The Queen of Sheba, referred to in the Bible, the Qur'an, and Ethiopic history, was the ruler of Sheba, which modern archeology places in present-day Yemen. The Bible (From Greek βιβλιος biblios, meaning book, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ... The Quran ( Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; its literal meaning is the recitation and is often called Al Quran Al Karim: The Noble Quran, also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... For the Biblical character named Sheba see Sheba (person). ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... The Republic of Yemen is a country in the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia, and is a part of the Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia. ...

Biblical account

According to the Bible, the (unnamed) queen of the land of Sheba heard of the great wisdom of King Solomon of Israel and journeyed there with gifts of herbs and spices for the king, as recorded in First Kings 10. The queen was awed by Solomon's wisdom, that she tested with riddles, and wealth, and pronounced a blessing on Solomon's God. He also gave her gifts, and she returned with them to her own country. The Bible (From Greek βιβλιος biblios, meaning book, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ... Solomon or Shlomo (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה; Standard Hebrew: Šəlomo; Tiberian Hebrew: Šəlōmōh, meaning peace) in the Tanakh (Old Testament), is the third king of Israel (including Judah), builder of the temple in Jerusalem, renowned for his great wisdom and wealth and power, but also blamed for falling away from worshipping the... The State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, transliteration: ; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ اِسْرَائِيل, transliteration: ) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Books of Kings (also known as [The Book of] Kings in Hebrew: Sefer Melachim מלכים) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ... A riddle is a puzzle, consisting of text with a question to answer. ...

Qur'anic account

The Qur'an never mentioned the Queen of Sheba by name, though Arab sources name her Bilqis. The story is similar to the one in the Bible. The Qur'anic narrative has Solomon getting news of a kingdom ruled by a queen, and worshipping the sun. He sends a message threatening an invasion. After some gifts are exchanged, the queen arrives at his court, and accepts monotheism and worshipping God alone. See also Similarities between the Bible and the Qur'an. A solar deity is a deity who represents the Sun. ... Monotheism (in Greek monon = single and Theos = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. ... This article focuses on the monotheistic concept of a singular God. ... The Quran (Koran) contains many references to people and events that are mentioned in the Bible; especially the stories of the prophets of Islam, among whom are included Moses, David and Jesus. ...

In Islamic legends, Yasir Yan'am was the husband of Balqis or Balkis, the Queen of Sheba. Balqis was the sister of Shams, the Sun. Her father was al-Hadhad, who rescued her mother, a jinn. Genie is the anglicized word for the Arabic jinni. In Semitic mythology and Islamic religion, a jinni (also djinni or djini) is a member of the jinn (or djinn), a race of spirits. ...

Ethiopian account

The Imperial family of Ethiopia claims its origin directly from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is named Makeda in the Ethiopian account. The Ethiopian epic history of kings, the Kebra Negast is supposed to record the history of Makeda and her descendants. King Solomon is said in this account to have seduced the Queen, and sired a son by her, who would eventually become Menelik I, the first Emperor of Ethiopia. Ancient communities that evolved into the modern Ethiopian state were formed by the migration of southern Arabians across the Red Sea and intermarrying with local peoples. Indeed the ancient Ethiopian kingdom of Axum ruled much of Southern Arabia including Yemen until the rise of Islam, and the Amharic and Tigrean languages of Ethiopia are Semitic languages. Evidence of ancient Southern Arabian communities in modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea are widespread, including artifacts, and ancient Sabenean inscriptions. Nothing specific to Makeda has been unearthed so far, but a large bathing pool near Axum and the ruins of an ancient palace are often associated with her by locals (although the palace is thought to be of a much later construction). The posibility that the Southern Arabian and Ethiopian versions of the Queen of Sheba being one and the same is not beyond the realm of possibility. The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ityopiya, Amharic ኢትዮጵያ) is a country situated in the Horn of Africa. ... Solomon or Shlomo (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה; Standard Hebrew: Šəlomo; Tiberian Hebrew: Šəlōmōh, meaning peace) in the Tanakh (Old Testament), is the third king of Israel (including Judah), builder of the temple in Jerusalem, renowned for his great wisdom and wealth and power, but also blamed for falling away from worshipping the... Kebra Negast (The Glory of Kings) is an illustrated book on the history of the Ethopian orthodox religion. ... Menelik I first Emperor of Ethiopia, traditionally believed to be the son of King Solomon of ancient Israel and Makeda, Queen of Sheba. ... Axum, also Aksum, is a city in northern Ethiopia, located at the base of the Adoua mountains. ... The Republic of Yemen is a country in the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia, and is a part of the Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia. ... Amharic (አማርኛ) is a Semitic language spoken in Northern Central Ethiopia, where it is the official language. ... The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ityopiya, Amharic ኢትዮጵያ) is a country situated in the Horn of Africa. ...

Modern Arab view

Some modern Arab academics have placed the Queen of Sheba not in Yemen, as older Arab sources did, but rather as a ruler of a trading colony in North west Arabia, established by South Arabian kingdoms. Modern archeological finds do indeed confirm the fact that such colonies existed, with south Arabian script and artifacts, although nothing specific to Bilqis have been uncovered so far. The term the Middle East sometimes applies to the peninsula alone, but usually refers to the Arabian Peninsula plus the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Iran. ...

Medieval Views

The Jewish historian Josephus gave the Queen of Sheba's name as Nikaule; Boccaccio's De Mulieribus Claris follows him in calling her Nicaula, and Christine de Pizan's Book of the City of Ladies continues the convention. A related article (http://eserver.org/emc/1-3/jones.html) Josephus, also known as Flavius Josephus (c. ... Giovanni Boccaccio (June 16, 1313 - December 21, 1375) was a Florentine author and poet, the greatest of Petrarchs disciples, an important Renaissance humanist in his own right and author of a number of notable works including On Famous Women, the Decameron and his poems in the vernacular. ... Christine de Pizan, showing the interior of an apartment at the end of the 14th or commencement of the 15th century Christine de Pizan (circa 1365 - circa French poet and arguably the first female author in Europe to make a living from being a writer (Marie de France being the...

See also

• Minaean