Before Nazeer, there was Shahloul

Shahloul, as captured in a photo that appeared in a 1948 issue of LIFE magazine

"Shahloul was undeniably the most accomplished sire out of the entire Rabdan line of sires." - Philippe Paraskevas, The Egyptian Alternative, Volume II

Shahloul was a 1931 grey stallion, bred by The Royal Agricultural Society (RAS). He was a son of Ibn Rabdan and out of the mare, Bint Radia (Mabrouk Manial x Ghadia). 

Shahloul's sire line is that of Gamil El Kebir, an 1870 chestnut stallion bred by Ibn Subeyni  of the Mhayd Fid'an Bedouin tribe and purchased for Prince Ahmed Pasha Kamal. In Shahloul, this sire line is expressed as:

Shahloul->Ibn Rabdan->Rabdan El Azrak->Dahman El Azrak->Jamil El Ahmar->Gamil El Kebir

Sometimes, depending on the historical source that you are reading, Gamil El Kebir, as known in the RAS History book, is also called "Jamil El Kebir" or "Jamil El Ashkar El Kebir". 

Shahloul's tail female line is equally exciting, as he traces to Ghazieh, an 1850 grey mare, bred by Ibn Sudan of the Saba'ah Bedouin tribe and purchased for Abbas Pasha, prior to 1855. Many say that it was this mare that inspired Abbas Pasha's love for the Saqlawi Jedran strain horses and led him to collect as many of these horses as he eventually did. In Shahloul, the tail female line is expressed as:

Shahloul->Bint Radia->Ghadia->*Ghazala->Bint Helwa->Helwa->Horra->Ghazieh

The asterisk in front of Ghazala's name signifies that this Ali Pasha Sherif-bred mare (and the great grand dam of Shahloul) was purchased and imported to America by Spencer Borden, producing mares like Guemura and Gulnare. Incidentally, her dam, Bint Helwa, was the famous "broken-legged" mare of Crabbet Stud, whom Lady Anne Blunt listed first, above all the other horses in her herdbook, indicating how she felt about the mare. Spencer Borden said of Bint Helwa, "were it not for her injury, she would be a beauty, pure white, with a head such as Schreyer would seek as a model."  In Egypt, *Ghazala produced the mare Jemla, the dam of Serra, who foaled the Babson import, *Bint Serra I by Sotamm. The most interesting story of Shahloul's pedigree is that the majority of his pedigree is comprised of Ali Pasha Sherif-bred horses, approximately 16 horses (some of whom like Saklawi I, El Dahma & Farida Dabbani appear more than once) brought forward through the breeding expertise of Lady Anne Blunt, Ahmed Pasha Kamal, Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik and Khedive Abbas II.  Also, the desert sources are closer up in Shahloul's pedigree, in some cases, only three to four generations removed. It reminds me of something I heard Cynthia Culbertson once say, “What we can say about the Straight Egyptian Arabian, very reliably, is that they are so close to that desert source, the only way one could get closer is with a desert bred that stayed in the homeland.”  A more royal history could not be had by any horse, especially by one who would exert his significance and influence in the breeding program of the RAS, in the way that Shahoul has magnificently done. In my mind, the quality of his genetic history is like a harbinger of the greatness that was still to come. Shahloul's full brother was the stallion, Hamdan (the sire of Anter) and his full sister was Samira (the dam of Zaafarana), proving a breeding nick or "nickabiity" that existed between Ibn Rabdan and Bint Radia. Further underscoring the almost magical cross of these two horses, noted breed historian and authority on the Egyptian Arabian horse, Judith Forbis, coined a name for the full siblings sired by Ibn Rabdan and out of Bint Radia. She called them "the fabulous four".

Shahloul (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Radia)

In almost every book written, we know that Shahloul was a beautiful horse, possessing many of the unique hallmarks which make this breed famous and different from all other breeds of horses, like large, black expressive eyes accentuating the look of intelligence in a noble head, a well-set longer neck, fine, thin skin and very high tail carriage. Dr. Ameen Zaher in the EAO herdbook wrote, "best eyes, head and neck which was arched and very lovely." However, Shahloul was also criticized for weaknesses in the legs, a flaw that was also mentioned in the herd notes written by General Von Szandtner and Dr. Mohamed Marsafi. You can read these comments in the celebrated second volume of Authentic Arabian Bloodstock, written by beloved author, Judith Forbis.

If Moniet el Nefous was the only horse that Shahloul sired, his historic influence as a sire of great renown would still be assured. However, the mark of a really great sire, is found in the quality of his get and Shahloul sired influential daughters and sons. Think of key mares like Kateefa, the dam of Alaa el Din, Bukra, the dam of *Ansata Bint Bukra, Maisa, the dam of *Bint Maisa el Saghira and Om el Saad the dam of Bint Om el Saad.  Shahloul also sired sons who matured into influential stallions like Mashhour, who sired Seef and of the stallion, El Sareei, who sired *Tuhotmos. It is as Philippe Paraskevas wrote in his book, "On a get-of-sire basis, Shahloul's track record is outstanding. It is easily correlated to his achievement of a high degree of balance between Saklawi and Koheilan attributes, along with balancing Rabdan influence. In view of his accomplishments we can only wish that he had been bred more at the E.A.O. where the Shahloul legacy was an inspiration."

So, maybe you are reading this blog and feel that my praise of Shahloul is misplaced and more deserving for Nazeer? Without Shahloul, Nazeer could not have enjoyed his tremendous success as a sire. There would not have existed the foundation that Shahloul established, thereby enabling Nazeer to build upon it. Shahloul, most especially through his daughters, proved that a greater stallion would be hard to find and that the success of the Saklawi I sire line within the EAO breeding program in later years was because a horse like Shahloul came first, used as judiciously as he was in the program and therefore, clearing the stage for horses like Sheikh el Arab and Nazeer to enjoy the runaway success that they did.

***This blog is lovingly dedicated to Philippe Paraskevas in gratitude for the volume of work he has written, in celebration of the still relevant, dynamic and vibrant horses of Egypt past, like Shahloul, who remain the very heart of the EAO breeding program.***