Arabian Horses in Arabic Culture

The story of Arabian horses in Arabic culture begins with a legend. It is said that the Arabian horse is made of the south wind and holds virtue in its forelock. These horses are not your typical horses. They have a unique ability to bond with their owners, becoming friend and companion. This quality may very well have developed as a result of being invited into the tents of the Bedouin tribes thousands of years ago.

Bound Tightly Together

The Arabian horse made its first documented appearance almost five thousand years ago. Arabian horses in Arabic culture are seen as a gift from Allah-God. The horses were first bred by the Bedouin people who were desert wanderers. From this special relationship between the Bedouins and the Arabians has grown a mythology around the horse that boasts of courage, pride, purebreds, friendship and even war.

The Arabian hoses in Arabic culture were integrated into every facet of Arabian life. The horses were used for many purposes over the millennia including transportation and war. The powerhouse strength of the horses makes them ideal desert travelers. But the horses were also known to be courageous warriors in battle, exhibiting a speed and grace, and a surprising ability to be silent during raids into enemy camps. The Arabians concord, in the past, the east to China and the west to Spain by this powerful animal.

Test of Time

The special relationship between the Arabian horse and the Arab resulted in the first purebred horse. Tribesmen could recite the genealogy of their horse, and each horse had a tale of remarkable success in battle or as a racehorse. In the end, five pure bred strains survive to this day and each has distinguishing characteristics. The Arab people’s preoccupation with the horse led to Arabian horses in Arabic culture holding an honored place in society.

The Arab culture includes many stories and legends about Arabian horses. The Arabian horses in Arab culture are seen as definitive links between the past and the present, with unbroken lineage and a gracious beauty that has not changed. To this day, a gift of an Arabian horse is a gift holding great honor. When you call a horse an Arabian, it is a product of the five original strains, so owning the horse is the same as owning a piece of the culture.

Mutual Dependence

To truly understand Arabian horses in Arabian culture, you have to understand the symbiotic relationship between the horse and the Arab. Like the Knights of the Round Table and their horses, the very survival of the desert-dwelling Arab depended on the prowess of the horse in the harsh life of the nomads. Owning a purebred Arabian gave a tribal family status too.

The horse on the other hand, needed the Arab for food and shelter in an inhospitable land, and it is this mutual dependence that lasted for thousands of years that makes Arabian horses a permanent part of Arabian culture.

Today, the horse is still revered as a gift from Allah that reflects a proud heritage. Arabian horses in Arabic culture appear in every cultural aspect of the country including artwork and music. There are festivals that display the beauty of the horse with riders wearing flowing and elaborate Arab costumes. Traditions are recorded and honored in literature.

Arabian horses are intricately entwined with Arab culture. Over time, the Arabian horses were given as gifts to nation leaders and friends, so they are now found in countries around the world. But it is in Arab culture that you find the real story of the Arabian horse.