Page 31 - The Sloughi Review - Issue 7
P. 31
T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 3 1
It is ironic that the first dogs of Florence William Tyssen-Amherst, first Baron of
Amherst, La'aman and Ayesha, do not come Hackney, Howard Carter's first patron,
from Mesopotamia, but from the Tahawi supported his education [9]. He is known
(Bedouins) from Lower Egypt (we will come for his collections of books, manuscripts,
back to this below), who have close ties to and antique furniture, and became famous
Syria [6]. for his Egyptian collection, which he
exhibited in a separate museum on his
Gladys Lance (Sarona) and Frances Joan estate in Didlington Hall.
Mitchell (Nablousi) bred their dogs to
other kennels. Florence Amherst only In the winter of 1894/95 Sir William
allowed her males to outcross with Sarona Tyssen-Amherst undertook a trip up the
and Nablousi females but kept her own Nile with his entire family, his wife and
Amherstia line unmixed, never taking seven daughters, including Florence
outside stud dogs for her bitches [7]. Amherst, who was already 35 years old [10].
During this stay Florence Amherst saw for
With Florence Amherst, who paid close the first time the local sighthounds, Slughi
attention to the type of origin of her Shami in Arabian, as she writes. Two of these
Salukis, and Brig. Gen. Lance who valued feathered sighthounds from "Shami type",
hunting ability more than any distinctions with names La'aman (Luman) and Ayesha
of type or region - we have the two poles, she took for herself. Wilfred Jennings-
between which the Saluki breed has moved Bramly shipped the pair to her in England
since then [8]. in November 1895.
Egyptian origins reflected in the research During the return trip she met at Thebes
carried out by Lady Amherst with Percy Newberry, an archaeologist
working there and his assistant, Howard
Towards the end of the 19th century there Carter, the 21 year old protégé of Amherst,
is great interest in Egypt's cultural together. It was Lady Margaret Amherst
heritage. Many European countries sent who helped Howard Carter get his
archaeologists there, we want to consider apprenticeships with the Egyptian
above all Howard Carter, who carried out Exploration Foundation and the British
excavations on behalf of Lord Carnarvon. Museum. In October 1891, at the age of
Howard Carter discovered the grave of seventeen, Carter had joined Percy
Tutankhamen in 1922. With this discovery, Newberry's team in Beni Hasan [11]. 27
which included a large number of splendid years after the encounter at Thebes both
grave objects, a veritable Egyptomania was archaeologists were to be involved in the
released. discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
