cii. xxvni.] The Five great Breeds. 271 



The names of the Khamsa, or five ixreat strains 

 of blood (originally Ahwaj, and possibly all Kehilan,) 

 are as follows : — 



1. Kehilan, fern. KcMhh (or Kehilct before a Towel). 



This strain is the most numerous, and, taken generally, the 

 most esteemed. It contains a greater proportion, 1 think, of 

 bays than any other strain. The Kehilans are the fastest, 

 though not perhaps the hardiest horses, and bear a closer re- 

 semblance than the rest to English thoroughbreds, to whom 

 indeed they are more nearly related. The Darley Arabian, per- 

 haps the only thoroiighhred Anazeh horse in our stud book, was 

 a Kehilan. The Kehtlan is not by any means the most beautiful 

 of the strains. Its subdivisions are very numerous, and will 

 be given in the list at the end of this chapter. The favourite 

 substrains are the Kehilan Ajuz, the Kehilan Nowag, the Kehilan 

 Abu Argiib, Abu Jenub, and Ras-el-Fedawn. 



2. Seglawi, fern. Beglawieli. 



One strain of this blood, the Seglawi Jedi'an, is considered the 

 best of all in the desert ; and the Seglawis generally are held in 

 high repute. They are, how^ever, comparatively rare, and exist 

 only in a few families of the Anazeh. Among the Shammar 

 there are Seglawis, but no Scghnvi Jedi'iins, the last mares of 

 this breed having been liought up at fabulous prices by Abbas 

 Pasha. The four strains, Jedran, 01)eyran, Arjebi and cl-Abd 

 are identical in origin, being descended from four Seglawi 

 mares, sisters — but only the first has been kept absolutely pure. 

 Even the Seglawi JechVui is to be found pure in the families 

 of Ibn Nederi and Ibn Sbeni only. The Seglawi Obeyran 

 has been crossed with the Kehilans and other strains, and the 



tliem, tlie most celebrated, was given by him to the Sheykli of the 

 Uzd, in whicli tribe her descendants are still found. She was called 

 Zad-el-Mus('fir (food for the traveller) on accoant of her being fast 

 enousrh to run down the 2;a;^ellc. 



