Queen of Sheba (Makeda)

Queen of Sheba (Makeda)
Name	Queen of Sheba (Makeda)
Caption	Traditional depiction
Birth date	c. 10th–8th century BCE (legendary)
Occupation	Monarch (legendary)
Known for	Visit to Solomon
Nationality	Legendary ruler of Saba/Aksum tradition

Queen of Sheba (Makeda)

The Queen of Sheba, identified in Ethiopian tradition as Makeda, is a legendary monarch associated with Saba, Sheba, Aksum, and the court of Solomon. Her narrative appears in diverse sources including the Hebrew Bible, the Qur'an, South Arabian inscriptions, and the Kebra Nagast, and has influenced traditions in Yemen, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Jerusalem, and across Christianity and Islam. Scholarly debate engages specialists in Assyriology, Egyptology, Biblical studies, Ethiopian studies, and Arabian archaeology.

Etymology and Names

The name Makeda appears in the Kebra Nagast and Ethiopian tradition, while the Hebrew Bible refers indirectly to a "queen of the South" and Josephus mentions a queen of Sabæa; the Qur'an names Belqis in later Islamic commentaries such as those of al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Classical authors like Pliny the Elder, Strabo, and Diodorus Siculus refer to Sabaeans and rulers of South Arabia; inscriptions in Old South Arabian script name rulers of Saba, Qataban, and Himyar. Medieval Ge'ez literature preserves Makeda's name and lineage in narratives that link her to Menelik I and the Solomonic dynasty.

Historical and Archaeological Evidence

Archaeological work in Marib, Wadi Hadhramaut, and the Tihamah has uncovered temples, inscriptions, and irrigation works associated with the Sabaean Kingdom; excavations at Marib Dam and paleoenvironmental studies indicate a wealthy trade polity engaged with Roman Empire, Ptolemaic Egypt, Axum, and South Arabian neighbors. South Arabian inscriptions mention titles like mukarrib and mlk and kings such as Karib'il Watar and Yitha'amar Bayyin II, but do not name a Solomon-era queen; comparative chronology with Iron Age II material culture remains contested by specialists in ancient Near Eastern chronology. Ethiopian archaeology at Axum and in the Tigray Region yields monumental stelae, coinage bearing Ezana, and inscriptions in Ge'ez and Sabaean scripts that illuminate later royal ideology central to claims of Solomonic descent.

Biblical and Qur'anic Accounts

The Hebrew Bible (First Book of Kings and Second Book of Chronicles) recounts a delegation from the queen of the South visiting Solomon to test his wisdom; Josephus expands the episode in Antiquities of the Jews. The New Testament alludes to the queen of the South in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke as a figure of judgment. The Qur'an (Surah An-Naml) describes a queen who receives a letter from Solomon and submits after witnessing signs, with exegetical traditions in works by al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, and al-Baydawi identifying her as Belqis. Patristic writers such as Origen and medieval commentators like Rashi and Maimonides reference the Solomon-queen narrative in theological and legal contexts.

Ethiopian Traditions and the Kebra Nagast

The Kebra Nagast ("The Glory of Kings") compiles Ge'ez traditions that name Makeda as the mother of Menelik I, founder of the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia. The text links Solomon and Makeda through union, narrates the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant to Axum, and underpins legitimacy claims used by rulers such as Haile Selassie and dynastic chronicles preserved in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church manuscripts. Synchronic materials include royal chronicles, liturgical texts, and pilgrimage accounts to sites like Aksum and Gondar, while interactions with Portuguese observers in the sixteenth century and modern Ethiopian historiography have reinterpreted Makeda's role within nationalist narratives.

Cultural Legacy and Artistic Depictions

Makeda and the queen of Sheba appear in a wide array of artistic and literary works: Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio reference the Sheba episode; Renaissance painters such as Albrecht Dürer and Pieter Coecke van Aelst depicted the meeting with Solomon; Ethiopian illuminated manuscripts and iconography portray Makeda and Menelik. In music and theatre, composers and playwrights from George Frideric Handel to William Butler Yeats engage the motif, while modern film and television productions, novels by authors like Rudyard Kipling and H. Rider Haggard, and national monuments in Addis Ababa and Marib perpetuate her image. Literary, architectural, and numismatic representations in Ottoman, Portuguese, and British records reflect shifting imperial interests.

Debates and Scholarly Interpretations

Scholars dispute the historicity of a specific queen corresponding to the biblical and Qur'anic figure; proponents of a South Arabian origin point to Sabaean inscriptions and trade networks linking Axum and South Arabia, while skeptics emphasize the lack of contemporaneous textual evidence naming Makeda in Iron Age records. Debates engage methods from textual criticism, archaeometry, and comparative mythology, with interdisciplinary work by specialists in Biblical archaeology, Arabian epigraphy, Ethiopian studies, and classical reception studies exploring how legend, nationalism, and scriptural interpretation interact. Modern historiography considers the role of colonial-era scholarship, nationalist historiography in Ethiopia and Yemen, and contemporary cultural politics involving claims made by institutions like museums and universities.

Category:Legendary monarchs Category:Solomon Category:Ancient Yemen Category:Ethiopian literature