Photo of the day: Nawal (b. 1976)
I thought I’d share this photo of Nawal with you, after the mention of the strain of ‘Ubayyan ibn Duwayhiss in a previous post of mine. ‘Ubayyan ibn Duwayhiss is a branch of ‘Ubayyan Sharrak owned by the Sba’ah tribe.
Nawal was bred by Khairi Ajil al-Dibs, of the Aqaydat semi-nomadic sheep herding tribe, on the Euphrates valley not from the border between Syria and Iraq (lately a hotspost of military activity). Her sire was al-Ma’naqi al-Najrissi, a famous Ma’naqi Sbayli stallion, known throughout the Syrian desert for producing extremely typey and good-moving broodmares. The Aqaydat obtained the two strains of ‘Ubayyan ibn Duwayhiss and Ma’naqi Sbayli directly from the Sba’ah tribe, whose seosonal migration routes spanned Aqaydat territory.
Nawal was later acquired by Mustapha al-Jabri of Aleppo, for whom she went on to produce several good broodmares. Mustapha once told me a couple of nice stories about the pride in which Sba’ah Bedouins took in the particular strain of ‘Ubayyan ibn Duwayhiss, in the contexts of their wars against the Ruwalah tribe, but I am afraid I don’t recall any of these stories in enough detail to relate it here. Will ask him next time we speak over the phone.
I took this photo at Mustapha’s in the spring of 1990.
Thanks Edouard for posting this photo. What a good mare! Does this family from Nawal (1976) continue today in the herd of Mr. al-Jabri? From Mr. al-Jabri came the stallion Ta’an who was imported to the US by the Dirks family. Ta’an spend an overnight’s rest in our barn enroute to Colorado after quarantine when he was being hauled by Randall Harris. We both admired this horse very much, and it was a tribute to the quality of the horses from Mustapha al-Jabri.
Yes, this family breeds on at al-Jabri’s and in other places. Nawal is mainly represented through two daughters, Dalahem (by Mahrous) and Umayyah (by al-Aawar). Umayyah is a personal favorite of mine. The picture shows Nawal in old age (ca. 24), before she produced Umayyah.
I know that influence as I saw it in Hisani Hafiza who was tf Muhaira. She was an astounding mare. I can only hope to produce another like her. In her older age, it was impossible to get her in foal with cushings and a uterus full of cysts. Even embryo transfer would have been impossible. We tried for years before the testing and imaging was done. My greatest regret. She looked so healthy until the last year or so. I would love to see the mares mentioned above.
Correction to my story: Khairi Ajil al-Dibs was not a Bedouin from the Aqaydat, but a wealthy trader from the Euprahtes valley, between Bu Kamal, Mayadin in Syria and Anah in Iraq
Correction to this blog entry: Khairi Ajil al-Dibs was not a Bedouin from the Aqaydat, but a wealthy trader from the Euprahtes valley, between Bu Kamal, Mayadin in Syria and Anah in Iraq