E-mail Us

Very few people have captivated historians like the Queen of Sheba did.
In fact so many things were written about her, and this had, over the years,
turned her into one of the most controversial legends of the world.
Hollywood has glamorized her, poets have immortalized her, and historians
have puzzled over her. Throughout the ages, the legendary Queen of Sheba
has evoked images of beauty, wealth and power.  Few women in history
have captured our imaginations so strikingly, yet cloaked themselves in
such mystery.

   There is no doubt that the Queen of Sheba, or Queen Balqis, as she is famous in the Arab World, was very influential, wealthy and famous during her rein, some 3000 years ago. The stories about her are so intriguing and conflicting. She is mentioned not only in the Holy Quran and Bible, but also in legendary tales that extend from Ethiopia to India, Persia and Arabia. She was so wise that several peoples, mainly Ethiopians, claim that she is the founder of the dynasty that ruled Ethiopia and was overthrown only some 30 years ago.

   However, with archeological work going on in Marib, where she ruled, and discoveries have proved that she is an Arab Queen, all stories are discarded now and left in the shadows as mere fairy tales. Her story has been woven into the folklore and traditions of both Eastern and Western cultures. Yet for all the exotic tales, romance novels, and colorful theories about her, she remains an enigma. Archaeologists are yet to learn the Queen of Sheba's proper name.

   According to the holy Quran, Balqis heard about the wisdom of Prophet Solomon (Peace be upon him), and decided to visit his court after he invited her to abandon her old religion of worshipping the sun, and convert to worship God. She decided to overwhelm the wise Solomon with her fabulous gifts. Realizing that, the King managed to build a palace on the sea with a glass floor so pure that when she lifted her gown lest it touched the seawater. But what stunned her was to see her own, famous throne in front of her, so far away from where she left it.

   After several counsels between the two, where Balqis was to witness several of the other famous miracles of Solomon, Balqis abandoned the religion of her forefathers and took the religion of Solomon.

   Christians and Jews are familiar with the Biblical record of her meeting with King Solomon (thought to have occurred around 950-930 B.C.). On hearing of his wisdom, II Chronicles 9 says that the Queen made the journey north to Solomon's courts "to test him with hard questions." The conference proved a success, culminating in the two monarchs bestowing wealth and good favor on each other. Jesus speaks of her in Matthew 12:42, crediting the Queen of the "South" (Semitic for "Yemen") as a righteous woman for seeking King Solomon's wisdom.

   According to Arabic traditions, the Queen (known to Arabs as "Balqis") ruled with the heart of a woman and the head of a man and worshipped the sun and the moon. Very little else is known about her rule. She is said to have had a form of advisory council consisting of 313 persons, each representing one tribe, regardless of its size. It is widely believed that she was the one who build Marib Dam, probably the oldest dams ever to be built by man.

   Many historians believe her visit to Jerusalem was probably a trade mission, the Queen ensuring her kingdom's lucrative trade in frankincense and myrrh would continue unhindered by Solomon's armies.

   Archaeologists investigating a couple of years back the legendary kingdom of Sheba in the Yemeni province of Marib, have finished restoring an ancient temple which they believe could become one of the world's great tourist sites.

   Six columns mark the entrance to the "Throne of Balqis", which is 15m (50ft) high and features a podium, a courtyard, a high wall and an irrigation canal. According to scholars, the temple was built in the 10th Century BC at the time of Balqis, the Queen of Sheba, and access was restricted to the kingdom's elite. The throne is the only vestige to be unearthed so far of a civilisation founded in the 10th Century BC and which reached its peak between the eighth and first centuries BC.

   Archaeologists estimate that there much remains to be unearthed at the site to keep them occupied for another decade. However, they are confident their research could unlock the mystery surrounding the legendary Queen of Sheba and the site could potentially become the eighth wonder of the world.

   The temple was abandoned after 14 centuries when the kingdom's subjects started to convert to Judaism and Christianity. The destruction of the Marib Dam in 572AD sealed its demise.

   Canadian, German and US archaeologists are now preparing to excavate another site 3km (1.8 miles) to the east, the Awam, or Moon temple, which should provide more insight on the Sheba civilisation. 

   Mahram Bilqis, as it is known in that area is located near the ancient city of Marib, capital of the Queen of Sheba's kingdom (referred to in both the Bible and the Koran) - the most powerful and prosperous of the five ancient southern Arabian states. The city was strategically built on the Arabian Peninsula's main caravan trading route, which ran roughly parallel with the Red Sea. Camel caravans plying this route carried frankincense and myrrh - used in almost every temple and wealthy home in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Jerusalem and Rome - northward from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean cultures.

   Eight limestone pillars remain standing at the front of the temple, half-buried by the desert sands. Behind the site's peristyle hall, a wall of heavy limestone blocks (around 3.5 metres thick), covered in ancient inscriptions, surround the 70-90 metre-wide sanctuary. While the top six metres of the wall are exposed, sub-surface surveys of the area indicate that the temple's foundations still lie 9-10 metres below the sands. Dr. Bill Glanzman of Calgary University estimates that it will take another 2-3 years before the excavation of the walls is completed.

   Despite the team using state-of-the-art equipment, the excavation and documentation of the site remains a slow process, with the work frequently being hampered by sand storms and blistering heat.

   While excavating, researchers have discovered large quantities of animal bones at the site, suggesting the sanctuary was used for animal sacrifices. Samples of these bones have been brought back to the University for DNA analysis and for comparison with the skeletons of modern species.

   Once the site has been excavated, Glanzman says the team plans to restore and reconstruct sections of the temple to show visitors how they believe it looked during its last period of use in the 6th Century.

   "The ancient builders of this temple used extremely advanced engineering techniques," says Glanzman. "To reconstruct it, we first have to understand how the original stone masons carved the blocks and then teach the Yemeni masons these skills. We're hoping to rejuvenate crafts and masonry skills that have lain dormant for more than 1,400 years."

   Plans have been discussed to retain part of the sanctuary as it was found, giving archaeologists of the future - who will have different methods and more advanced technology - opportunity to work on the site in its original condition.

   "In many respects, the Queen of Sheba's kingdom was the cradle of the Arab civilization and the Mahram Bilqis was at the very heart of this kingdom," he says. "This temple may well be considered the eighth wonder of the world."

   According to Ethiopian legend, she was born in 1020 B.C. in Ophir, and educated in Ethiopia. Her mother was Queen Ismenie; her father, chief minister to Za Sebado, succeeded him as King. One story describes that as a child Balqis (called Makeda) was to be sacrificed to a serpent god, but was rescued by the stranger 'Angaboo. Later, her pet jackal bit her badly on one foot and leg, leaving lasting scars and deformity. When her father died in 1005 B.C., Balqis became Queen at the age of fifteen. Contradictory legends refer to her as ruling for forty years, and reigning as a virgin queen for six years. In most accounts, she never married.