From our Arieana Notebook: A Desert-Bred Mare and treasured within the CMK Heritage as one of the foundation mares for Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's and Lady Anne Blunt's Crabbet Stud in England. Bred in the desert from the stock of Neddi ibn ed Derri of the Resallin Tribe of the Sebaa Anazeh. Basilisk was purchased for the Blunts by Mr. J. H. Skene, British Consul at Aleppo, in February 1878 from Abd El Jadir of Deyr. She was taken to England in 1878, at age 2. Basilisk was sold from Crabbet in August of 1884, at the age of 8, for £200. The buyer was the Duke of Westminster and he purchased her for breeding to Thoroughbreds; Basilisk produced for him some winners of races in the best of company, one of them being Alfragan, winner of the Drayton Handicap at Goodwood and the Dee Stakes in 1894. The Basilisk female line eventually died out at Crabbet, but thankfully for us here in North America and specifically for us here at Arieana Arabians, the blood and influence of Basilisk lives on today through her daughter Bozra and her daughter Bukra, the dam of *Berk and a stallion we hold in high regard for his ability to pass on his brilliant action. We also find this prized Basilisk influence on several more branches descending mid-pedigree through the imported mares *Battla, *Bushra (dam of *Ibn Mahruss), and *Butheyna.

Sources:
Borden, Spencer. The Arab Horse. Doubleday, New York, 1906. p. 66.

"A Brief History of the Founding of Crabbet Stud" by Carol W. Mulder. The Arabian Horse Journal, August 1, 1983.

"Basilisk Defended" by R.J. Cadranell II © 1992

From our Arieana Notebook: Treasured within the CMK Heritage as one of the foundation mares for Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's and Lady Anne Blunt's Crabbet Stud in England, (Bint) Bint Nura was also known as Bint Nura es Shakra in Egypt. Purchased at the March 26, 1897 dispersal sale (the second one) held after the death of Ali Pasha Sherif. Taken to England that same year, at age 12. She won 2nd Prize for Arab Brood Mares at Crystal Palace on May 28, 1898 (Rosemary placed 1st). Died in 1912, at age 27. We find her blood and influence today in the bloodstock of Arieana Arabians through her sons Daoud and Mahruss II (see also *Ibn Mahruss and Rijm) and also through her grandson Ibn Yashmak. (Notes derived from "A Brief History of the Founding of Crabbet Stud" by Carol W. Mulder. The Arabian Horse Journal, August 1, 1983.)

From our Arieana Notebook: Treasured within the CMK Heritage as the foundation mare for Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's and Lady Anne Blunt's Crabbet Stud in England. Bred in the desert by Mohammed Pasha, a Turcoman Chief, who stole her dam from the Sebaa (Anazeh). Dajania herself was subsequently stolen from Mohammed Pasha and brought to Seyd Ahmed, Sheik of the branch of the Hannadi Tribe settled at Haggla near Aleppo. It was from him the Blunts purchased Dajania on December 25, 1877, for £35. She was a yearling. She arrived at Crabbet July 2, 1878, at the age of 2. She was sold in the third Crabbet sale in 1886, at the age of 10, to H.E. Rustem Pasha, the Turkish Ambassador, for 120 gs. We at Arieana Arabians find her influence today in our own bloodstock through her daughter Nefisa by Hadban. (Notes derived from "A Brief History of the Founding of Crabbet Stud" by Carol W. Mulder. The Arabian Horse Journal, August 1, 1983.)

From our Arieana Notebook: Treasured within the CMK Heritage as one of the foundation mares for Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's and Lady Anne Blunt's Crabbet Stud in England. Bred in the desert by Suleyman Jelalel of the Gomussa Tribe of the Sebaa Anazeh. Captured in war as a 5-year-old by the Roala in the winter of 1877-78 and sold to a Moali from whom she was purchased by the Blunts on January 4, 1878 in Aleppo for £52. Hagar will long be remembered as the "Journey Mare" for her role as a riding horse during the Blunt's 1878 travels from Aleppo to Baghdad and back to Damascus. At the end of this 1878 Journey, Hagar was taken to England and became one of the foundation mares at Crabbet; she was 6 years old. Sold by Crabbet in September of 1886, at age 14, to Miss Ethelred Dillion for 150 gs. and subsequently given by her to H.C. Stephens in 1898, when Hagar was 26. Died July 1899. We gratefully find her influence today in the bloodstock of Arieana Arabians through her son *Hauran (see Bazrah and *Nessa). (Notes derived from "A Brief History of the Founding of Crabbet Stud" by Carol W. Mulder. The Arabian Horse Journal, August 1, 1983.)

From our Arieana Notebook: *Nejdme, bred by Hedje Memmed of Damascus, Syria, was one of 40 purebred Arabians brought to the United States by the Hamidie Society for exhibition during the 1893 World's Fair (World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago). *Nejdme was universally considered by Arabian horse people who knew her to be the best animal of the importation. At the dispersal auction at the end of the Fair, she brought the highest price, $1200.00, which was a lot of money for a mare in those days. *Nejdme went on to the ownerships of J.A.P. Ramsdell and Homer Davenport and produced a total of 11 registered purebred Arabian foals (5 colts and 6 fillies) before her death in 1914 at age 27. That she was given the position of the first registration in the stud book of the Arabian Horse Club of America is an indication of the regard in which she was held by Arabian horse breeders in this country of her day. *Nejdme was also registered by the Thoroughbred Jockey Club in their American Studbook. We at Arieana Arabians proudly today find her influence mid-pedigree in our bloodstock through two of her daughters: Nanshan and Nonliker. For further study on *Nejdme and the other horses and circumstances surrounding the Hamidie Society's Importation, Horses of the White City is recommended along with Arabs at Chicago 1893 by Ben Hur. Additional details, photos, and information can be found in Carol W. Mulder's books, Imported Foundation Stock of North American Arabian Horses. Volumes 1 & 2 (Revised Editions). Borden Publishing Company, Los Angeles, California. 1993.

From our Arieana Notebook: A Desert-Bred Mare and treasured within the CMK Heritage as one of the foundation mares for Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's and Lady Anne Blunt's Crabbet Stud in England. Bred by Erkeyen Ibn Alian of the Gomussa Tribe of the Sebaa Anazeh, Queen of Sheba, a Celebrated Mare, was purchased in 1878 by The Blunts through the aid of Mr. J. H. Skene, British Counsul at Aleppo, at a price of £265, and shipped to England in 1879. It is reported by Spencer Borden that Lady Anne Blunt wrote in her book The Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates: "Queen of Sheba is incomparably superior to anything we have seen here or elsewhere and would be worth a king's ransom, if kings were still worth ransoming." We believe the influence of Queen of Sheba as it lives on today in the horses of Arieana Arabians through Queen of Sheba's sons Ahmar and *Astraled (see Rahas, Riyala, and Rustem) and her daughter Asfura (see *Aldebar) is still worth that king's ransom and more. (~spm 06/07/05)

Sources:
Borden, Spencer. The Arab Horse. Doubleday, New York, 1906. p. 64-65.

"A Brief History of the Founding of Crabbet Stud" by Carol W. Mulder. The Arabian Horse Journal, August 1, 1983.

From our Arieana Notebook: A Desert-Bred Mare and treasured within the CMK Heritage as one of the foundation mares for Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's and Lady Anne Blunt's Crabbet Stud in England. Considered a Celebrated Mare and bred in the desert by Ibn Rodan of the Roala Tribe, Rodania's life story in the desert can best be summarized as one of intrigue, family feuds, and war; in 1878, at age nine, Rodania was owned by Beneyeh Ibn Shaalan of the Roala but was taken from him dishonestly by his cousin Sheik Sotamm Ibn Shaalan only to be taken from him in war two years later by Tais ibn Sharban of the Gomussa Tribe. The Blunts purchased Rodania from him in the desert near the wells of Abu Fayal on April 12, 1881, for £124. Rodania was quickly taken to England that same month at the age of 12 where she peacefully lived out the remainder of her life at Crabbet Park. The blood and influence of Rodania lives on most strongly today in the horses of Arieana Arabians through her daughters *Rose of Sharon, Rose of Jericho, and Rosemary. (Notes derived from "A Brief History of the Founding of Crabbet Stud" by Carol W. Mulder. The Arabian Horse Journal, August 1, 1983.)

From our Arieana Notebook: Treasured within the CMK Heritage as one of the Foundation Mares for Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's and Lady Anne Blunt's Crabbet Stud in England. Bred in the desert of Ali Pasha Sherif and Abbas Pasha bloodlines by Mahmud Bey. Purchased from Mahmud Bey by The Blunts on March 5, 1891, when Sobha was 12 years of age. Taken to England that same year where she was highly regarded by Lady Anne Blunt who wrote of her: "She was delightful as a companion and to ride." Sold and taken to Russia  in 1899 at 20 years of age by Colonel de Sdanovitch, acting for Count Stroganoff. The blood and influence of Sobha lives on most strongly today in the horses of Arieana Arabians through her son Seyal by Mesaoud. Sobha's pedigree is derived entirely of Ali Pasha Sherif and Abbas Pasha bloodlines. (Notes derived from "A Brief History of the Founding of Crabbet Stud" by Carol W. Mulder. The Arabian Horse Journal, August 1, 1983.)