The Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba is one of the great enigmatic figures of the ancient world, a ruler of dazzling wealth and wisdom whose legend spans the Bible, the Quran, and the sacred traditions of Ethiopia. The scriptures tell of a queen who journeyed from a distant land, laden with gold, spices, and precious stones, to test King Solomon of Jerusalem with hard questions. Finding his wisdom equal to every riddle, she praised his God and departed enriched by his gifts. From this brief encounter grew a vast web of legend. In Ethiopian tradition, recorded in the Kebra Nagast, she is Makeda, who bore Solomon a son, Menelik, founder of a royal line that ruled until the twentieth century and, so the story goes, brought the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia. Islamic tradition names her Bilqis and dwells on the marvels of Solomon's court that tested her. Whether her Sheba lay in Ethiopia or in southern Arabia, the queen endures as a symbol of feminine sovereignty, intelligence, and the meeting of great civilizations across the ancient trade routes.