The Queen of Sheba is one of the most enigmatic figures in ancient history — a woman of wealth, wisdom, and power who has inspired legends for three millennia. In the Bible, she visits King Solomon in Jerusalem, bringing a caravan loaded with gold, spices, and precious stones, and she tests his wisdom with "hard questions." In the Quran (Surah An-Naml, 27), she is Bilqis, the Queen of Saba (Sheba), who receives a letter from Solomon inviting her to submit to God. After consulting her advisors, she travels to Jerusalem, and when she sees Solomon's palace — with a floor so clear she mistakes it for water — she is overwhelmed and submits to the worship of the one true God. In Ethiopian tradition — the Kebra Nagast ("Glory of the Kings") — she is Makeda, who bears Solomon a son, Menelik I, the founder of Ethiopia's Solomonic dynasty. That son, according to Ethiopian belief, later brought the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia, where it remains to this day. The Queen of Sheba's kingdom was likely Saba, based at Marib in modern Yemen — a wealthy civilization built on the frankincense and myrrh trade and on the engineering marvel of the Marib Dam. But her treasure — the gold, jewels, and priceless artifacts she brought to Solomon — has never been found. Was she a real historical figure? Where was her kingdom? And where is her legendary treasure?
Summary: The Queen of Sheba appears in the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 10, 2 Chronicles 9), the Quran (Surah An-Naml), and Ethiopian tradition (Kebra Nagast). In the biblical account, she visits King Solomon in Jerusalem with a caravan of gold, spices, and jewels, tests him with riddles, and leaves impressed by his wisdom. The Quranic account names her Bilqis and emphasizes her conversion to Solomon's monotheism. Ethiopian tradition names her Makeda and claims she bore Solomon's son, Menelik I, the ancestor of Ethiopia's Solomonic monarchy. Her kingdom is usually identified with Saba (Sheba) in modern Yemen, a wealthy civilization based on the frankincense trade and the Marib Dam. The location of Sheba's treasure is unknown — it may have been absorbed into Solomon's treasury, taken to Ethiopia according to legend, or buried in a still-undiscovered tomb in Yemen.
📜 The Biblical Account: A Test of Wisdom
The story appears in 1 Kings 10:1-13. The Queen of Sheba hears of Solomon's wisdom and comes to Jerusalem "with a very great caravan — with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones." She asks Solomon "everything she had on her mind," and Solomon answers all her questions. She is overwhelmed: "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me." She gives Solomon 120 talents of gold (about 4.5 tons), "great quantities of spices, and precious stones." Solomon, in return, gives her "all she desired and asked for." She returns to her own country. The biblical account is brief — just 13 verses. It provides no details about her physical appearance, her name, or the location of her kingdom. But the implications are vast: a powerful, independent queen ruling a wealthy kingdom in the southern Arabian Peninsula (or perhaps the Horn of Africa), with enough gold and spices to make a memorable impression on the richest king in Israel's history.
🕌 The Quranic Account: Bilqis and the Glass Floor
In the Quran (Surah An-Naml, 27:15-44), the story is expanded. A hoopoe bird informs Solomon about a queen ruling over Saba (Sheba) who worships the sun instead of God. Solomon sends a letter: "Do not exalt yourselves against me, but come to me in submission." The Queen consults her advisors, who offer military support, but she decides to send a gift to Solomon. Solomon rejects the gift, seeing it as a bribe. He threatens to invade. The Queen decides to visit. Solomon asks his court: "Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?" A jinn (or a man with knowledge of the Book) brings the throne instantly. When the Queen arrives, she is asked: "Is your throne like this?" She recognizes it — transformed. Solomon then invites her into his palace — a hall with a floor made of smooth glass over flowing water. The Queen, thinking it is water, lifts her dress to avoid getting wet, exposing her legs. Solomon tells her it is glass. Overwhelmed by the display of power and wisdom, the Queen submits to God: "My Lord, I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to God, Lord of the worlds." In Islamic tradition, the Queen's name is Bilqis. She marries Solomon in some versions. Her throne, brought by supernatural means, becomes a symbol of the transfer of power and knowledge.
🇪🇹 Ethiopian Tradition: Makeda, Menelik, and the Ark
The most elaborate version of the Sheba story comes from Ethiopia. In the Kebra Nagast ("Glory of the Kings," 14th century), the Queen is named Makeda. She rules Ethiopia and travels to Jerusalem to meet Solomon. They have a son, Menelik I. When Menelik grows up, he visits his father Solomon and returns to Ethiopia — but not before he and his companions take the Ark of the Covenant from the Temple and bring it to Ethiopia. This belief is central to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Most Ethiopian churches contain a replica of the Ark (the tabot). The original Ark is believed to be in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, guarded by a single monk who is the only person permitted to see it. The Solomonic dynasty — Ethiopia's imperial family, which ruled until Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed in 1974 — claimed descent from Menelik I and, through him, from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Haile Selassie's title included "Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah" — a direct reference to this lineage.
🏛️ The Historical Sheba: Marib and Saba
Most scholars identify Sheba with the Sabaean kingdom, centered at Marib in modern Yemen. The Sabaeans were a wealthy civilization that dominated the frankincense and myrrh trade — the most valuable commodities of the ancient world, essential for religious rituals and medicine. The Kingdom of Saba flourished from about 1200 BC to 275 AD. Its greatest engineering achievement was the Marib Dam — a massive structure that irrigated the surrounding desert and created a fertile oasis. The dam's collapse around 575 AD is mentioned in the Quran (Surah Saba, 34:15-16) as a divine punishment. Sabaean inscriptions mention female rulers — "queens" known as "mukarrib" — who held both religious and political authority. There is no direct evidence of a queen named Bilqis or Makeda, but the existence of powerful female rulers in Saba is well-attested. The "treasure" of Sheba was not a single hoard — it was the wealth of a trading empire: frankincense, myrrh, gold from Africa, and spices from India.
"I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me."
💎 The Lost Treasure: Where Is It?
The treasure brought by the Queen of Sheba — 120 talents of gold, spices, and precious stones — has never been found. Theories abound: it was absorbed into Solomon's treasury and disappeared when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC; it was taken to Ethiopia by Menelik and hidden somewhere in the Ethiopian highlands; it was buried with the Queen of Sheba in a tomb in Yemen or Ethiopia that has never been discovered; it was never a literal treasure — the "gold" was the wisdom exchanged between two monarchs. In 2012, a French archaeological team announced the discovery of a possible tomb of the Queen of Sheba at Aksum, Ethiopia, but no treasure was revealed. The legend of the Queen of Sheba is, in a sense, already her treasure. She is the wealthiest woman who ever lived — not because of the gold she carried, but because her story has endured for 3,000 years, told across three religions and multiple continents. Her kingdom is gone. Her riches are lost. But her name is immortal.
The Queen and the Legend
"The Queen of Sheba is not one story. She is many. She is the biblical queen who tested Solomon. She is the Quranic queen who submitted to God. She is the Ethiopian queen who founded a dynasty that lasted until the 20th century. She is a symbol of female power in a male world. She is a link between Africa, Arabia, and the Levant. She is a mystery — a woman whose tomb has never been found, whose treasure has never been recovered, whose face has never been seen. The Queen of Sheba is not a historical puzzle to be solved. She is a mirror. Every culture that tells her story sees itself reflected in her."
🤔 Frequently Asked Questions
1) Was the Queen of Sheba real? There is no direct archaeological evidence for a specific queen named Bilqis or Makeda. But the Sabaean kingdom was real, and it had powerful female rulers. A historical core is plausible.
2) Where was Sheba? Most likely the Sabaean kingdom in modern Yemen. There was also a Sabaean presence across the Red Sea in Ethiopia/Eritrea, which may explain the Ethiopian connection.
3) Did the Queen of Sheba marry Solomon? The Bible does not say so. The Quran is ambiguous. Ethiopian tradition says yes. Jewish and Islamic folklore developed extensive romantic narratives.
4) Is the Ark of the Covenant really in Ethiopia? Ethiopian tradition says yes. There is no archaeological or historical proof accessible to outsiders. The Church of St. Mary of Zion in Aksum claims to hold it, but access is restricted.