In 1900, the Russian Princess Shcherbatova visited the Arab region and conducted a survey of Arabian horse bloodlines, documenting their types, colors, sizes, and the most prominent families, clans, and tribes that owned them.

This was documented in the book Purebred Arabian Horses, written by the Russian authors Prince A. G. Shcherbatov and Count S. A. Stroganov and published by the King Abdulaziz Public Library in 1999 as part of its publications commemorating the Kingdom’s centenary. Princess Shcherbatova, the wife of one of the book’s authors, undertook a research journey to study Arabian horses as part of a four-person expedition in 1888 to the Syrian Desert and Iraq. The expedition included Prince A. G. Shcherbatov and his wife Princess Shcherbatova, Count S. A. Stroganov, and Princess Olga Alexandrovna. They were influenced by their reading of Lady Anne Blunt and her husband’s travels throughout Arabia during the period of the Second Saudi State. The book reveals that the travelers relied on extensive information from desert communities whose origins traced back to the tribes and clans of the Arabian Peninsula.

Prince Shcherbatov dedicated his book to His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich. In the book’s introduction, he explained that he had undertaken the task of reviving the glorious traditions of horse breeding in Russia, which had originated during the reign of Empress Catherine II from 1762 to 1768 through the initiative of Count Orlov-Chesmensky, who was the first to produce the Russian Orlov breed using an Arabian stallion named Smetanka. The book discusses efforts to restore the significance deserved by the purebred Arabian horse, which should be utilized in Russian horse breeding. It describes the Arabian horse as the only horse in the world whose fame has influenced other breeds through its bloodlines and genetic heritage.

Princess Shcherbatova is mentioned in her husband Prince A. G. Shcherbatov’s book on page 239 in the context of identifying Arabian horse bloodlines. This appears in Appendix 1, which spans pages 239–242, and states that the information was obtained by Princess Shcherbatova, the wife of Prince Shcherbatov, during her visit to the Arab lands in 1900.

Princess Shcherbatova documented several Arabian horse bloodlines, including Bint al-Awaj, described as the bloodline of the descendants of Ismail son of Abraham; Kehilan, which was known among the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); Saklawi, Abeyan, Hamdani, and Hadban. On page 240, she also recorded numerous branches of Kehilan, including Kehilan Haifi, Thamer, Al-Tayyar, Juz'ah, and Khallawi, as well as branches of Saklawi such as Shafa and Najim. She also identified a number of families and clans renowned for their purebred Arabian horse bloodlines.

The book is considered one of the important works on horses held by the King Abdulaziz Public Library. Its authors discuss the Arabian horse, its significance and distinctive qualities, the breeding of Arabian horses in Europe, and various Russian perspectives on Arabian horses. The book also contains appendices documenting Arabian horse bloodlines.