Masters of the Mountains: The Return of the Mysterious Arabian Leopard
- R.T. Hickey
- Aug 22
- 5 min read
- Published in National Geographic AlArabiya
With estimates of just 100 to 120 in the wild, conservation and breeding efforts help revive the ‘Panthera pardus nimr,’ the smallest leopard subspecies.
‘Ana anmar minnak’ — ‘I am more courageous (more leopard-like) than you are,’
— an old Arabian saying..
An Arabian leopard cub, born in 2024 at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU’s) Arabian Leopard Conservation Breeding Centre. Photo courtesy of Frederic Uhel, Panthera and RCU.
For the inhabitants of the Arab region, the Arabian Leopard—known in Arabic as ‘Al-Nimr Al-Arabi’— part of its scientific name ‘Panthera pardus nimr,’ has long represented beauty, tranquillity, physical strength, fearlessness, and freedom. These enigmatic big cats continue to occupy a special place in the collective imagination and narrative; their story is immortalised in mythical stories and even everyday expressions.
A strong and brave man may be called a Nimr or Nimran, and a clever and courageous woman may be called Nimrah.
Historically, finding itself to roam harsh terrains of dry, rocky mountains and unforgiving sandy deserts, it is no wonder that the Arabian leopard has always been rare, as they
would need to wander along large territories to access enough prey to sustain themselves.
Born with light blue or green eyes, the Arabian leopard's eyes often settle on a more sandy-green brown colour as adults, and their fur varies from pale yellow to deep golden, tawny, and patterned with rosettes — often lighter in colour than other leopard subspecies. Known for their tree-climbing abilities, they are the runt of the litter — the smallest of the eight leopard subspecies. Their males weigh around 30 kilograms, and females weigh 20 Kilograms, half the size of their African cousins found on savannas.
Like any animal, the species’ colouring is associated with the specific region where it lives. Therefore, the Arabian leopards display a light-yellow fur that is paler than that exhibited by other subspecies....
"Arabian leopards are proud beings…and contrary to popular belief, they are not solitary animals," said Marianne Hartmann, a big cat expert and wildcat breeder — known as a ‘cat whisperer.'
“There is no actual whispering when communicating with a cat; you need to observe their faces, posture, and eyes, and then you will understand what they are communicating. They are very intelligent and do understand you when you speak to them in your human language,” she said, who has been dedicated to the wild cats’ well-being and advocacy for over 30 years....
The ‘romanticism’ of the Arabian Leopard:
Sighting of these graceful and majestic wild cats was always rare, elevating them in traditional culture to almost mythical status as ‘the secretive ones’ amongst the inhabitants of the lands they lived in along the Arabian Peninsula and parts of the Levant areas.
Less tangible and more sentimental evidence of the historical presence of the Arabian leopard is found in the region’s oral history through sayings and poems, including those from Al Jahiliya (Pre-Islamic) and Islamic eras, passed down generations, capturing the special connection with the Leopard. While not always harmonious, there was a degree of respect for each other, and at times, even a friendship formed.
“I have family that is better than you…a dotted one, who is fast and knowledgeable…” reads a translated Arabic poem by a pre-Islamic poet known as AlShanfara, over 1,400 years old, in praise of his friendship with an Arabian leopard, a friendship founded on ‘mutual respect’ for each other.
“I have a friend in a cave, he is the ‘AlJoun’ (white and black), who accepts me with all my flaws and doesn’t speak against me. He looks at me with sharp eyes as if throwing arrows in my way but keeps his distance…” reads another translated poem from the Umayyad era, the first Islamic rule (661–750 ce), a poet known as AlQatalah Alkilabi, who was from Madina — an area where Arabian Leopards lived— and he too befriended a leopard who he would visit in a cave, and where they would share food and water with each other, and even other beings.
For an animal rarely seen, the leopard left an impression that even religious holy books mention it. The Holy Bible makes reference to it when describing stealth, ‘as a leopard by the way will I observe them’ (Hosea 13:7).
The leopard makes an appearance in other popular stories, such as regularly revisited and retranslated 1001 Arabian Nights — whose origin still remains a mystery, some dating them to the 9th century — as well as legendary poetic stories of Majnun Laila.
The story of the star-crossed lovers Layla and Majnun is recounted in many works of classical Arabian, Persian and Indian poetry, with slight variations in the details, with the same final tragic outcome of two broken hearts.
The Arabic version goes that sometime in the late 7th century, a young Bedouin wandered the wilderness of the Arabian Desert. Ranting poetic lines of anguish, he obsessively wrote a name in the sands using his finger or a stick: Layla.
Majnun in the wilderness, folio from the Manuscript of Divan (Collected Works) of Sultan Ibrahim Mirza (d. 1577), signed by ‘Abdullah al-Muzahhib al-Shirazi, Iran, dated 990 H / 1582–1583, opaque watercolour, gold, and ink on paper, H. 23.9 cm × W. 16.8 cm. © The Aga Khan Museum, AKM282.36. Here, the subtle appearance of the elusive Arabian Leopard in this intricate manuscript sits almost unreachable on the top edge of this masterpiece, together with other iconic animals of national importance in the Middle East, such as gazelles, the hare, lions, goats and a bear or wolf. It historically captures just how much the leopard was once part of a common and almost expected narrative of legendary stories, including that of Majnun’s unrequited love for Layla and his descent into madness, yet he remained close to the animals while living in isolation.
From poetry to psychology to conservation, animal behaviour and its many legends and myths, there is a little of everything in the in-depth feature on Arabian leopards by explorer and writer Rym Tina Hickey.
To read the full story: National Geographic: Return of the Arabian leopard
Arabian leopard cub, born in 2024 at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU’s) Arabian Leopard Conservation Breeding Centre. Photo courtesy of Frederic Uhel, Panthera and RCU.
Faysal, male, at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU’s) Arabian Leopard Conservation Breeding Centre. Photo courtesy of Frederic Uhel, Panthera and RCU.
Hemprich and Ehrenberg's Felis nimr described in 1833. Courtesy of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.
In honour of the leopard: Published in Ithraeyat Magazine
Rym Tina Hickey (nee Ghazal) story on the Arabian Leopard on the front cover of National Geographic AlArabiya.
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