Equestrian Dreams: A Vision of Hope from the Sons and Daughters of Life

When Khaled Al-Afrangi started his Palestine Equestrian Club, he probably never envisioned flying his students to Europe. Years back, international cooperation would have seemed far off.

Yet, today, as he and a team of his riders fly back home from Crete in Greece, he must recall those early days.

Crete island is not known for its equestrian myths. It is, however, the birthplace of western civilization, a harmonious blend of western and eastern cultures spread thinly across a stunning landscape. The land once known as Keftiu by the ancient world was the most critical trading hub when the Minoans were the world’s first thalassocracy at the dawn of civilizations. It makes an ideal backdrop for the story you are reading. The world still trades and inspires on horseback.

Greece’s biggest island is still a mysterious crossroads of tradition and culture. The land that saw peace for over a thousand years during the Bronze Age is still a welcoming portal that connects ideas, dreams, and potential.

Somehow, the horseman and mentor (murshid) Khaled Al-Afrangi knew this before bringing a team of his best students to Europe for the first time.

And something he told me last week echoes in my mind like a golden bell. “I am looking for a home away from home for me, my school, and my students,” he said. Home - a Crete home.

There it is again, the subtle chiming of the glowing bell.

The Palestine Equestrian Club Knights were exuberant and excited when they arrived at the Crete Riding Academy outside the island’s capital of Heraklion earlier this month. Al-Afrangi had been searching for the right place for his club’s first trip abroad when he came across Marianna Grammatakiki’s equestrian school at Karteros. According to the