The late Carl Raswan, who compiled the Raswan
Index and Handbook for Arabian Breeders, preserved the story of
how the first Arabian horse appeared among the Bedouin Arabians.
This story has appeared in various forms, including publication
in "The Kuhaylat," Volume 1, 1990.
Ishmael, the son of Abraham, was said to be a
great herdsman and hunter who invented the bow and arrow and built
the Ark of the Desert, made of acacia wood and plumes of the wild
ostrich. The Angel Gabriel (JIBRAIL in Arabic) descended from
Heaven to Earth while Ishmael was sleeping. Suddenly Ishmael awoke
when a "wind-spout" whirled toward him and scorched the sand with
its feet. Gabriel commanded the thundercloud to stop scattering
dust and rain. The rain that gathered developed into a prancing,
handsome creature that seemed to swallow up the ground. Hence, the
Bedouins bestowed the name "Drinker of the Wind" to the first Arabian
horse, whose name was KUHAYLAH.
