AL SHIRAA ARABIANS

I come from a family that calls the harsh unforgiving atmosphere of the desert, home. We learned to survive in it, see the beauty of it and learn valuable lessons of life through the many times of hardships and struggles. Our horses, camels, falcons, and salukis were our best friends and most loyal companions. We lived and ruled amongst other families of the Bani Yas Tribe in Liwa (part of the UAE in the empty quarter-near the Saudi borders) for over 800 years, migrating to wherever the existence of water was.

My great great-grandfather Zayed bin Khalifa also known as Zayed The Great and Zayed The First, ruler of Abu Dhabi (1840–1909) was known as a great horseman and a warrior in his days defending his people and tribe. He was known for his wisdom, generosity, and his great love for horses. Zayed The First had a great pure Arabian stallion named Rabdaan gifted to him by a member of the Al Romaithi family. Rabdaan was famous for being white with a perfect confirmation and often recalled as a giant compared to any other pure Arabian stallion of his time. The renowned Rabdaan, in his spectacular figure, was mentioned in major Arabic poetry related to those days.