Originally Published in The UK Afghan Hound Year Book (1997) Supplementary to Patrician Kean's article "A Glimpse Into The Past"
To compliment Patricia Keans article in "A Glimpse Into The Past" I undertook some research to learn how the Ajman exports progressed in overseas bloodlines.This proved very interesting and highlighted a number of aspects of the breeds development. In particular why Ajman stock was chosen by the pioneering breeders in Australia, an example of how an exported Ajman line returned to the UK and wasmerged back into bloodlines here very sucessfully, and some examples of how Ajman lines were perpetuated in several kennels abroad.  The first export actually came from the very first Ajman litter born in 1955. From this litter, Mazuri Ajman Sharmanda (Photo above by Robinson) passed into the ownership of Miss Gwendlyn Angel (Mazuri Afghans and Salukis) who subsequently mated Sharmanda to Whitecliffe Ganesha. The resultant litter included the dog Ajman Mazuri Shems Chalaman who was exported to Holland. Chalaman was mated to a Dutch bitch (Cornerstones Bathjary) which produced a litter for the Emelenberg kennels of Mrs Van Den Thoorn. Two of this litter were exported; Kuzanda Van De Emelenburg came into Daphnie Gie's Jagai kennel, and Engeland Vaader Van De Emelenburg went to Mrs T Bhorst's Veldspringer kennels in Ireland. Daphnie Gie used Ch Pasha of Carloway on Kuzanda Van De Emelenburg and the litter included the pure black English Champion Ch Begum Kanda of Jagai, whose second CC came from Patricia Kean at Three Counties in 1971. This litter also included a red dog, Subada Shems Ud Doah Of Jagai who was exported to Australia where he became a champion. Subada is in the pedigrees of several Shaaltarah and Algedi champions. This illustrates how an exported line can return "home" and then have a fresh impact on the breed here (and in this case, also overseas).  Mrs T Bhorst used her imported dog Engeland Vaader Van De Emelenburg on Khiva Of Jagai (a bitch sired by Pasha of Carloway from a half Carloway/half Khorrassan dam), and produced a litter which contained the bitch Veldspringer Yazinthe. The photograph abovet shows Yazinthe at the age of 10 months. Chalaman was also mated to Maharanee V D Zilverstrand and this line was developed further by the Dutch breeders. Three generations on from this second Chalaman mating, an Emelenburg litter was bred out of another UK export to Holland - Bandora of Carloway. These two Dutch kennels (Emelenburg and Zilverstrand) continued to develop this breeding and eventually bred on to yet another UK export to Holland - Khanabad the Punjabi who's sire was Ajman Branwen Kandahar Emelenburg mated their later import Horningsea Terah (Kandahar son), to Bandora of Carloway to produce yet another Ajman influenced line via Nuschka Van De Emelenburg. This line has been progressed and also includes the exported Kandahar grandson (and Tigers Eye littermate), Horningsea Kyanite. This program of breeding proliferated Ajman in several Dutch lines and also extends to the Belgium kennels of Du Mocoloc, De Wilgenloot, De Pandjah and El Zahidan. In the early 50's Mrs Barbara Skilton owned the "Devilkin" prefix in the UK (subsequently the Golitha and/or El Tazzi prefix in Australia) and exported Devilkin Dasta Pasha, (sired by Ch Netheroyd Alibaba) to Mrs Ward in Australia. In 1954, Mrs Skilton exported herself to Australia, taking with her Aghai Of Hawkfield (littermate to Chandi Sona and thus "uncle" to the Ajman foundation bitch) and Devilkin Datoobhos (already) in whelp to Ch Bletchingly Tajomeer. This nucleus of UK Afghans were the foundation stock for re-establishment of the breed in Australia. After several generations of breeding, Mrs Skilton decided some new bloodlines were required, to quote her from the 1990 Australian Year Book - "Later to tie in with my earlier lines, yet to bring in something new, I acquired Ajman Shiramin. She was all Grandeur breeding on her sire's side, but mainly Netheroyd and Pushtikuh on her dam's side. She helped improve heads and coats". This explains why Ajman lines were so appropriate and important to the Australian breeders of the day. Ajman Shiramin, born 1963 (Ajman Branwen Kandahar x Ajman Shari), was mated to Sforzy Al Sahr which produced Ch El Tazzi Jabbabirah and his sister Jauzah, both owned by the Slatyers (Calahorra). What was Jabbabirah like? To quote the Slatyers (Afghan Hound Australasia 1997) "He was a black and silver dog with tons of coat, plenty of size and sound as a bell". Jabbabirah sired litters for several kennels including El Tazzi, Wolfghan, Sforzy, Calahorra, and Raushan. His sister Jauza produced Calahorra Barcarolle, described by the Slatyers as the first "really famous" Calahorra. This documents how Ajman contributed to the establishment of what are now world famous kennels. Another Ajman export studied was Ajman Shunawar who went to Australia with Mr and Mrs Buxey when they emigrated there in 1964. Shunawar lines were perpetuated via the Abdillya and Shaaltarah kennels. Shunawar was black/grey and a colour of interest to Australian breeders because in the mid 60's Australia's colour range was limited to mainly reds, golds, b/t and occasional creams. The wide distribution of Ajman lines in Australia is quite well illustrated in the more modern pedigree of Bayan Thursdays Child (b/t bitch, born 1988, linebred to Shaaltarah Sirocco) showing Ajman Shiramin, Shunawar and Kandahar evenly distributed throughout the 5/6th generations. Chandhara Wild Willow, a Kandahar granddaughter was exported to Scandinavia and produced litters from three matings with studs from the Tuohi Tikan, Del Flamanente and Ran Har kennels. Several Khanabad's of Kandahar breeding were also exported to Scandinavia which further reinforced the Ajman influence there. Other Ajman exports included Ajman Shah-Tut who went to Juliette Baraclai-Levy (Turkuman) in Greece, Ajman Shuntar went to Mrs Pettersen in South Africa, Ajman Sharkuhil went to Mrs C Madigan (Branwen) in Spain before she moved back to the UK and Ajman Shukarah went to Canada. A Tiger Eye's son Horningsea Tzaama also went to Canada where he had great influence in the development of Greta and Myles Phillips "Kophi" kennels. There were a significant number of imports into, or passing through the UK in Kandahar's decade of the 60's, including; Wazir of Desertaire, Washir of Vdom, Xingu of Vdom, Mitichipoton Jezebel El Myia , Crown Crest Zardeeka, Crown Crest Aries, Crown Crest Leo El Kabul, Ajman Branwen Kandahar, Kuzanda Van Der Emelenberg, Engeland Vaadar Van De Emelenberg, Ascent Aglai Mazar, Branwen Sheen Karim, Branwen Sheen Khurram, Branwen Sheen Khalifa, Little Bijou of Gray Dawn, Sam of Gray Dawn, Sayyid Tazi Salome, Sayyid Tazi Sheyan, Patriot of Khyber, Bonita De Kala and Coastwinds Holy Man. You may have noted that several of these imports were of "Branwen" (Spain) origin, whose lines of course go back to Shirkhan of Grandeur. There was also a daughter of Shirkhan amongst these imports, namely Bijou of Gray. So Kandahar did not have a monopoly in these Branwen/Shirkan bloodlines, but he was the most significant of all of them. Ajman is a distinct kennel which has bred assiduously for three decades, preserving and perpetuating valuable pre-war bloodlines which may have otherwise have been lost. The kennel owned a unique import whose background and type were very different to anything seen in the the UK up to that time, and who has proven to be a valuable and influential Afghan in the UK and overseas. The influence of the Misses Kean and MacKenzie's Ajman Afghans is undeniably significant and prevailing. Steve Tillotson December 1997 For The Afghan Hound Year Book |