The Old Testament tells that during the reign of King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba journeyed to the city of Jerusalem, where she marveled at the splendors of Solomon’s court.
She presented him with gifts and received gifts in return. Then she traveled back to the land of Sheba, never to be mentioned in the Bible again.
During the Middle Ages, the Queen of Sheba became a legendary figure, and many tales grew up around this mysterious monarch. Some depicted her as a wise woman, others as an evil queen, and some told of her marriage to Solomon. Was the Queen of Sheba simply a legendary figure? Or did she really exist? And if so, where was the land of Sheba?
Many historians now believe that the Queen of Sheba was a real person, the ruler of an ancient land known as Saba. This was the home of the Sabaens, who lived in the southwest corner of Arabia, in present-day Yemen.
During ancient times, Saba was a prosperous realm that included land in Africa as well as Arabia. But the kingdom gradually declined. It finally broke up in the sixth century after the collapse of a huge dam at Marib, the Sabaen capital.
Parts of this ruined dam still exist at Marib. And there are tales of the “white city” of the Queen of Sheba lying somewhere in the desert, all covered by sand. So far, no one has been able to find this ancient city, the likely home of the Queen of Sheba.
