Salukis were an integral part of Bedouin culture, and unlike other dogs which were regarded as unclean, Salukis were a sacred member of the family. As such, each was named with careful consideration, sometimes after months of careful observation of the dog’s attributes and character. Common names included “Nimran” (panther), “Saqar” (falcon) and “Khataf” (snatcher), “Lateef” (friendly), and “Sougha” (feathered).

Well known sportsman, Wentworth Day, wrote in the 193os: “…..the Arab desert tribes in the Sahara called the Saluki Barake or ‘Specially Blessed’ and referred to them always as hounds, never dogs, transmitting their pedigrees, like the Bedouin of the Arabian desert, by word of mouth from generation to generation, never selling them but giving them as presents of honour to distinguish guests and to ….. favoured friends, for to them the Saluki is el-hur, the ‘Noble One’…”

Believing that Salukis were superior to all other animals, the Bedouin also called the breed the “Hound of God.”

Image: Salukis by Rachel Canada
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