Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba ruled over the ancient kingdom of Sheba, and is mentioned in the Bible and the Qur'an.
Queen of Sheba in the Bible
The Queen of Sheba appears in the Bible to King Solomon, because of the fame of his riches and wealth and wisdom. She comes, "with a very great caravan - with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones - she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind" (1 Kings 10:2).
Solomon answered all the questions she asked; returned her quizzes and riddles with wit and correct wisdom; and was kind to her. Awed and astonished by all these things, she rewarded his achievements with "120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon" (1 Kings 10:10), and Solomon returned it by giving "all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty" (1 Kings 10:13).
Queen Of Sheba Media
17th-century AD painting of the Queen of Sheba from a church in Lalibela, Ethiopia and now in the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa
Belqeys (the queen of Sheba) reclining in a garden, facing the hoopoe, Solomon's messenger. Persian miniature (c. 1595), tinted drawing on paper
Bilqis Queen of Sheba Enthroned. From the Book of Solomon (Suleymannama) by Firdausi of Bursa made for Bayezid II (1481-1512). Chester Beatty Library
Illustration in a Hafez frontispiece depicting Queen Sheba, Walters manuscript W.631, around 1539
Florence Baptistry door, Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378‒1455), bronze relief.
Boccaccio's On Famous Women
Betty Blythe as the queen in The Queen of Sheba (1921).
Related pages
Other websites
- Media related to Queen of Sheba at Wikimedia Commons
- BBC history of Queen Sheba
- More information on Queen Sheba Archived 2005-08-05 at the Wayback Machine