Dating the Saidan strain in Bahrain: 1816, but branching off an older Kuhaylan strain

The stud of Sheykh Muhammad B. Salman Aal Khalifah in Bahrain includes representatives of an Arabian horse strain by the name of “Sa’idan”, of which one impressive representative is the stallion pictured below, Saidan Gharib. The photo from the 1998 WAHO Convention in Bahrain.

While the strain sounds very similar to the strain of Saadan (as in Saadan Tuqan, the strain of, among others, the mare Francolin imported by the Blunts) they are not the same, and are not written in the same way in Arabic.

It seems that the Bahraini “Saidan” strain gots its name after a Sultan of Oman, Sultan Said bin Sultan. Saidan is reference to Said. Here is a quote from the Bahraini studbook volume 1:

 “The Kuheilah Sai’da strain is a family of horse peculiar to Bahrain. The oft told story of how the name came about is still repeated in gatherings when men discuss horses of old and their merits. In the early 19th century the Al-Khalifas had to repel many invaders to ascertain their supremacy in Bahrain. In the year 1816, in one of the attempts to overtake the islands by the forces of the Sultan of Muscat, Said bin Sultan, a big battle was fought on the shores of Bahrain. When the Muscati fleet was sighted approaching on the Eastern coast, horsemen were gathered and positioned awaiting their landing. Although the Muscat forces were greatly superior in numbers and fought fiercely, the shallow water on the shore was to the advantage of the Al-Khalifa horsemen, who were victorious. The remaining of the routed enemy took to their ships and left the shores of Bahrain. When the victorious horsemen returned to their home camp, a Kuheilah mare gave birth to a filly foal. To commemorate the glorious battle and defeat of Said bin Sultan, the filly was named Sa’ida. The Sa’ida at Shaikh Mohammed’s stud are descendants of this mare.”

This events referenced in this account refer to the multiple campaigns that Omani Sultan Said bin Sultan Al Busaidi launched against Bahrain. Four campaigns took place between 1816 and 1828. The one associated with the creation of the Saidan strain is that of 1816. It is mentioned in Sani Ali Bashir’s A Study of Al-Khalifah’s Rule in Bahrain: 1783-1820. Here is the relevant excerpt:

The Su1tan of Masqat was as well contemplating the possibility of embarking on an expedition to capture Bahrain. […] The Sultan of Masqat sailed with his fleet towards Bahrain in 1816. In this expedition the Umanis were given every assistance from the Governor of Fars, in return for a promise of ten thousand Tomans as a tribute to be paid after their conquest of the island. Thus the joint forces under the command of the Sultan of Masqat arrived at the island and were able to land near Muharraq. But the invaders were routed by the forces of the Al-Khalifah and were forced ta abandon their undertaking of capturing Bahrain.
The Umanis lost many men of note in this expedition, especially Hamid the brother of the Sultan.

This is an interesting case of a strain being named after a foe to commemorate a victory over him. It would be nice to know which Kuhaylan line the Saidan strain branched off. Obviously a pre-1815 line.