A Personal Narrative on My Journey
through the Middle East

The Al-Hafez family took us to a wonderful restaurant for our first Syrian feast which we enjoyed very much and had the opportunity for greetings and introductions. Then we retired to the Damascus Carlton hotel which became our base location for several days. The next morning, November 2, at the hotel we received our name badges and met A.H.H.A. members and guests from Syria, France and other countries. Though not necessarily complete, the following is a list of those either participating or hosting us in some fashion throughout this journey through Syria.

Upon meeting new faces at the hotel we then caravaned by bus to the Basil Al-Assad State Stud (National Center of the Arabian Horse) in Damascus. This excellent equine facility was named after the late Basil Al-Assad, son of president Hafez Al-Assad. Basil was a great horseman and lover of horses. He rode successfully for Syria’s Olympic Equestrian team and was largely the inspiration for the government’s progressive movement to encourage the preservation of the Arabian horse. Sadly, Basil was killed in an automobile accident, taken much before his time. However he has become a national hero and the massive efforts aimed at preserving the Arabian horse in Syria are a fitting tribute to his legacy.
 

A Keheilah Rabda mare after being turned loose strikes a noble pose at the Basil Al-Assad State Stud in Damascus which is the National Center of the Arabian Horse in Syria. This was a magnificent mare with brilliant presence and action.	A wonderful Keheilah Nawakiyah mare at the Basil Al-Assad State Stud. In Al Khamsa lines the foundation horses Kesia I and Kesia II, of the Borden Ancestral Element, are of this strain.

At left, one of the much admired foundation mares of the Basil Al-Assad State Stud is this white mare, Shahlah, a Kuhaylah Nawakiyah whose sire was a very famous Mu’niqi Sbaili. She was a favorite of Basil Al-Assad. At right, on display at the State Stud, is a painting done in tribute to the late Basil Al-Assad, son of President Hafez Al-Assad and a national hero among the many horse lovers in Syria. In this tribute painting, the mare Shahlah is depicted at left and in the background of the painting, stars and doves encircle both of them.

This state facility is modern and fully equipped for breeding, training and maintaining Arabian horses. It is also large enough to host major international equine events with a newly completed huge stadium with seating for tens of thousands for enjoying horse events. The stud has been founded on animals obtained from both Tribal and other Asil breeders in Syria. We were first seated in bleachers facing a training arena set up for Jumping training. One by one mares, some with foals were led before us then turned out into the arena together. One of the mares presented was the aged mare Shahlah, a personal favorite of the late Basil Al-Assad. After this several stallions were presented to us in hand and then returned to their stables. One of their much admired young sires, Hisham, a 6 year old grey Hamdani Simri, was presented in the large Equestrian stadium where we walked to next. Turned at liberty he gave an enjoyable show exhibiting true Arab nobility with personality. I might point out that the stallions and mares clearly exhibited good temperaments and intelligence. The stallions were very well behaved and calm yet with much presence when at liberty. A very striking young Kuhaylah El Wati mare, Nejdma who we saw earlier was then turned loose in the large stadium arena where she showed great action and beauty. Following her was a lovely grey Mu’niqiyah Sbailiyah mare also turned loose in the stadium and moved beautifully.
 

Above left in the new stadium, the stallion Hisham, a 6 year old grey Hamdani Simri and sire of a number of foals we saw at the Basil Al-Assad facility. Above right, the stallion Dawas. Typical of the stallions brought out for our viewing he was quiet, kind natured and well mannered. Wonderful neck and mitbah with finely shaped ears. Below left, a young Mu’niqiyah Sbailiyah mare and below right galloping freely, Nejdma, a 4 year old Kuhaylah El Wati mare. All of the horses presented at the State Stud are similar to what we are used to seeing in Al Khamsa with attention given to good body quality, balance proportions, good legs and of course lovely large eyes and jowls.

Above left, a wonderful Bedouin setting at the farm of Basil Jadaan in Damascus. Complete with all the trappings and of course the lovely Saluqi, Reisha (feather) keep us company. We were seated in a small courtyard and horses were brought in one by one down the magnificent peach grove aisleway and circled up close in front of us so we could observe up close, even pet our Asil Equine hosts. The mare avove right is, Ridab, the last remaining Dahman Amer in Syria. Clearly preservation is as much a concern here as in Al Khamsa. Basil Jadaan is very much a preservationist and lover of animals.

Following the presentation of horses we convened in the State Stud’s dining room for a social gathering and hot beverages. Then it was off to our next destination.

We arrived early afternoon at the farm of Basil Jadaan. This was an especially enjoyable presentation in a setting that was beautiful, peaceful and hospitable in true Middle Eastern fashion. Basil Jadaan is a young man in his 30s who has been loyally devoted to preserving the Arabian horse for a long time in Syria. He has worked cooperatively with other breeders and the tribes to locate and identify the remaining Asil Arabians in Syria. At his farm one is immediately impressed with the atmosphere of one who loves and admires nature. The aisle way from the stable to the courtyard is lined with groves of peaches and other fruit trees and a trellis for vines overhead. He is also a Saluqi breeder and one sees them roaming the compound freely as family members. There are also quarters for camels of which he has 3, several gazelle, and also a family of 5 Arabian wolves.
 

Atiyah, a 6 year old Mu’niqi Sbaili Ibn Saifain stallion in the stud of Basil Jadaan’sa very balanced and typy horse with a wonderful disposition.	Basil Jadaan’s stallion, Hadad, an impressive black Saqlawi Shaifi. Note the flowing neck, prominent eyeset, and fine tipped ears often seen here.

We were seated cozily in a small courtyard as horses were led, one by one, down the grove lane up to our circle to see up close while attendants continually circulated serving tea and coffee. The horses some of which are pictured here were a very uniform group in quality and choice in their representation of families. One gets the sense when looking at this herd that Basil Jadaan is a knowledgeable and experienced breeder. There were numerous excellent individuals presented exhibiting wonderful overall balance and quality with consistently luminous, expressive eyes and fine tipped ears. Some of the mares were in their 30s and in excellent shape, some still producing. Strains represented included: Saqlawi Shaifi, Saqlawi Marzakani, Muniqi Sbaili, Shuwayman Sabbah, Abayyan Sharrak, Abayyan Seheili, Kuhaylan Krush and Kuhaylan Ibn Mizher. Also the last known female of the Dahman Amer family was presented. Of interest to Al Khamsa enthusiasts, Mumtazah, the paternal grandmother of the Al Khamsa foundation horse Ta’an was presented. She was 35 years old in the presentation. After the horses were presented individually we walked out to a large field fenced by high walls and all the mares and youngsters were turned out. It was a dramatic sight to see them galloping but what was even more dramatic was when two attendants mounted two of the mares and with just their bridles took off at full sprint speed across the field. It was as swift as the ghazus we have read about in the past. All guests then convened in front of the residence for a delicious Middle Eastern feast. This was followed by a visit to the stallion paddocks where some of the stallions were enjoyed at liberty. As the sun set it was time to board the buses again but Basil had given gifts to the guests and for me it was a new Kafiya and Agal to wear in true Bedouin style. Throughout most of the remaining visit in Syria the men of the A.H.H.A. delegation wore their traditional Arab Kafiyas. Later, I was to discover that keeping it on my head was sometimes a challenge.
 

At Basil Jadaan’s, above left, a 14 year old Saqlawiyah Marzakani mare who we later saw an impressive son of at the new government breeding facility, The Al-Basil Center of Arabian Asil Breeding outside of Damascus. Above right, a lovely black Shuwayma Sabbah mare whose dam is from the Tai tribe. At left is Mumtazah, the 35 year old paternal granddam of the Al Khamsa foundation horse, Ta’an. At right is Adeelah, a 32 year old Abayyah Seheili mare who had a filly last year and is in foal again. The aged mares were in magnificent condition and apparently very happy with their lives.

After resting at the hotel for a bit, the Damascus area Arabian breeders treated us to a night on the town in Damascus. Damascus is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. We had an intriguing evening walking tour through the “citadel of the old city” in Damascus. One gets a feel for the ancient aspect of this city when approaching the citadel’s 80 foot high stone walls with arrow shooting slits used in the days when arrows were the fiercest weapons. Near the center of the citadel is the magnificent and ancient Umayyad Mosque where the head of John the Baptist is buried next to Salah Al-Din. There are numerous narrow streets and passageways which, during the day, are filled with shoppers perusing the wares on display at Souk Al Hamidiyyeh. Because it was at night, the shops were closed but there were many still on the streets attending the various restaurants and cafes. Our destination was the Umayyad Palace Restaurant and getting there was as exciting and mysterious as dining there. To get there we walked through a long, narrow passageway in near total darkness, passing people we could not see in the dark, finally finding the softly lit entrance way which led down tile stairs into the most festive and colorful restaurant below the street level. Before reaching our reserved seating we could hear the festive Arab music of a live group of musicians. As we dined on an absolutely delicious meal we watched an exciting performance of whirling Dirvishes spinning to the lively music. Randall Harris sat with the “elders and wise ones” to partake of the Argheela, an Arabic style waterpipe which contains aromatic tobacco flavored with fresh fruit. This was an evening to remember as if right out of a Humphrey Bogart movie.

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