565782148847816
Thank you both for the information, much appreciated. I thought it was very interesting to see how many different terms there were and how many various shades and types of markings were described. I don’t have the book at hand right now, but when I do – I have some more questions that I’ll toss out.
Also, in the ‘asil discussion’ I had posted this question – but I think it was missed. In the Merit of the Horse in Islam, the text uses the term ‘jade’ – does anyone know if that is in reference to the Nicean horse?
I also meant to add – if the Spanish and US mail systems are cooperating with each other – my copy of the Luck translation of Abu Ubaydah’s ‘Book of the Horse’ should be arriving this week – I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Is it out already? I had only seen a manuscript.
I am not aware of this ‘jade’, is it arabic? Jawad?
Andrew Steen was able to help me out re: the book. 🙂
Re: the term ‘jade’ – later today I’ll quote the sentences in which it is used (it appears more than once).
Here are some quotes re: ‘jades’. When I originally read this I thought it said Iran, but in re-reading, it is Iraq – so not sure the Nisean would be a candidate – but I know just enough to be dangerous. 😉
“…Abu Musa wrote a letter to caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab, asking him about the short horses with white backs existing in Iraq, and how to assign shares for them. The caliph answered that those animals were jades, and not horses.”
“…he would not assign the same amount of shares for Arab horses and jades; he wrote to caliph Umar for permission.”
“Commenting on the shape of jades, Ibn Habib says that they are thick-boned, whereas Arabian horse are fine-boned. Hence, a hajin horse is the one of an Arabian father, and a jade mother; the muqrif is a horse an Arabian mother, and a non-Arabian father.”
Beth, check this out in Merriam-Webster’s English dictionary: Definition of jade (Entry 3 of 3) 1 : a broken-down, vicious, or worthless horse. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jade
Thank you, Edouard! This is definitely a new term for me and I think reinforces the answer to my original question is ‘no’. But, I am still curious about what the “short horses with white backs existing in Iraq” refer to re: breed or group identity. The definition you provided also ties in with another quote that I didn’t include (for space)… it essentially commented on the jades arriving the day after the purebreds did when they had headed out on a campaign…so that suggests horses who were less fit or athletic.
Or as Hamlet says, “Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung.”
“White backs” sounds like leopard pattern, or a form of dorsal pied. Pinto ponies?
What translation are you using Beth? I want to check the original arabic (e.g., backs as in the dorsal spine, or the rear end, as opposed to front).
Although my head spins when I read the section on colors and markings – I did find this: “If the horse is white on the back, it is termed arhal…” Maybe Edouard can assist with the terminology?
Abu Ubaydah was trying to show off his linguistic prowess to the caliph, and outdo his rival Al Asmai, that’s why. His point was more to compile a glossary of the Arabic language based on horse terms than to name parts and colors.
Hi Edouard,
The translation I have for ‘Merit of the Horse in Islam” (Al-Dumyati) is the one done by Absi/Sallah; it is also combined with Al-Halabi’s ‘Sketches on Coursers of the Highest Breeding.
Tonight I begin my journey with Abu Ubaydah – I’m really looking forward to it! 🙂
He is the father of them all. All Arabic books copy him.
To jump off Michael Bowling’s query about white-backed, could that not refer to the lacing that we see in certain lines of Arabians? I’ve seen some interesting white markings in Straight Egyptians, as well — the mare Imperial Asil Akilah comes to mind with her marking that is reminiscent of appaloosa patterning.
[ Arabian with lacing on her back, for reference. ] ((fingers crossed the html tag works))