The legendary Queen of Sheba: Where did she go?

 

The Queen of Sheba is well-known for her enormous wealth and for visiting King Solomon to gauge his level of intelligence. Photo credit: Freepik.com

The story of the Queen of Sheba is interwoven with Ethiopian, Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions. She was referred to as the Queen of Sheba by Jews and Christians, Queen Bilquis by Arabs, and Macheda by Ethiopians. Between 1000 and 950 BC, she is reported to have traveled to Jerusalem with a convoy of valuable stones, gold, and spices to meet King Solomon.

 

Who was the Queen of Sheba in reality? From where did she originate? Did she actually have a meeting with King Solomon? Some of the stories in the Bible are both fascinating and inspirational, posing many questions. She was referred to as the Queen of Sheba by the Jews and Christians, Macheda by the Ethiopians, and Queen Bilquis by the Arabs.

 

The fact that Queen Sheba's story has both Jewish and Persian roots, as well as being mentioned in the Koran, adds to its intrigue. The Jewish Talmud, the Bible, the Old Testament, the Koran, and the Kebra Nagast, an Ethiopian literature from the fourteenth century, all tell her story. According to these accounts, she was a wealthy and astute monarch who was drawn to Solomon's reputation for knowledge.

 

Menelik, whose inherent meaning is "son of the wise man," was born out of King Solomon's relationship with the queen. Menelik, who grew up and became king, adopted the lion of Judah as his emblem after ascending to the throne because Ethiopians are the chosen people. When he came to Axum as an adult and wanted to see the alleged father Solomon, he either stole or received the Ark of the Covenant.

 

The Ark of the Covenant was not a common item that anybody could easily touch or steal, so in my opinion, this story is a little confusing. Only the Levites, more especially Kohath's sons from the priestly class, are involved. Given the story that "when they came to the threshing floor of Nachon, when the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, and he was struck," how could the Ark of the Covenant be stolen?

 

The queen reportedly resided 120 kilometers from Yemen's capital, Sana. The ancient capital of Saba was located in Marib, east of Sana. As time went on, Marib was located at the intersection of caravans carrying incense toward the Red Sea and the entire region.

 

In May 2008, a team of German archaeologists declared that they had discovered at Axum, Ethiopia, not only the remnants of the famous Queen of Sheba's palace but also the location of the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Tablets of the Law that Moses had received on Sinai. Beneath the ruins of another structure constructed by a later Christian ruler, the remnants of the Queen of Sheba's palace from the tenth century BC were found.

 

The queen most likely came from Marib, which was the capital of ancient Saba and a hamlet east of Sana in modern-day Yemen. Therefore, if she existed, she may have been born and raised in Marib, which is in the middle of the desert. According to legend, she was incredibly attractive, interesting, and wealthy. The magnificence of enormous temples and palaces surrounds his legendary presence.

 

The dominion of the Sabeans also extended over the African continent, including the current Yemen, Eritrea, Somalia, and above all, Ethiopia, wherein the Axum seat of the sovereigns of the Axumite empire was established, and whose current site has been discovered by the German archaeologists.

 

However, who was the Queen of Sheba, what realm did she rule over, and why did she fabricate a legend? The material found in the Sacred Book of Rastafarians, associated with reggae music and claiming to be the successors of Christianity from Haile Selassie, Ras Tafari, is the basis for what has been said thus far concerning the Queen of Sheba and her remarkable tale.

 

We can’t overlook the biblical allusions to the Queen of Sheba's journey to learn about Solomon in 1 Kings 10:4 and Matthew 12:42, which states, "The queen of the south shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."

 

Rastafarians believe they are the descendants of King David through a lineage traced back to the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, a belief supported by the Ethiopian religious text Kebra Nagast. They view the Ethiopian Solomonic Dynasty, to which Emperor Haile Selassie I belonged, as a direct representation of King David's royal line.

 

According to history, the queen lived about 120 km from Sana, the capital of Yemen. East of Sana in Marib, which was the capital of ancient Saba. Marib was situated at the point where caravans that carried incense in the direction of the Red Sea crossed, and the whole region, with the passing of the years.

 

In May 2008, a group of German archaeologists announced that they had found in Axum, Ethiopia, not only the remains of the palace of the legendary Queen of Sheba but also the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, which contained the Tablets of the Law, the Ten Commandments.

 

According to the story, the Queen of Sheba returned to her own nation after successfully challenging Solomon's wisdom and receiving lavish presents in exchange. She is never referenced again in the biblical account. According to Ethiopian legend, she subsequently gave birth to Menelik I, the first Ethiopian ruler, who is credited with returning the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia.

 

SOMALIA: A LAWLESS, SAVAGE, AND CRUEL COUNTRY

Somalia is a very poor country, but ruthless

In a quiz competition, if I am asked, "What is the most savage and lawless country in the world?" My answer would be Somalia. In Africa, I have never seen people like Somalis before. I keep on asking myself many times that "What kind of God do these people worship?" 

Is it not the same "Allah" that other Islamists worship and pray five times a day, asking for forgiveness and blessings?

I am very sure that I am not the only person angry about the violent nature of these people, but the whole world, including other Muslims. Somalia is a lawless, poverty-stricken country that has been without an effective central government since dictator Siad Barre's regime was overthrown in 1991. 

Even though they have nothing better in that country to boast of, they have destroyed the little they have with bullets from guns.

How could a man be buried to the chest and be stoned to death? What kind of crime has he committed to die such a horrible death? Above all, all those who stoned him, who among them can claim to be a righteous man, who has never sinned before since birth?

How can Somalians rape their women when they know that the Koran speaks against such actions? Actions speak louder than words. From every angle, I believe that these ruthless people have disgraced all the good Muslims in other parts of the world.

Clashes between rival warlords, an Islamist insurgency, and the country's weak Transitional Federal Government are common. "It's a part of the world where life is hard and cheap," said David Shinn, a former ambassador to Ethiopia and now a professor at George Washington University. 

People are "willing to take very high risks for very high gains," he said. With piracy, "they figured out a way to do it."

With the average ransom for a ship approaching $2 million, piracy is one of the most lucrative businesses in Somalia, the BBC reported. In the northern region of Puntland, where many pirates are based, business is booming. 

"They have money; they have power, and they are getting stronger by the day," Abdi Farah Juha, a resident of the regional capital of Garowe, told the BBC. "They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses; they have new cars; new guns."

Despite all those crimes both on land and sea, the country remains the poorest and lawless country in the world. "The youth growing up in poverty and violence," explained Africa specialist Ted Dagne of the Congressional Research Service. "They know how to shoot, they know violence; they don't know how to get a job."

Somalia lies at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, a busy shipping lane that connects the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. 

Using high-speed powerboats, small bands of heavily armed raiders ride up to ships many times larger than their own and use grappling hooks and ladders to climb on board. Once on deck, they subdue the usually unarmed crew with automatic rifles and anti-tank missiles.

"Most ships don't carry guns for safety reasons," said Richard DeSimone, president of Ocean Marine at Travelers Insurance, which ensures large shipping vessels. "To ward off a speedboat attack is very difficult," he said. 

Pirates are usually not interested in the cargo of ships they hijack; instead, they want ransom money.

At least 14 vessels, including a Ukrainian freighter loaded with Russian battle tanks that were taken last month, are being held in the port town of Eyl, the BBC reported.
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One thing advanced countries and European leaders must be careful about is, these criminals and pirates would one day find their way into Europe and other countries, like Italy, to request political asylum, then later become terrorists and cause terror in Europe.

ACUTE FAMINE THREATENS THE HORN OF AFRICA

The effect of famine in Africa



In East Africa, ten million people are affected by drought, which has escalated the prices of food. According to the United Nations, the Horn of Africa is facing the worst drought in sixty years. 


The affected area covers parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda, and the two countries that might be severely stricken are Kenya and Somalia. The dryness is because, in the last two years, very little rain has fallen. 

The severe drought has caused a food crisis, and prices have risen rapidly. In some parts of Kenya, the grain prices have risen by 80 percent, higher than average. In Ethiopia, prices have risen by 41 percent. 

The result is devastating, as malnutrition and hunger of the poor increase, said the United Nations spokesman Ocha. UN organizations are in charge of coordinating humanitarian assistance.

In some areas, 15 percent of children suffer from malnutrition. The UN asks donor countries to add more funds, but the money coming in is insufficient to solve the problem. 

Famine is not a new thing in Africa; besides sicknesses such as malaria and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Africa has suffered much from natural disasters such as famine.