Making sense of Kuhaylan Mimreh mares in the Egyptian Pasha’s studs

The level of detail in Lady Anne Blunt’s Journals on mares of the Kuhaylan Mimreh strain belonging to members of the Egyptian royal family makes it possible to reconstitute a family tree of that strain that actually looks rather different from the one in stud books and genealogical lists (Cf. Pearson). Going through references to mares of the Mimreh strain in the Journals is tedious, but I find the effort to be worth it in the end.

The first reference to that family of horses occurs under the Journal entry of April 11, 1891, except that the strain is misspelt Kehileh en Nimr instead of Mimreh, the probable result of a hearing error, as I wrote here.

Lastly the Kehileh en Nimr of ibn Kayshish, a dark bay or brown mare with blaze. Age 12 years. Her name Fereyha.” 

The second reference is much later, on March 10th 1907, shortly after Ahmed Pasha’s death, in the context of a visit with the stud managers. Lady Anne lists 5 mares from this strain:

(7) Chestnut Ke. Mimre, beautiful head ‘Ghazala’ at end of nose. Sire? 7 years

(7a) Chestnut Ke. Mim 5 1/2 — dam? — blaze (Sire Dahman)

[Edouard note: Personally, I think these horses must have been listed vertically in tabular form in the original handwritten Journals, with comments about their markings on the margins, and that the phrase “at end of nose” for mare 7 and the word “blaze” for mare 7a actually belong to the same mare (either 7 or 7a, more likely 7a, where Lady Anne started with “blaze”, likely ran out of space on her page, and squeezed “at end of nose” in the line above, near entry 7, which caused the confusion), because “Ghazala at end of nose” does not make sense, and “Ghazala” later turns out to be the name of mare 7]

(8) Grey Keh. Mimre daughter of original mare of Zeyd el Horeymis of Fedaan with foal by Sabbah (will be grey) 8 years sire Dahman. 

(9) Brown Keh Mimre (filly) sister of chestnut Ghazala (lovely head). 

(10) Bay Keh Mimre yearling (by tent) blaze, sire?

The third reference is on December 2nd 1907, also at Prince Ahmed’s stud, in the company of the stud manager:

“The brown filly I did not like so well now as before though her head is fine — the quarter is wanting. But her sister the youngest of the Keh. Mimreh lot is I think good and I have made the following list […]

[Edouard note: from the two references above we gather that mares (7), (9) and (10) in the second reference are sisters; also in the meantime, we learn that Prince Mohammed Ali has acquired six horses from Ahmed Pasha’s son, of which we will see later that there were two Mimreh mares]

1 Grey Kehileh Mimrieh Fereyha Bint om Shebaka (the brown mare with skin scars) abuha Sabbah, 5 years […] with first foal by Rabdan, f. will be grey

1 Chestnut (Ghezala) dam the brown O. Sh. abuha the Seglawi son of Roja and Dahman, 4 years

*1 Bay (Sabbah) dam Om Shebaka sire Rabdan, 2 years

[Edouard note: The asterisk on the last mare indicates she was bought by Lady Anne, from it becomes clear that she is also mare #10 above in the previous journal entry, and the one referred to as the youngest of Keh. Mimreh lot]

[Edouard note: Putting together all the information above, we can complete the pedigree information of the five mares listed in the march 10, 1907 entry as follows] plus the first mare in the December 2, 1907 entry, which was not listed earlier:

(7) Chestnut Ke. Mimre, beautiful head ‘Ghazala’. Sire the Seglawi son of Roja and Dahman. Dam Om Shebaka

(7a) Chestnut Ke. Mim — dam? — blaze at end of nose (Sire Dahman)

(8) Grey Keh. Mimre daughter of original mare of Zeyd el Horeymis of Fedaan with foal by Sabbah (will be grey) sire Dahman. 

(9) Brown Keh Mimre (filly) sister of chestnut Ghazala (lovely head); Dam Om Shebaka. 

(10) Bay Keh Mimre (by tent) blaze, Sire Rabdan; Dam Om Shebaka; Lady Anne’s mare Sabah. 

(a) Grey Kehileh Mimrieh, Fereyha, Sire Sabbah; Dam Om Shebaka (the brown mare with skin scars) with first foal by Rabdan, f. will be grey

The fourth reference is on December 17, 1907 at Prince Mohammed Ali’s Manial stables. I will continue this entry later.