Stories

This is how the Sloughi came to the River Rhine

A recently discovered place of worship at the ancient Mogontiacum (Mainz) from roman times is to be assigned to the oriental goddesses Isis and Magna Mater as the inscriptions and facts indicate.
As a Roman garrison-town Mogontiacum lodged, above all in the 1st century, Bedouin-fighters from the districts of the Province of Arabia, who were partly recruited as complete tribe-units and were frightening the enemy as cavalrymen and light armed archers. Called Iturians or Arabs in ancient sources, their way of fighting and way of life was quite different compared to that of the urban surroundings.
An oil-lamp which was sacrificed to the goddesses in the discovered place of worship shows the respect for their fast dogs, the Sloughis.

(1)The red glazed lamp shows a jumping Sloughi as he powerfully chases his prey. You can see his slightly downward bent nose as it is still today described. The broad, ornamented collar shields his long neck. The tail looks shortened, yet it bends into the background of the picture (also today still standardized).
The next examinations will show whether the dog-skeletons found at the place of worship are to be adjoined with the Arabian Sighthound.

The weekday in the garrison of the many different people at Mogontiacum was filled with military exercises and operations.

Their supply services with their fast horses and hounds were busy hunting in the bordering hills. The fertile and cultivated land was in those days already without any trees except for some isles of woods and regions around of streams - an ideal ground for hare-hunting.

Two depictions show Sloughis at the hare-hunting:

(2) A container-fragment (Terra Sigillata) shows two dogs chasing a hare. Casually seen the dogs and hare look similarly carried out. If you take a closer look you will see shorter ears and longer thighs, which differentiate the animals.

(3) A drawing of a fragment of bronze exhibited at the Alzey Museum which is at our disposal only. It is fascinating how the artist kept the moment the Sloughi reaching the hare. Coursing experienced people know - the dog bends his tail downward the brake! The artist was perhaps a keen Hunter and shows his observations. Simultaneously he anchored the rather thin tail solidly at the frame of the object.

They might have felt well here, the inhabitants of the ancient Province of Arabia, who were displaced to the northern borders of the Empire. They could go for hunting with their respected Sloughis, could do their military exercises with their horses in the sunny landscape of the Sands of Mainz, those ancient layers of seashores of the past.

Almost 2000 years later, after the World War I a similar exotic impression was caused by the entry of French colonial troops from Morocco, Algeria and Senegal.

An Arabian Legation of the Caliph of Cordoba who visited Kaiser Otto I in the 10th century, came also to Mainz. Ibrahim Ibn Yaqub at Tartuchi, a member of this Legation reported from Mainz of course about the spices he saw that came from the farthest Orient but there is no comment to be found in his records about hunting with the Sloughi.

The situation of the sources will perhaps be better when preparing the planned Exhibitions "The Crusaders-Europe's Meeting with the Orient" at Mainz and Mannheim for 2004. It is not unlikely that one or the other nobleman brought home such a fast hunting-companion from his crusades to the Orient. He might have him drawn or formed of "Terracotta". These documents - still not recognized - may snooze in the archives of a museum.

Not until the modern times evidence of the Sloughi at Mainz can be adduced again.

(4) In the Coat of Arms of the "Waldbott-Ostein" there are two of these bony persistence-hunters to be seen. (End 18th century).

(5) A plate of similar age shows in the mirror a red sand-coloured sample of that race in an unmistakable attitude - a thorough depiction!

Today you can still see them sometimes, the descendants of the Sloughis, that in old times came to the Rhine with the Arab Bedouins. Like their ancient ancestors they like to be here at home, in the Rhine-Hessian desert of vine and turnips, even if they may not hunt the hare. Instead they like to take the offered racecourse - and feel happy!
Surprisingly, the Rhine-Hessians have a special liking for the light Sloughi as he is described in the "Standard", that is suitable to this topography and game.

(6) Two Sloughi-bitches of the 20th century, a sand-coloured with a black coat and a red-sand in front of the sculpture of Diana in the Castle-gardens of Schwetzingen.

Yes, so the story could have proceeded, - "ex oriente ad rhenum" - . It is dedicated to all true Sloughi-lovers who have taken them to their hearts and remain devoted to them, this race that was formed by the Arabian and Mediterranean culture.

Copyright Cornelia Riedel , 2001 Alle Rechte ,auch auszugsweise Veröffentlichung, sind den Autoren vorbehalten.

Copyright Fotos:

Foto 1 - Copyright LfD /Archäologische Denkmalpflege - Mainz
Foto 2 - Copyright Prof. Dr. Ewe-Mainz
Foto 3 - Copyright Museum Alzey
Foto 4 - Copyright Riedel - Mainz
Foto 5 - Copyright Riedel - Mainz
Foto 6 - Copyright Riedel - Mainz

Gabriele Ziethen, Ex Oriente ad Rhenum-Orientalen im römischen Mainz.
Mainzer Archäologische Zeitschrift 4,1997, S.111-18
Gerhard Hoffmann , Die Blütezeit der islamischen Welt , Piper Verlag , München 1994.

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