Shams Al Arab, Ma’naqiyah Sbayliyah filly
The little Ma’naqiyah filly seems to be doing well at the Doyle Ranch in Oregon. I named her Shams — the Arabic word for the sun.
Because she is a welcome ray of sunshine after a string of colts — three very nice ones but still not helping with keeping this precious strain going. Second because it’s the name of my maternal grandfather’s last wife. Well, her name was Shamsi, a derivative of Shams.
According to an Assyrian clay tablet from 715 BC, Shamsi was the name of an ancient queen of “the distant Arabs, dwellers of the desert, who did not know learned men or scribes, who had not brought tribute to any king”. That same table is the first to mention horses as tributes from the Arab Bedouins to the Assyrian king. It’s a very very old name, and a nice name. Hopefully that filly will grow into a nice mare.
Photos by DeWayne Brown, the dam’s lucky owner.
She unfolded very nicely. Good name.
She’s looking good! Shamsi is also the name of a gracious and kind Iranian lady I knew, so I’ve always liked it.
Got that nice reach of hind leg. Pippa and Guen have been such good broodmares for you, colts and all.
Oh, you’ve been holding onto that name for years – I remember your post on Shamsi queen of the A-rib-bi – and how wonderful you finally have a little ray of sunshine to bestow it on.