Queen of Sheba
Or. Ar. (Abeyeh Sherrakeih)
A Munaghi Hedruj x A bay Abayyah Sharrakiyah
Born 1875 (imported 1879)
Died 1901
Significant family groups descended from the Queen of Sheba line:
Naufal
Farette
When travelling on their way back to Damascus on 7th April 1878, the Blunts saw the Sheik of the Gomussa, Beteyen ibn Mirshid riding a stunning bay mare. 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."
The Blunts were travelling with Mr. J. H. Skene, British Counsul at Aleppo and having resolved to buy her, they left Mr Skene to negotiate on their behalf and Beteyen's mare was eventually purchased for a price of £265 (around £27,825 at todays prices). She was shipped to England and arrived at Crabbet park with the third group in the Sring of1879 where she was named Queen of Sheba.
Queen of Sheba produced 11 foals but only 7 survived. She did however produce some notable progeny that went on to produce some key Crabbet bloodlines that survive to this day through the family groups of Naufal and Farrette.
Beteyen Ibn Mirshid owner of the Queen of Sheba
Noteable Progeny
Ahmar (by Azrek) 1890
The stallion Ahmar by Azrek proved to be a mare producer....
Asfura (by Azrek 1891)
Asfura was described as haveing 'spledid action'. She was the only surviving filly of four bred out of Queen of Sheba. Two of Asfura's fillies (both by Mesaoud) were kept by the stud and proved influential. Lady Anne Blunt described the filly Abla as 'having action like a deer, perfectly tame, perfect hack'. Alba became Wildfred Blunt's favourite riding mare and was to remain with him at Newbuildings after the acrimonious split with Lady Anne. The second filly Ajramieh produced a daughter Amida (by Ibn Yashmak) and it is Amida's daughter Astrella (by Raseem) through which the female line of the Queen of Sheba is mainly represented today.
Astraled (by Mesaoud 1900)
Astraled was bred to the Ahmar daughter Selma producing a beautiful mare Selima and a colt Sotamm. Sotamm went on to sire Naufal to whom today's modern Crabbet Arabians owe much of their Queen of Sheba's inheritance.
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