He's Gone

Al Lahab as photographed by Ahmed Taha

I was afraid of the answer that I would receive, if I asked Google the question that I feared to even utter, much less type. So, I didn't ask, since you can't be afraid of something you don't know, right?  Today, I summoned what little courage I could find, despite it being a dark, rainy, cold Monday and seconds later, the answer that I feared, appeared on my screen:

I blogged about Al Lahab for the first time in 2008, when this blog was barely 2 years old. I really didn't know what I was doing back then, in terms of blogging,  but I was sure of one thing-I loved Al Lahab. As a very young and attractive colt, before he went to America and the Middle East, before he sired a legacy of champion sons and daughters, Al Lahab was named the Junior Champion Colt at the Asil World Cup in Germany. The following year, in 2001, at the European Egyptian Event, Al Lahab was once again, the Junior Champion Colt and at the All Nations Cup, Al Lahab was the Reserve Junior Champion Colt. That's when I started to follow Al Lahab, thanks to Oliver Wibihal and Aleksi Busch of Straight Egyptians dot com and the late Erwin Escher for all the beautiful photos of Al Lahab he supplied to Oliver & Aleksi's website. Without any of these 3 men, I would not have known Al Lahab back then.

Bred by Ariely Arabians in Israel, Al Lahab was the oldest of 5 full siblings, bred from crossing Laheeb (Imperial Imdal x AK Latifa) with The Vision HG, a Thee Desperado daughter out of Belle Staar:

1. Al Lahab in 1999
2. Al Halah AA in 2003
3. Al Hadiyah AA in 2005
4. Al Raheb AA in 2006
5. Al Wahab AA in 2015

In 2019, Al Lahab was 20 years old and I published a happy birthday blog, in tribute of his milestone birthday. Owned by Hansjürgen and Inge Friedmann for most of his life, they wrote on their website,

 "You wouldn't do Al Lahab justice if you only saw him as a show horse or a breeding stallion. This horse is much more than that!" 

Their words created a desire to meet their horse in person but alas, it was not meant to be. I had to be content to worship Al Lahab from afar. A proven breeding stallion, he was recognized as an Elite stallion by VZAP (the German Association for Breeders of Arabian horses) attracting more attention from mare owners, who became fans of Al Lahab's beauty and his ability to pass it on. In later years, Al Lahab traveled to the land of his ancestors, where he stood at stud at Al Babtain and Al Shaya farms, in Kuwait. A star fell from heaven, to mark his passing from one world to the next. May we always remember the flame of love we knew as Al Lahab.

***Many thanks to Ahmed Taha for rekindling the flame of courage, once and for all, finally learning the answer to the question I had feared to ask. Your beautiful photo of Al Lahab brought joy, on a day when joy was absent, nowhere to be found.***