| |
Ancient
Works of Art
The Saluki
has been a companion of man for millennia. Historians believe
it is the oldest breed of domesticated dog -- some assert
the oldest tamed animal. The first known evidence of the Saluki,
also known as the Persian greyhound and the gazelle hound,
was its depiction in carvings found in the area of ancient
Mesopotamia, dating back to about 14,000 B.C.
From Mesopotamia,
traders carried the Saluki throughout the Middle East and
into the Nile Valley, where they became the favorite hounds
of the ancient Egyptian ruling classes. Owned only by the
nobility, the Saluki was known as the "Royal Dog of Egypt."
Aside from the many statues and wall paintings of Salukis
found in Egypt -- some dating back 5,300 years -- many Salukis
were mummified and have been discovered in the tombs of their
masters.
Images
of the Saluki can be found on ancient pottery and crypts throughout
the Middle East. The literature of the Assyrians, Babylonians
and Sumerians mentions the dog in rapturous phrases. Later,
the Arabs praised the Saluki in their poetry and song, giving
it the name slughi, from Saluq, a long-vanished city
in South Arabia. Abu Nuwas was a famous Arab poet from the
eighth century whose poetry mentions the Saluki. "It is as
though behind the place where his eyelashes meet there are
burning coals, constantly kindled," he wrote of the dog. "Like
a hawk swooping on sand-grouse, he peels the skin of the earth
with four feet."
Desert
Hunter
Game was
sparse in the desert, and the nomadic people of the Arab world
needed meat to stay alive. They found an ideal instrument
in the Saluki. Its eyes are deep set, extra bright and sharp,
permitting the Saluki to easily spot moving prey far away
on the desert horizon. The Saluki's ears, which droop close
to the head and feature a covering of fine, silky feathering,
have an uncanny hearing ability. The full-grown Saluki stands
from 24 to 29 inches tall, weighs between 40 and 50 pounds,
and can reach speeds of up to 50 miles an hour. From the head,
the back gently slopes over an arched neck and well-muscled
shoulders to well-knit hips. The dog's streamlined appearance
gives an impression of neatness, dignity and graceful symmetry.
This elegant design is a perfect example of how nature shapes
an animal for a specific task -- hunting over open terrain.
With its sharp hearing, superb eyesight and strength, no beast
of the desert can escape its clutches.
Bedouins
took great care and patience in training this favored animal.
At first the young Saluki was taught to hunt small rats, then
hares. As its speed, strength and endurance reached maturity,
it was taught to hunt gazelles. After thousands of years pursuing
game in a flat, treeless land, these skills became second
nature for the breed, giving the Saluki the capability to
bring down the swiftest of game.
The Saluki
comes in various shades and colors, and in two different types:
smooth-coated and feathered. It is believed that originally
each tribe bred a separate, distinct type of Saluki -- the
blondes and fawns in the golden desert; the blacks in the
black lava deserts of the Fertile Crescent. The ones bred
in the northern parts of Syria, Iraq and Iran, called the
northern strain, were raised to hunt in the cold, rough mountain
terrains of these countries. Hence, they developed thick coats
and thick feathering. Those bred in the Arabian Peninsula
and Egypt, called the southern strain, were the true desert
hounds -- taller, leggier and with much less feathering.
Although
the Saluki is sometimes referred to as the eastern greyhound
or the gazelle hound in the West, it is not a greyhound. Some
experts assert that the sloughi of North Africa and the greyhound
could have been the same breed as the Saluki at the dawn of
civilization. Others believe the greyhound and sloughi are
descendents of the Saluki. In any case, today they are considered
different breeds from the same family of dogs.
Family
Tradition
The tradition
of Saluki breeding was deeply rooted in the Arab tribes. The
men of the desert believed it was a perfect animal and valued
it more than most other possessions. Islam pronounces that
dogs are unclean, but a special exemption was made for the
Saluki. In fact, it was believed that the dog was a gift from
God to the tribes, earning the Saluki the title of el-Hur,
or the "Noble One." There is even a legend that the Prophet
Muhammad himself owned a Saluki that he used for hunting.
Only the purebred horse and camel matched the Saluki in the
Bedouin's esteem. To the Saluki, it is said, the Bedouin is
a slave rather than a master.
Like a
distinguished guest, the Saluki was allowed to freely enter
the home of its master, tent and palace alike, where it slept
on rugs and cushions or even with members of the household.
Its faithfulness is legendary -- the Saluki hunts only for
its owner and no one else. Some Bedouins even contend that
the Saluki, when well trained, will bring its master a rabbit
on its own when it senses the need.
The genealogies
of the Salukis, some a thousand years old, are jealously guarded.
Bedouins learn and transmit their pedigrees orally, never
writing them down. Females, when in heat, are not allowed
to mate with a strange dog. If an accident occurs, the impure
pups are destroyed. Saluki pups are never sold, only given
as a gift to cherished guests, and bloodlines are so well
guarded that family resemblances are seen from one generation
to the next.
Westward
Ho
Salukis
were first introduced into Europe during the Crusades, from
the 11th century until the end of the 13th century. Both soldiers
and nobles in the invading European armies were fascinated
by the Saluki's speed and beauty, and enthralled with its
hunting ability. Some of these soldiers secured Salukis of
their own. However, the breed did not proliferate in most
parts of Europe until many centuries later. One exception
was in Sicily and southern Italy. The Emperor Frederick II
of Sicily, who ruled in the 13th century, was a great patron
of the Saluki and is credited with introducing it throughout
that region.
Because
of their colonial activities in the Arab world, England and
France were the first countries in western Europe where the
Saluki became common. Lady Florence Amherst is credited for
first importing the southern strain of Saluki into England
in the 19th century. Later, the northern strain was also exported
to England. Today, American Salukis are primarily a blend
of these two types.
The Saluki
is still found in all parts of the Arabian Peninsula, North
Africa and most countries in western Asia, but in fewer numbers
than in the past. The Saluki is going the way of the Bedouins
-- crowded out by civilization. As the members of these ancient
tribes move to the cities, the traditional hunting role of
the Saluki is fading. A few remaining Bedouin tribes still
use the Saluki for hunting, but the gazelle -- their main
prey -- has become almost extinct because of overhunting with
modern weapons. What few Salukis remain among the Bedouins
are raised primarily for comradeship and sentimentality. Royal
families and nobility still raise the dog in large numbers,
but even these dogs are only bred for sport and companionship.
On the
other hand, the Saluki is becoming increasingly popular in
Europe and North America. Never noisy or aggressive, and remarkably
clean and odor free, they are ideal companion dogs. And like
the Bedouins, people in the West are learning the Saluki's
fidelity and affection for its master is unequaled. There
is little doubt that as people become more and more familiar
with these traits, this noble dog of the desert has a bright
future on this side of the ocean.
|
www.dogandkennel.com
