Whether said by an aunt, grandmother, or sister, everyone must have heard the saying, "Who does she think she is? The Queen of Sheba?". This famous saying has been around for decades, but often leaves everyone wondering ‘so who is the Queen of Sheba’? In this post, we unpack who this prolific queen is, her historical importance, and her links to Africa?
Who Was The Queen of Sheba?
We don't know much about this queen, but what we do know is that she was wealthy, powerful, and essential. The Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilqīs in Arabic and Makeda in Ethiopian, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Saba (or Sheba) in southwestern Arabia (which is modern-day Yemen) in the 10th century. The Kingdom of Saba is known as the oldest and most important of the South Arabian kingdoms.
In the following holy books, the Queen of Sheba is mentioned:
The bible mentions her in the writings of I Kings and II Chronicles. In the biblical account, Queen Sheba heard of King Solomon's great wisdom and his incredible kingdom and wanted to see it for herself. The queen wanted to learn from King Solomon, and once she did, she presented him with lavish gifts, including gold, jewels, and spices. The bible refers to her as 'the Queen of Sheba' doesn't provide details about her whereabouts.
In the Quran, the she is referred to as Bilqis and rules over the Kingdom of Sheba. The Quran has gone into a lot more detail surrounding the queen's visit to King Solomon. In this version, Solomon — referred to as Sulayman — is given the gift of speech of birds, animals, and spiritual entities. In Sura 27:20, the hoopoe bird tells Sulayman that he went to the land of Sheba, where he found 'a woman ruling over them.' The bird said that the people of Sheba worships the sun and not Allah, which was concerning to Sulayman. Sulayman then sent the bird with a letter to the queen, inviting her to visit his kingdom. Upon her visit, the Queen of Sheba surrenders to Allah and marries Sulayman.
Is The Queen of Sheba, An Ethiopian Queen?
A never-ending debate is whether the queen came from Ethiopia or Arabia. Many people claim that she was an Ethiopian queen who reigned over the Kingdom of Axum; this kingdom did not exist during the reign of Solomon. Axum was once known as D' mt, which was influenced by the Sabean culture of southern Arabia. It is possible that the Queen of Sheba was the Queen of D' mt and therefore her legacy is now associated with Ethiopia.
We don't know a lot about this queen, but a few things are consistent through stories of her — she was powerful, wealthy, and knew her mind!
"Kama mama, mama, au dada, kila mtu amesikia msemo huu: ""Anajifanya ni nani?""" Malkia wa Sheba? Mithali hii maarufu imekuwa karibu kwa miongo mingi, lakini mara nyingi huacha kila mtu akijiuliza 'kwa hiyo ni nani Malkia wa Sheba?' Katika chapisho hili, tunafunua ni nani malkia huyu mwenye uzalishaji, umuhimu wake wa kihistoria, na uhusiano wake na Afrika? Malkia wa Sheba Alikuwa Nani? Hatujui mengi kuhusu malkia huyu, lakini tunajua kwamba alikuwa tajiri, mwenye nguvu, na muhimu. Malkia wa Sheba (Kihispania: Malkia wa Sheba, Kiarabu: Malkia wa Bilqis, Kihispania: Malkia wa Bilqis, Kihispania: Malkia wa Sheba) alikuwa mtawala wa ufalme wa Saba (au Sheba) kusini magharibi mwa Arabia (ambayo ni Yemen ya kisasa) katika karne ya 10. Ufalme wa Saba unajulikana kuwa wa kale zaidi na muhimu zaidi kati ya falme za Arabia Kusini. Katika vitabu vifuatavyo, Malkia wa Sheba anatajwa katika Biblia katika 1 Wafalme na 2 Mambo ya Nyakati. Katika Biblia, Malkia Sheba alisikia juu ya hekima ya Mfalme Sulemani na ufalme wake wa ajabu na alitaka kuiona mwenyewe. Malkia alitaka kujifunza kutoka kwa Mfalme Sulemani, na alipofanya hivyo, alimpa zawadi nyingi, kutia ndani dhahabu, vito, na vikolezo. Biblia inamtaja kuwa 'Malkia wa Sheba' lakini haitoi maelezo kuhusu mahali alipokuwa. Katika Qur'ani, yeye anatajwa kama Bilqis na anatawala juu ya Ufalme wa Sheba. Qur'ani imesoma kwa undani zaidi kuhusu ziara ya malkia kwa Mfalme Sulemani. Katika toleo hili, Sulemani <unk> anayetajwa kuwa Sulayman <unk> anapewa zawadi ya kusema kwa ndege, wanyama, na viumbe wa kiroho. "Katika sura ya 27:20, ndege huyo anamwambia Sulemani kwamba alienda katika nchi ya Sheba, ambapo alipata ""mwanamke akitawala juu yao.""" "Mwenyeji wa Sheba walimwambia: ""Watu wa Sheba wanamwabudu jua, wala si Mwenyezi Mungu.""" Sulayman kisha akatuma ndege huyo pamoja na barua kwa malkia, akimwalika atembelee ufalme wake. Baada ya ziara yake, Malkia wa Sheba anajisalimisha kwa Allah na kuolewa na Sulayman. Je, Malkia wa Sheba ni Malkia wa Ethiopia? Mazungumzo yasiyo na mwisho ni kama malkia huyo alitoka Ethiopia au Arabia. Watu wengi wanadai kwamba alikuwa malkia wa Ethiopia aliyetawala juu ya Ufalme wa Axum; ufalme huu haukuwapo wakati wa utawala wa Sulemani. Axum wakati mmoja ilijulikana kama D' mt, ambayo iliathiriwa na utamaduni wa Sabean wa kusini mwa Arabia. Inawezekana kwamba Malkia wa Sheba alikuwa Malkia wa D'Mot na kwa hiyo urithi wake sasa unahusishwa na Ethiopia. Hatujui mengi kuhusu malkia huyu, lakini mambo machache ni sawa katika hadithi zake - alikuwa na nguvu, tajiri, na alijua akili yake!