The Shahbaa Sisters

The 1959 daughter, *Bint Shahbaa, Dr. Erwin A. Piduch photo

When the socialist revolution led by Gamel Abdel Nasser occurred in 1952 and King Fouad’s Inshass Stud became part of the newly-named Egyptian Agricultural Organization (EAO) at El Zahraa, General Pettko Von Szandtner personally selected the 1951 rosewater mare Shahbaa, a Hamdan daughter out of Shahd (El Moez x Shams), along with her daughter Shaheera by Ghazi, whom Judith Forbis had called one of the “loveliest Inshass mares."  It is interesting that the name "Shahbaa" is a feminine Arabic name meaning "gray," which is also used as a nickname for the city of Aleppo in Syria. Perhaps this is the reason why the 2 Gassir daughters are named similarly, they are both gray mares. Shahbaa's 1959 daughter by Gassir, *Bint Shahbaa, was purchased in 1970 by Gustl Eutermoser of the Schieferegg Stud, Austria, where she was bred primarily to the stallion, Mehanna (Galal x Mouna).  

The 1960 daughter, Bint Shahbaa I, photo by Thillo Haake

Shabaa's 1960 daughter, also sired by Gassir, *Bint Shahbaa I, was initially purchased by Ahmed Hamza for his Hamdan Stables, however, in 1969, she was purchased and exported to America by Trucilla Enz, California USA, producing horses named with an "Aziza" prefix, the majority sired by *Adhem (Alaa El Din x Zabia) or Nazim Pasha (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Nasra). Of particular note is her 1975 daughter by Nazim Pasha, Aziza Samira, when bred to TheEgyptianPrince foaled Aziza Princess, whose daughter, BintAzizaPrincess by Abenhetep, remains a significant cornerstone within Dr. Joseph Cruz's Rancho Bulakenyo breeding program and the principal reason for why the Kuhaylan Krush strain remains extant in American straight Egyptian breeding.