Cultural / On World Horse Day, King Abdulaziz Public Library Highlights Efforts to Document Arabian Horse Heritage

Riyadh, Muharram 22, 1448 AH, corresponding to July 7, 2026 (SPA) - On the occasion of World Horse Day, King Abdulaziz Public Library highlighted its efforts to document Arabian horse heritage through an integrated system of scientific publications, rare manuscripts, and research holdings that have enriched historical, linguistic, and cultural studies related to horses and horsemanship, and provided specialized knowledge resources for researchers and enthusiasts. Foremost among these efforts is the library's publication of the manuscript 'Usul al-Khayl' (Origins of Horses) by Abbas Pasha I, considered one of the rarest specialized manuscripts on the history of Arabian horses. Its preparation began in 1848 by a scientific delegation sent by Abbas Pasha to the Arabian Peninsula to document the lineages of purebred horses, their strains, and breeding sites, along with the names of their owners, breeders, and traders, in addition to historical and social information documenting the status of Arabian horses among Arabian Peninsula tribes, making it an important scientific reference in this field. The library's interest extended to establishing a specialized knowledge base on horsemanship through the creation of a Center for Horsemanship Studies, which houses over 12,000 cultural and scientific items, including books, manuscripts, research studies, historical photographs, and artworks, in addition to issuing the world's first printed bibliographic inventory of horses and horsemanship, thereby enhancing the preservation and accessibility of specialized scientific output for researchers. Among the library's notable publications is the book 'Furusiyya' (Horsemanship), issued in Arabic and English by David Alexander and Dr. Shihab al-Sarraf. Its first volume contains 29 scientific studies prepared by specialized researchers from various countries, while the second volume includes an illustrated index featuring rare historical documents and photographs documenting the history of Arabian horses and their cultural significance. The library also published 'Al-Khayl fi Ash'ar al-Arab' (Horses in Arab Poetry) by Dr. Hassan Mohammed al-Nasih, and 'Al-Khayl wa al-Furusiyya: A Bibliographic Study' in Arabic and English, which includes 2,262 titles—838 in Arabic and 1,424 in other languages—making it the first specialized printed statistical work documenting knowledge production in the field of horses and horsemanship. In the context of enhancing specialized scientific content, the library issued a translation of the book 'Purebred Arabian Horses' from Russian, which reviews Western literature on Arabian horses and breeding methods, and documents their strains and characteristics based on the author's field visits to the Arabian Peninsula and several Arab countries. The library also enriched its knowledge stock by publishing 'Al-Mabadi' al-Amma lil-Faris al-Arabi' (General Principles of the Arab Knight) and 'Tarikh al-Khayl al-Arabi' (History of the Arabian Horse) in French, which address the history of horses and the arts of horsemanship since ancient civilizations, enhancing the presence of this cultural heritage in multilingual knowledge sources. On the linguistic side, the library published 'Qamus al-Khayl fi Lisan al-Arab' (Dictionary of Horses in Lisan al-Arab) compiled by Suleiman al-Nughaymishi, which collects vocabulary and terms related to horses found in the Lisan al-Arab dictionary, covering horse names, descriptions, diseases, and tools, along with a set of related Arabic proverbs, reflecting the rich presence of horses in the Arabic language. Another specialized publication is 'Al-Busara' bi al-Khayl al-‘Arab' (The Connoisseurs of Arabian Horses) by Abdulaziz al-Qurashi, which discusses the descriptions and characteristics of purebred Arabian horses and reviews the opinions of scholars and horse enthusiasts on criteria for distinguishing them, their traits, and the transmission of these traits across generations. In the context of highlighting the historical and cultural relationship between humans and horses, the library published 'Sa‘adat al-Insan ma‘a al-Khayl' (Human Happiness with Horses) by German author Elmar Schöner, translated by Abdullah Mujir al-Omari, which reviews the human and cultural dimensions of this relationship and highlights the presence of horses in literature and arts as symbols of nobility, courage, and loyalty. The library's holdings also include the illustrated and gilded book 'Les Chevaux Orientaux' (Eastern Horses) by author Vaclav Rzewuski, published in 1821 in Arabic and French, which is among the earliest Western works on Arabian horses, featuring over 400 images documenting the desert environment and care methods for purebred Arabian horses. These publications and holdings embody King Abdulaziz Public Library's commitment to preserving and documenting Arabian horse heritage and enhancing its presence in historical, linguistic, and research studies, thereby contributing to the provision of reliable scientific references for researchers and enthusiasts, and highlighting the cultural status Arabian horses have held in the history of the Arabian Peninsula and Arab-Islamic culture. It is noteworthy that the United Nations General Assembly approved in 2025 the celebration of World Horse Day on July 11 each year, in recognition of the role of horses in building civilizations and sustainable development, while World Arabian Horse Day is celebrated on February 19 each year, affirming their authentic historical and cultural status in the Arabian Peninsula. // End // 20:10 T M 0191