The Saluki is a standardised breed developed from sighthounds – dogs that hunt primarily by sight rather than scent – that was once used by nomadic tribes to run down game animals. The name used for the modern breed could be derived from Saluqiyyah (Arabic for 'Seleucia', a city now in Iraq), appearing in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. However, this is disputed. :56 British diplomat Terence Clark wrote that the Arabic word saluqi indicates 'person or thing from a place named Saluq'.