When one thinks about horses, the first elements that come to mind include nobility, determination, endurance, valor, freedom, travel, beauty, majesty and spirit. These are some of the reasons why all cultures, but mostly the Arab civilization, treasure/value to an extremely high extent all things related to these – almost – mythological creatures. For instance, did you know that in the Arab tradition the image of the Prophet Muhammad is closely related to that of his horses?
The legend says that, one day, Prophet Muhammad decided to test the loyalty of his beloved Arabian horses by depriving his herd of water for several days. Some say that he was commanded to do so by Allah, as it was widely known that Muhammad loved his horses more than anything else, so wouldn’t put them through an ordeal like this unless instructed by Allah.
On the third day of water deprivation he set his thirsty horses free and sent them out to the watering hole, but just before they could get there, he sounded a fake battle call on his horn. Naturally, most of his desperately thirsty horses ignored the call and carried on in the pursuit of water – all except for five mares, who stopped in their tracks and immediately returned to him, thirst unquenched, to charge with him into battle.
Such great being their loyalty,the Prophet blessed the horses with a special indentation of his thumb, so that all the world would know of their noble actions. Nowadays, it is believed that a horse with such a mark will be outstanding, being a descendant of one of these brood mares that the Prophet Mohammed particularly treasured!
Materials: marble, travertine and gold leaf.
Dimensions: 133 x 83 cm
