Tahawi “Book of Horses”

Recently, Mohammad Mohammad Uthman al-Tahawi, who maintains the very rich Tahawi tribe website, uploaded an important document, which is like a Abbas Pasha Manuscript in miniature. It is the herd book of his great grandfather, and leader of the Tahawi clan, Shaykh ‘Abdallah Saoud al-Tahawi. Mohammad found it among the horse related documents of his grandfather Uthman, and was told that the book was started by Shaykh ‘Abdallah, and kept up by the latter’s son Shaykh Faysal. When the sons of Shaykh ‘Abdallah divided their father’s horses between them upon his death, they passed book to each other to keep it updated. Mohammad copied it by hand in 1980, and has now uploaded it online.

Rather than tell you about it, I will translate some of its parts, with Mohammad’s permission:

In the name of God, the Most Merciful and Compassionate, blessings upon God [follows a string of religious invocations…] This is a record of the history of the origin of the horses of the Kuhaylat origin, the Tamriyah branch, established by the glorified Shaykh of the Arabs Sa’ud [son of] Yunis al-Shafi’i of the Arabs of [the tribe of ] al-Hanadi may God rest his soul and welcome him in His large gardens, Amen.

This copybook contains the history of the horses owned by Shaykh ‘Abdallah [son of] Sa’ud [son of] Yunis of the Arabs of al-Hanadi.

The book was rearranged by Mohammad [son of] Mohammad [son of] Uthman [son of] ‘Abdallah [son of] Sa’ud in 6/7/1980 AD. 

History of the origin of the horses of the Shaykh of the Arabs ‘Abdallah [son of] Sa’ud

1. Kuhaylah Tamriyah, named Hanum, originating from al-Sham [Syria, henceforth], taken from Nasir al-Mi’jil of the Arabs of Sba’ah in the year 1292 H, her sons are to be mated on all noble [jawad] horses.

– she was bred to the horses of the Shaykh of the Arabs Smida Sulayman al-Tahawi, and the origin of the house [in the sense of marbat] is Jilfan bought from the Arabs of ‘Anazah. She gave birth to a filly named al-Shaqra in 1294 H.

2. The afore-mentioned al-Shaqra was bred to a ‘Ubayyan [Abu] Jrayss whose origin is from Syria from the Arabs of Sba’ah, and she gave birth to a filly named Umm Shinaf in 1300 H. 

3. Umm Shinaf was bred to the horse of the Shaykh of the Arabs Mnazi’ ‘Amer [al-Tahawi], which was known as Dahman, and the origin of his house is from the Duhm of al-Mi’jil whose originate from Syria . She gave birth to a filly named Mas’udah.

4. The aforementioned Mas’udah was bred to Dahman, who was purchased from the horses of Jarallah [ibn Tuwayrish] of the Arabs of ‘Anazah, which was owned by ‘Abdallah Sa’ud al-Tahawi, and he has a glorious record on the racetrack. She gave birth to a colt called Farhan in 1323 H, which was sold to Egypt/Cairo after achieving much fame. 

– Mas’udah was also bred to the aforementioned Dahman, and she gave birth to a filly named Freiha al-Kabira in 1325 H. 

– She was also bred to Kuhaylan al-Mimrah the horse of Shaykh Bshari Sa’ud [al-Tahawi], which was purchased from Syria from the Arabs of Sba’ah, and she gave birth to a filly named Hanum in 1326 H. 

– Mas’udah was also bred to the aforementioned Kuhaylan al-Mimrah, and she gave birth to a filly named Sa’da in 1327 H.

– Mas’udah was also bred to the aforementioned Dahman owned by the Shaykh ‘of the Arabs Abdallah Sa’ud al-Tahawi, and she gave birth to a colt named Salhiyah in 1328 H, and he was famous at the racetrack and was sold to Cairo.

– Mas’udah was also bred to the aforementioned Dahman, and she gave birth to a colt [also] named Dahman in 1329 H, and he was famous at the racetrack and was sold to Cairo. After that, Mas’udah died in 1330 H.

5. The aforementioned Freiha the daughter of Mas’udah was bred to Kuhaylan al-Dunays owned by the Shaykh of the Arabs Malek Sa’ud al-Tahawi, which was purchased from the Arabs of Sba’ah, and she gave birth to a filly named Harbah in 1333 H. 

– The aforementioned Freiha was bred to al-Ma’naqi the horse of the Shaykh of the Arabs Bshari Sa’ud [al-Tahawi], which was purchased from the Arabs of Sba’ah and she gave birth to a colt named Gawhar in 1334 H. 

And this goes on and on for dozens of lines. I will continue this tomorrow.