however, to exist: first, the general family of “AlKhamseh," which is to be found among most Badaween tribes and tolerably freely dispersed throughout Arabia ; secondly, a more precise or select class among the Anazah race. The text of history-" Rabiah, surnamed al-Faras ('of the horses') because he obtained the horses from his ancestors by hereditary law"-not only points backwards to “Al-Khamseh," formed from "The Five" mares of his ancestor Salaman, but, I think, indicates something more definite than a general consignment of the whole race of "Al-Khamseh," increased during an interval of some five or six centuries. It does not appear why Rabiah was selected from the sons of Nazar, his father; he would appear to have been third, or perhaps the fourth son, rather than the eldest born, but he and his brethren were fourth in descent from Adnân (the ancestor up to whom descents are usually traced). But had the allotment not been made to Rabiah, but to Aijad, the eldest son of Nazar, instead, the horses would have been carried by him to Erack, to which country or district Aijad betook himself with his family. Likewise if no consignment by law had been made, and Modar, the second son and direct ancestor of the Koraish and of Mohammed, had inherited them, solely or conjointly with his brothers, the horses might probably have descended to the Koraish at Mekka, on the one hand, but in such a restricted locality and in a district incapable of supporting any number of horses the especial selection would have dwindled away, and would probably have become very degenerate; it might, on the other hand, have been dispersed to various districts by the numerous tribes and families which came from Kais Aylon-the other son of Modar, mentioned in history-to Erack, to the banks of the Tigris at Mosul, and to the north of Syria. But to have entailed them upon Rabiah was a fortunate or wise step; for no other conclusion can be arrived at but that the horses descended from Rabiah through his son Asad to his grandson Anazah, whose race inhabited Khaibar, and afterwards spread all over the pastures of Central Arabia (Najd), which race possess the best horses. Thus, by a most fortuitous arrangement, the select breed formed by a selection from the original and universal pure breed of Arabia, the Kuhl race, or a portion of it, or a still more definite selection from it, has been preserved and handed down to the present day by that great and peculiarly exclusive people, the great Anazah race. Whether the era of Keheilet Ajuz was before or since the days of Rabiah, and if before, whether the horses inherited by Rabiah were solely from her, I cannot say. But it certainly appears to me that a special selection of horses does exist in the Anazah tribes, and their tenacity and persistency in keeping it pure and select is shown by their refusing to acknowledge, or to return to, any strain which has departed from them into other hands. The Keheilan blood among the Anazah tribes seems to proceed from them to other tribes, and thus the Anazah horse influences and affects all other strains (more or less) which there may be inside or outside of “Al-Khamseh,” but never returns to the Anazah. The term "Al-Khamseh" (The Five) has reference only, I consider, to the five original mares of the Arab patriarch Salaman; it embraces all authentic lines of descent from "The Five," but does not infer that there are necessarily five families, or only five, at the present day. I think there is not any attempt on the part of the Badaween, such as the Anazah, to retain five families only as representatives of the original five, or indeed to limit the number of families or strains in “Al-Khamseh.” These are very numerous; and when any such have established a well-merited reputation, and especially when other strains have sprung from them in turn, it appears to me that such often become leading families. On the other hand, I think it is quite possible that a name or family might cease to have a place in "Al-Khamseh" under some circumstances, i.e. it might cease to be considered worthy by the Anazah. The blood of the five original mares collectively may have come down through five sources, bearing different names (original or otherwise)—not that lines from the original mares were kept distinct from each other otherwise than in name-from the custom of calling the offspring after the family of the dam; or from the period of the Keheilet Ajuz it may have been preserved, as some suppose, through that one source. The accompanying chart may make the matter more clear; the roll of names which follows is a tolerably complete one of the families and strains considered and said to be in "Al-Khamseh "-of many there is no doubt and is so arranged as to show them equally well, whether all are considered from Keheilet Ajuz or from four other lines collateral with hers, from the original "Five." The blood of these has either come down through five lines bearing the original names, or substitutes of a later date, corresponding with the five original mares, or through one descendant-the Keheilet Ajuz. I. KEHEILET AJUZ. Keheilet Heife. Keheilet abu Soara. Keheilet al-Esheir. Keheilan al-Denais. Keheilan al-Nowak. Keheilan Tamri. Keheilan Hadali. Keheilan Nowak Deber Keheilan al-Muson. |