Any Saluki histroy?

One of my neighbors just got a Saluki. Can anyone tell me the history of the Saluki?

The Saluki is considered to be one of the oldest pure breeds of dogs in the world. Greyhound type dogs with feathering on the ears, legs and tails were found on tombs dating back to 2100 B.C. Recent excavations of the Sumerian empire (7,000-6,000 B.C.) have unearthed carvings of dogs with a striking resemblance to the Saluki.
Originally from the vast regions of the ancient world, European travelers brought Salukis back with them. There is evidence of Salukis in Belgium during the Middle Ages, but their popularity became most evident in the late 1800s in England. The Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club was formed in England in 1923 and the Saluki Club of America was formed four years later.
Salukis come in two varieties - Smooth and Feathered.
Although we see mostly the feathered variety at shows in the United States, evidence shows that in their countries of origin smooth and feathered were equally desired and were normally bred together. Some tribes only kept the smooth variety, and all the Salukis were used for hunting, selected as breeding stock based on hunting abilities and stamina.
In 1919, the National Geographic Society's The Book of Dogs had this to say about Salukis: "This ancient race is one of the most peculiar, most beautiful, and most puzzling of dogs. His graven image comes to us as one of the earliest of man's essays in art, and is so easily recognizable that there is no doubt possible as to the archaic artist's model.
Possibly no dog known has changed less from our earliest knowledge of it to the present day. The first peculiarity to strike is the curious combination of short, close body hair, with silky flowing fleece on the ears and long silken feather on the stern. Otherwise, he looks at first glance like a Greyhound. But, unlike other coursing dogs, the Saluki is short and straight in the body, though very long and rangy of leg. As he stands in profile the outline of fore legs, back, hind legs and ground form an almost perfect square. A fact tending to show the antiquity of the Saluki is that no combination of known dogs seems to be capable of producing a creature just like him".
Several features set the Saluki apart from the other Sighthound breeds, including their heads, outline, feet and movement.

It's REALLY extensive, so I can't cut and paste it all. Just click on the link and go here: www.salukiclub.org/breedinfo/history.htm

glad to help!

first poster got it all... cant tell much more but I can narrow it down to .... Middle eastern origin, bred for sight hunting, and coursing (racing), very old bred of dog, dogs today are very close to what the ancestorial dogs were, they are typical sight hound dogs, with independant cat like personalities, and love exercise, and being worshiped by there owners. They have some long hair but not extensive like the Afghan Hounds. Mostly just on there ears and tail and some fringes one legs and belly. Very fast and beautiful dogs.

This is a very ancient breed like most sighthounds, the saluki is out of the middle east and egypt the sighthound goes back to biblical times and there is a reference to in the bible
some info here on their history
http://www.salukiclub.org/breedinfo/hist...
and here
http://www.ruahmidbar.co.il/index.php?mo...

Congradulations they have gotten a Sighthound! The Saluki is a breed of dog that is a member of the sighthound family, that is, hounds that hunt by sight rather than scent. The Saluki is one of the oldest dog breeds known, and originally came from the Middle East, where it was used (and is still used to some extent) by the Bedouins for hunting hare and gazelle.
Modern Salukis retain the qualities of hunting hounds. They may appear reserved and uninterested. They learn quickly but can get bored with repetition, so training sessions should be short and varied. Salukis need regular exercise, but behave quietly indoors. They do not bark much but "sing" when they feel that something is wrong or when a member of the family is away for a long period of time. They get along well with children, but must be respected when they want to be left alone and rest. Salukis have a fairly long life span, living an average of 12-13 years. Sensitive and intelligent, the Saluki should never be trained using force or hard-handed methods. They are usually quiet and don't bark unless there is a reason. Salukis should not be allowed off lead. Their strong prey drive can lead them to chase deer and other animals, and they can be difficult to stop, seemingly becoming "drunk" with running. Adequate fencing for salukis is a must as they can easily jump a five-foot fence.

I have two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and am proud to say that Salukis are a part of their bloodlines, so I got some along with the greyhound, for speed; the bulldog for biting and holding ability; the collie, for slashing ability; the pointer; and Airedale and Irish terriers, for coat color and scrappiness.
It is likely that the Great Dane, mastiff, bloodhound and deerhound also contributed to the gene pool along the way.