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Queen of Sheba (Makeda)

Queen who visited Solomon; Makeda in Ethiopia, Bilqis in Arabic

Also called
Makeda (Ethiopian), Bilqis (Arabic), Queen of the South
Kingdom
Saba (Sheba), usually placed in Yemen
Son (Ethiopian tradition)
Menelik I
Main texts
1 Kings 10; Quran 27; Kebra Nagast
Historicity
No inscription or find names her

The queen who tests Solomon with riddles in 1 Kings 10, whose throne is moved in a blink in the Quran, and who founds Ethiopia's royal line.

What is Queen of Sheba known for?

1 Kings 10 tells how the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame and came to Jerusalem with camels bearing spices, gold and precious stones to test him with hard questions. Impressed by his wisdom, she exchanges gifts and returns home. The Bible does not give her name.

In Surah 27 of the Quran, Solomon learns of a queen of Saba whose people worship the sun. Before she arrives, a jinni offers to bring her throne before Solomon can rise, and a man with knowledge of the Book brings it in the blink of an eye. Later Islamic writers name her Bilqis. Ethiopia's Kebra Nagast, compiled in the 14th century, calls her Makeda, and says she bore Solomon a son, Menelik, who later brought the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia. Ethiopian emperors claimed descent from them until 1974.

Sheba is generally identified with the South Arabian kingdom of Saba in Yemen. No evidence of this particular queen has been found, and historians treat her as a figure of tradition.

Why it is on Credible Theories

She appears in the site's pages on the Kebra Nagast, the Ark of the Covenant, and the throne carried in a blink.

Mentioned on these pages

Sources

  1. 1 Kings 10 (KJV), Bible GatewayPrimary text
  2. Quran 27:22–44, quran.comPrimary text
  3. Wikipedia, 'Queen of Sheba'Reference

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