When the first Afghan hounds came to England in the early 1900s, they were called Barukhzy Hounds most likely because they had been used by sporting-minded sirdars (leaders) of the royal Barukhzy family in the north-eastern province of Afghanistan. That this was a very old breed was known from ancient rock-carvings within the caves of Balkh where dogs exactly like the Barukhzy Hound were etched. On some of the carvings were immense and had inscriptions written by invaders under Alexander the Great.

Sometimes the Barukhzy Hounds were called Persian Greyhounds, Afghan Greyhounds, or even Cabul Dogs, the latter because the breed was found mainly in the neighborhood of Cabul and Balkh.

As an aside, the early hounds that came to England were thought to be of two different “types:” Dogs from the kennels of Ghazni came mainly from the more mountainous regions of Afghanistan around Kabul and were stockier, more heavily coated, and had coarser heads. The “Bell-Murray ” hounds that came mostly from the plains or desert areas of the border between Afghanistan and India had longer legs, finer heads, and sparser coats. Though it was reported to have caused friction at the time between proponents of either type, in time both types were used in breeding programs and the types merged.

More than just trivia, knowing early names for our breeds helps the person researching a specific breed in old documents.

“Chatai” by Diane Chandler is available as a poster, print, towel, and many more formats here.