the
Arabian Horses
of Al Waab Farm
Photos by Jennifer Ogden Would you like to see beauty beyond your imagination? Leave behind the modern Qatar capital city of Doha, with its towering skyscrapers, elegant malls, and enchanting traditional souqs, and drive 70 kilometers north across the immense desert, home to Bedouins who wave to the travelers passing by. Here, between desert and sea, you will find a paradise for Arabian horse lovers … the green oasis of Al Waab Farm. Al Waab, which means the “lowlands,” is an enormous expanse, much of which has been adapted to mirror the natural habitat of various exotic species that thrive on the farm. Owner Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani has always been a great lover of animals, especially the Arabian horse. In fact, it was he who purchased the famous stallion Ansata Halim Shah in 1994, as a gift for his cousin, then the Emir HRH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. As Sheikh Abdullah began to build his own Arabian breeding program, he decided to take it to another level, sparking a global search for only the finest straight Egyptian mares. With his collection complete, the real work of breeding began. Of course, a breeding program takes time, but with the development of an embryo transfer program, the results can be accelerated. Over the last five to six years, the first generations of Al Waab breeding have started to make their showring debuts, winning top prizes at elite Egyptian Arabian shows. One of Sheikh Abdullah’s sons, Sheikh Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Khaled Al Thani, has inherited his father’s passion for animals and is responsible for leading the Al Waab straight Egyptian Arabian breeding program into the future. Inspired by his uncle, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Khalid Al Thani of Al Rayyan Farm, and together with his cousin Sheikh Saud bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani, Sheikh Ahmed has traveled all over the world in order to secure the finest collection of straight Egyptian mares and stallions. A promising future lies ahead for straight Egyptian Arabian horses in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf, thanks to Sheikh Ahmed’s vision and dedication.
Previous page: The mares Obeyyah Al Rayyan (Safir Al Rayyan x Al Mansoura Al Rayyan) and Ajmal Sara (Ansata Hejazi x Rahash Al Arab).
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Sheikh Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Khaled Al Thani, above, has inherited his father’s passion for animals and is responsible for creating and leading the straight Egyptian Arabian horse breeding program at Al Waab Farm.
Facing page and left: Part of the Al Waab Farm is enhanced by transparent lakes and ponds, where colorful fish and aquatic birds abound. Natural habitats for various wild species have been created throughout the farm.
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B a r ra q El A l iya
2008 stallion (Ashhal Al Rayyan [Safir x Ansata Majesta] x Asrar Al Rayyan [Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Ansata Selket])
Fare s A l R ayyan
2005 stallion (Ansata Hejazi [Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Sudarra] x G Shafaria [Prince Fa Moniet x Ansata Sharifa]) 132 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JUNE 2016
Sin a n A l R ayyan 2002 stallion
(Ansata Sinan [Prince Fa Moniet x Ansata Nefara] x Al Wajba Al Rayyan [Safir x Ansata Sharifa])
D el i el a h A l Waab
2013 mare (Barraq El Aliya [Ashhal Al Rayyan x Asrar Al Rayyan] x Nabeela Saqr [Tallahsman x Ansata Nafisa]) Gold Champion Junior Filly, 2016 Kuwait All Nations Cup for Straight Egyptians
Ghazalah A l Waab
Above: 2015 filly (Barraq El Aliya [Ashhal Al Rayyan x Asrar Al Rayyan] x Nabeela Saqr [Tallahsman x Ansata Nafisa]) Gold Champion Yearling Filly, 2016 Kuwait All Nations Cup for Straight Egyptians
Ghou s on A l Waab
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Left: 2014 filly (Fares Al Rayyan [Ansata Hejazi x G Shafaria] x Nabeela Saqr [Tallahsman x Ansata Nafisa])
Nab e ela S aqr 2001 mare
(Tallahsman [Imperial Madheen x Bint Atallah] x Ansata Nafisa [Prince Fa Moniet x Ansata Nefara])
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R ashwan A l Waab 2015 colt
(Sinan Al Rayyan [Ansata Sinan x Al Wajba Al Rayyan] x Obeyyah Al Rayyan [Safir Al Rayyan x Al Mansoura Al Rayyan])
Ob eyyah A l R ayyan 2008 mare
(Safir Al Rayyan [Ashhal Al Rayyan x RN Farida] x Al Mansoura Al Rayyan [Alidaar x Bint Amal])
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Taraf A l Waab
2015 filly (Fares Al Rayyan [Ansata Hejazi x G Shafaria] x Torfa Al Rayyan [Sinan Al Rayyan x Turkiya Al Rayyan])
Tor fa A l R ayyan 2010 mare (Sinan Al Rayyan [Ansata Sinan x Al Wajba Al Rayyan] x Turkiya Al Rayyan [Safir x Rababa])
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D e enara A l Waab
2013 filly (Ansata Nile Echo [Ansata Hejazi x Ansata White Nile] x RN Dananeer [Ansata Halim Shah x Bint Sabah]) Gold Champion Junior Filly, 2016 Qatar International Straight Egyptian Show
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Nawaal A l Wa a b
2013 mare (Authentic Ibn Nawaal [Maysoun x AK Nawaal] x Jouna Al Naif [Ashhal Al Rayyan x Ansata Mouna]
Hi lal A l Wa a b 2015 colt (Sinan Al Rayyan [Ansata Sinan x Al Wajba Al Rayyan] x Sharuby HP [Maydan-Madheen x Shahneekha]) Gold Champion Junior Colt, 2016 Qatar International Straight Egyptian Show
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A m a n i A l Wa a b
2014 filly (Fares Al Rayyan [Ansata Hejazi x G Shafaria] x Asmahan Sakr [El Thay Kamil x Kesmat Sakr])
Tam am A l Wa a b
2015 filly (Magd Albadeia [Rashdan x Bint Makhsous] x Sobh Al Rayyan [Ashhal Al Rayyan x Selma Al Rayyan])
A l Ja le el a A l Wa a b 2015 filly (Ashhal Al Rayyan [Safir x Ansata Majesta] x Ajmal Obbeyah [Ansata Hejazi x NK Aischa])
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Mon e e ra A l Waab
2013 filly (Barraq El Aliya [Ashhal Al Rayyan x Asrar Al Rayyan] x Ajmal Moneera [Ansata Hejazi x Hamasa Massuda])
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2014 filly (Farres [Anaza El Farid x Shameerah] x Shalfah Al Rayyan [Ansata Nile Echo x G Shafaria])
O mai m a A l Wa a b
S a l m a A l Wa a b
2013 mare (Barraq Al Alia [Ashhal Al Rayyan x Asrar Al Rayyan] x Ameera Sakr [Shaheen x Alidarra]) Silver Champion Junior Filly, 2014 Qatar International Straight Egyptian Show
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Maje e da A l Waa b
2015 filly (Sinan Al Rayyan [Ansata Sinan x Al Wajba Al Rayyan] x Suhaila Al Sabah [Thaqib Al Nasser x Simeon Seboni])
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Jouna A l Na i f 2006 mare
(Ashhal Al Rayyan [Safir x Ansata Majesta] x Ansata Mouna [Farres x Talmona])
Sheikh Abdullah bin Khaled bin Hamed Al Thani, owner Sheikh Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Khaled Al Thani, director P.O. Box 90791 路 Doha, Qatar 路 Manager: Agustin Gigena 路 +974 6662 1466 路 info@alwaabfarm.com