Bedouin Beauty: The Muluq Horses

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some have unwittingly entertained angels."-Hebrews 13:2 

In the 1942 November/December issue of Western Horseman magazine, Carl Raswan first wrote of the Muluq horse, within an article he titled, "The Arabian Horse As Your Friend and Companion". He felt so strongly about these horses, that he wrote of them again, a year later, within the 1943 May/June issue, as part of an article he titled, "The Head of the Arabian".

So dear reader, you may be asking, exactly what is a Muluq horse? I'll tell you.

As Raswan explained in both articles, the Muluq horses are "enlightened" or "celestial" horses who belong to a spiritual group of animals known as "wisal" meaning, those creatures who know God and know Him personally. Not only are the Muluq horses beautiful and charming; they possess a contemplative expression, conveying a rational ability to not only think and  reason but to also, meditate on all that is unseen. Raswan states that the Bedouin called this, Yuminuna B'il Ghayb, "it is within them, the psychic power of an angel." Their touch is magnetic and even the scent of their body is fragrant, similar to sandalwood, which is pleasing to the angels who guard them.

A month ago, I was exchanging emails with a dear friend. I had found a photo of the black Babson stallion, Fa-Serr, that I had never seen before. We were discussing the presence and charisma of this stallion and also, of his grandson, Char Echo (Negem x Sirhabba). Something my friend said caught my attention, "Char Echo would just look at you, slowly turning his head and you knew he was very, very special." I know of this expression that my friend saw in Char Echo. The hair on my head stood on edge, as my memories took me to another place and time. I told my friend of my experience with my horse and he replied with a photo of his mare, who also possessed the same look that he saw in Char Echo, "Sirbana, a Sirecho daughter and she certainly had it in spades. She was totally noble in a quiet way (note expression in eyes of pic attached)..." When I opened Sirbana's photo that was attached to the email, I felt faint, for THAT was the look that I remembered seeing, for the first time, when my mare was sick and I kneeled next to her and placed my hand on her back for reassurance. Slowly, she turned her head, to look at me, just as Sirbana and Char Echo had done for my friend. Our relationship, from that point on, was very different...it would be the closest I have ever felt to a horse.

Sirbana (Sirecho x Habbana)

Last weekend,  I decided to re-read Raswan's Collection of Articles, a 1967 book published by Alice Payne and her son, Robert, of Carl Raswan's Western Horseman magazine articles, including the two articles I previously mentioned. Mind you, I didn't choose to read this book because of the emails I exchanged with my friend. For a few years now, I tend to move towards Carl Raswan in the quiet of the summer. If you have read his book, Drinkers of the Wind, you will know that Raswan had a couple of experiences that made a forever impact on his life. One experience involved a beautiful Shagya Arabian horse that he saw being ridden by Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony. Raswan watched the horse play with his reflection in the water and  Raswan was impressed with the intelligence shown by the horse. It was an image that he would never forget. Secondly, Raswan received a classical education and was fascinated with the Greek horses in ancient works of art, like the Parthenon frieze. At some point in his life, the Greek horses and the Arab horses merged into one and his quest to find the perfect horse of his youth, led him to the Arabian horse. Raswan remains a complex and somewhat controversial figure in the world of the Arabian horse. However, for me, it's Raswan's searching that I identify with and perhaps, somewhere in all of this,  I might just find the way to heal the brokenness that I feel within me. As I made my way into the book, I stumbled upon Raswan's articles and when I read about the contemplative look that is unique to the Muluq, I froze. I immediately thought of all that my friend had said about Char Echo and Sirbana! I opened up Sirbana's photo and studied it. I sat and thought about my wonderful mare, whom I deeply miss. As I thought about all of them, slowly the realization came, like a tidal wave...Angels!

In a follow-up to his book, Kinship With All Life,  J. Allen Boone writes, "We would also come to find that the Bedouin chief was treating his horse as a rational and cooperating fellow being - as a state of being, or consciousness, rather than as a limited biological item on four legs and conventionally tagged as "a horse"...But what would probably elevate your eyebrows to hit a peak would be the discovery that the Bedouin chief, with deep humility and reverence, treated his horse as "a muluq" - as an angel!"

When it comes to life in the desert, living amongst the Bedouin, Raswan personally experienced much of what he wrote about, including  a communion or rather, a mental connection with the mare he rode in the desert. When he was feeling sad or tired, his mare was quiet. However, if he was laughing and joking with his Bedouin brothers, his mare would neigh along, adding her humor to the conversation. His Bedouin brothers, understanding the puzzlement that Raswan was experiencing, explained, "the mare that lives under divine orders, as a mute and obedient companion of man, has an insight into the mind of her master whom she may even prefer to her own kind."

When I initially thought about blogging this story, I hesitated. Everyone will think I'm nuts! There's a danger in writing about supernatural topics that a majority of people dismiss as "fable".  I am not a person who subscribes to conspiracy theories or have an interest in UFOs or Bigfoot sightings. In both of the articles, Raswan discusses many other topics of a divine nature, including the creation story of Ishmael's mare and that of the Arabian breed. Some people may be turned off by this. I may lose followers. With all that said, I encourage you to read the articles, which are available on line (GeoCities), without cost to you.  They are interesting to read and offer the reader a cultural perspective that is not only part of our breed history but is refreshingly different and at the same time, is also kind to the horse, who is above all, a trusted, beloved and respected companion.