Great love stories. 100 stories about a great feeling Mudrova Irina Anatolyevna

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

Solomon (?-928 BC) was the tenth son of King David, born of Bathsheba.

Bathsheba was a woman of rare beauty. King David, walking on the roof of his palace, saw Bathsheba bathing below. Her husband was away from home at the time, serving in David's army. Then he died. Bathsheba did not try to seduce the king, as evidenced by the biblical text. But David was seduced by the beauty of Bathsheba and ordered that she be brought to the palace. As a result of their relationship, she became pregnant. David subsequently married Bathsheba. With all her high position, the most beloved of David's wives, Bathsheba took a place in the shadows and behaved in a dignified manner. David crowned Solomon, son of Bathsheba, king. Bathsheba was a wise woman and always hoped in God. In relation to David, she became a faithful and loving wife and a good mother to her children.

The son of David and Bathsheba was given the name Shlomo (Solomon), in Hebrew it comes from the root shalom - “peace”, in the meaning of “not war”. Hopes were pinned on him for the return of peace and tranquility in the Promised Land. In 965 BC. e. Solomon, during the life of David, became king of the united Israelite-Jewish kingdom. According to the Bible, God gave Solomon the kingship on the condition that he would not deviate from the service of God. In exchange for this promise, God endowed Solomon with unprecedented wisdom and patience. In the first years of his reign, Solomon really showed himself to be a wise and just ruler. He seated his mother Bathsheba on the throne on his right hand.

Later, the king fell into idolatry under the influence of his harem: he had 700 wives and 300 concubines from different countries of the East - and worshiped the pagan idols Moloch, Astarte, Asher. For this, God was angry with him and promised many hardships to the people of Israel, but after the end of the reign of Solomon. Thus, the whole reign of Solomon passed quite calmly.

Solomon was vain, loved women, luxury, but went down in history as the builder of the Jerusalem temple and a writer-philosopher.

The main temple of the Jews was erected by King Solomon on Mount Moriah. The temple, in order to place Jewish shrines in it, was intended to be built by his father David and even began to procure materials. However, for the sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the blood shed in many wars, David was denied by God the right to build a temple. This was to be done by his son Solomon - "peaceful".

A legendary version of the miraculous origin of the building has been preserved. Solomon, the son of David, had a magical gift: he understood the language of birds and the winds obeyed him. Solomon had a magic ring on which a star was depicted from two triangles, light and dark, which had the power to form the Universe. This is the Star of David. Once an evil shaitan stole this ring and became king for forty days, but lost the ring in the sea and was eaten by a fish. Solomon caught a fish and found his ring in it. Thus, justice was restored. With the help of his ring, Solomon could move and cut stones with one movement of his hand, which, obedient to his will, formed walls. The walls of the sanctuary are ca. 40 x 13 m were made of cedar, the floor was made of cypress. The doors "of olivewood and cypress" are decorated with carvings of cherubs, palm trees, and blooming flowers. Solomon “overlaid” these images with “gold on carvings”. The floor was also covered with gold sheets. The walls, the ceiling and the altar were lined with gold from the inside. Sculptural images of two cherubs, also “overlaid with gold”, with outstretched wings, were placed in the Holy of Holies. Between the wings of the cherubim was the main shrine of the Jews. The fence of the courtyard with an area of ​​52x27 m, above which the temple towered, was built of "three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams."

In 586 B.C. e. The temple of Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, who took the inhabitants of Jerusalem into captivity. King Herod I the Great (37-4 BC), having dismantled the old temple, built a new one. This second temple was destroyed and burned by the Roman legionaries of Titus during the capture of Jerusalem in 70 CE. e. The modern outline of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem corresponds to the plan of the second temple, which was surrounded by a high stone wall. Ordinary Jews were forbidden to enter the temple. It was in this temple that Jesus talked with the scribes, and from his courtyard, where they sold sacrificial animals and changed money, he drove out the merchants. On the day of the destruction of the temple, August 10, the Jews pray at the "Wailing Wall".

Sava (Sheba) - an area in northern Arabia, whose inhabitants (Sabes) were engaged in the trade of gold and incense. Balcis ruled over the country of the Sabeans, called by the ancients "Happy Arabia". Majestic temples rose on her lands, the richest cities flourished, luxurious gardens grew green and roads were built, and the people did not cease to glorify their wise queen. Balkida claimed that her country was the richest in the world and she was the wisest ruler.

Having heard about the wisdom of Solomon, the Queen of Sheba decided to visit him in order to "test riddles." She set off, accompanied by several thousand servants who led camels loaded with gifts to the Israeli king: gold, precious stones, exotic plants, rare mahogany, fragrant oils and ivory.

According to legend, the queen also brought silver to Solomon. Part of it - 30 silver coins - disappeared during the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (after 4 centuries), and those (after another 5 centuries) were among the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, and, finally, were given to Judas Iscariot for betrayal. She was accompanied by many youths and girls born in the same year and month, on the same day and hour, all of the same height, the same build and the same dress, in purple clothes - to participate in the test of the king's wisdom. A thoroughbred stallion named Safanad ("Clean"), one of the ancestors of the Arabian horses, was also brought.

Among Solomon's return gifts to the queen was the so-called library of the Queen of Sheba, which was preserved in Abyssinia.

The Queen of Sheba was a beautiful, brilliant and intelligent woman. Solomon met the foreign guest, seated on a golden throne and dressed in golden clothes. When the queen saw the Israeli ruler, it seemed to her that a golden statue appeared before her. The great Solomon got up, went up to the beautiful Balkis and, taking her by the arm, led her to his throne. So the king has not yet received a single guest. Solomon “did great honors to her and rejoiced, and gave her an abode in his royal palace next to him. And he sent her food for the morning and evening meal. It seemed that he immediately fell in love with the stranger and, admiring her beauty, spent all his days in conversation with her. He took Balkis around Jerusalem, showed him the buildings and temples he built, and the queen never ceased to be amazed at the scope and generosity of the famous Israeli.

However, the Queen of Sheba, despite the very courteous reception of Solomon, sought to fulfill her idea. She offers riddles to the king: "If you guess - I recognize you as a sage, if you don't guess - I will know that you are the most ordinary person." A list of riddles that partially intersect with each other is contained in several sources: "Targum Sheni" to the "Book of Esther" - contains 3 riddles; "Midrash Mishley", as well as "Yalkut Shimoni" to "Chronicles" - contain 4 riddles; "Midrash Chahefetz" - contains 19 riddles.

In the Kabbalistic Zohar (c. 14th century), the queen asks Solomon to make her sandals as a test. According to this version, it is assumed that the queen's feet were bestial, and she did not need shoes, and the task was a trap. Solomon refused to make sandals.

As a result of all the tests, the Queen of Sheba was forced to recognize the superiority of Solomon over her in wisdom.

One day they lay down together. In folk tales, the personality of the Queen of Sheba was overgrown with fantastic details, they talked about the only flaw in her female beauty - hairy legs. The enamored king wished to see for himself whether this was so or not. To do this, the wisest ruler of Israel ordered to make a transparent floor of crystal in one of his rooms. A pool was built under it, where they poured the purest water and launched the fish. All this resembled a real lake, and it was possible to distinguish it only by coming closer. Therefore, when Solomon led the queen into the prepared room, she, seeing the amazing pool, raised her skirts in fright so as not to wet them. For a few seconds, her legs appeared from under her underwear, and the Israeli king saw that they were too crooked and ugly, but not hairy.

The offended queen gathered all the servants in one night and left Jerusalem without saying goodbye to Solomon, who had inflicted a cruel insult on the lady of the Saveans.

“After nine months and five days, as she parted from King Solomon, childbearing pangs seized her, and she gave birth to a male child.” She gave her son the name Bayna-Lehkem, and when he reached the age of twelve, she told him about his father. At the age of 22, Bayna-Lehkem “became skilled in all the arts of war and equestrianism, as well as in hunting and trapping for wild animals, and in everything that young men are taught as usual. And he said to the queen: "I will go to see the face of my father, and I will return here, if it be the will of God, the Lord of Israel." Before leaving, the mother gave the young man Solomon's ring so that he could recognize his son. Upon the arrival of Bain-Lekhkem in Jerusalem, Solomon recognized him as his son, and he was given royal honors.

Bayna-Lekhem returned home to his mother, along with the first-born of the Jewish nobility, and took the shrine of the Jews out of the Jerusalem temple. After the return of her son, Queen Balkida renounced the throne in his favor, and he set up a kingdom in Ethiopia in the likeness of Israel, introducing Judaism as the state religion in the country and refusing to inherit through the female line, but establishing patriarchy.

The royal dynasty of the Ethiopian kings of the Solomonids, founded by Bayna-Lekhem, ruled the country until the end of the 10th century. Thereafter, the dynasty continued in secret. The last emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, considered himself a member of the Solomonid dynasty and considered himself the 225th descendant of the Queen of Sheba. In September 1974, he was overthrown by the revolutionary military and died in August 1975.

After the visit of the Queen of Sheba, according to the Bible, an unprecedented prosperity began in Israel. In a year, 666 talents of gold came to King Solomon. The luxury that Solomon could afford is described. He made himself an ivory throne overlaid with gold, the splendor of which surpassed any other throne of that time. Solomon made for himself 200 shields of wrought gold, and all the drinking vessels in the palace and temple were of gold. "King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom." Such greatness, of course, Solomon owes the visit of the Queen of Sheba. After this visit, many kings also desired a visit to King Solomon.

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The name of the captivating and mysterious Queen of Sheba is mentioned in a large number of written sources: the Old Testament, Kabbalah, the Koran, as well as in many Ethiopian, Persian and Turkish legends. But until today, scientific evidence of whether such a queen lived in the time of Solomon has practically not been found. Doubts remain as to whether the Queen of Sheba was a reality or is it still a myth.

The image of this woman is associated with a seductive beauty who, according to legend, came to King Solomon to test his wisdom. For quite a long time, everything connected with her name was just speculation and conjecture. And only recently, archaeologists in remote areas of Yemen have discovered one of the most significant finds of the present time. In the desert of Rub al-Khali, about nine meters underground, the ruins of a temple were discovered, in which, according to experts, documentary evidence of the actual existence of this queen was found.

According to legend, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba first met when the wise king, having heard about the rich kingdom of Sabean, which was ruled by a beautiful and smart woman. invited her to visit. He wanted to see for himself her splendor and wit. The beauty and mind of the queen conquered Solomon. He was so shocked by her that he came to the conclusion that only a connection with the devil could allow her to be so amazing. Solomon even decided that instead of legs, she should have had hooves, like the devil himself.

Mentions the country of Sheba, where the Queen of Sheba lived. He describes it as a land rich in perfumes, spices, precious stones and gold. Scientists believe that this country was located on the territory of South Arabia. However, there is no evidence that the Queen of Sheba ever ruled this territory.

American archaeologist Wendell Phillips believes that there is no doubt about the reality of the existence of this legendary woman. However, his expedition, which he began in Marib in order to find evidence for his hypothesis, was hindered by the Yemeni authorities.

The main source of information about the legendary queen is the Third Book of Kings, the tenth chapter of which contains a biblical episode describing events in which her name is mentioned.

Another authoritative scholar - Sir Ernest A. Wallis Budge - is also sure that the Queen of Sheba is not just a myth. According to his version, Sheba was located on the shores of the Red Sea, which makes it possible to identify it with Ethiopia. According to another group of researchers, she was the queen of Egypt.

Oriental beauty arrived in Jerusalem to meet in Solomon, bringing with her a caravan of gifts. She prepared the most difficult questions for the king and was subdued by his wisdom.

The texts of the sources can be interpreted in different ways. All of them were compiled at different times, many contained facts rewritten several times from different books, so the question of trust in the information given in them is rather controversial.

Most researchers agree that, most likely, the Queen of Sheba ruled the lands of the Aksumite kingdom, located in the Red Sea region (the territory of either Yemen or the Sheba state was Marib - a city in It is believed that the reign of the eastern queen falls on the 10th century BC .

In May 1999, Nigerian and British archaeologists discovered the supposed burial site of this royal person. The earth embankment on it was 45 feet high and 100 miles long. But it is still unknown whether the Queen of Sheba is really buried there.

Today, the mystery about her remains unsolved. It is quite possible that the story of Solomon's acquaintance with the beauty was completed many centuries after the death of the sage, in order to emphasize his royal greatness. It can also be assumed that the image of Sheba, as well as Tomiris (Queen of the Saks), became collective, in which the features of a wise female ruler were embodied. And perhaps behind this name is a real woman, whose real name never reached us. Who knows?

Who is the Queen of Sheba? Myth or reality?

The Queen of Sheba is the only character of antiquity, which is mentioned in the sacred books of the three main world religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The legendary ruler of Saba in South Arabia - an amazing country where sand is worth more than gold, where trees from the Garden of Eden grow, and people are not at war. The Bible tells that she came to Jerusalem to test King Solomon with riddles and was amazed at his wisdom.

According to some legends, the Queen of Sheba had goat legs (perhaps echoes of the ancient cult of the zoomorphic moon goddess of South Arabia). In Muslim legends, the queen's name is Bilkis. She and, according to myths, are the ancestors of the 3,000-year-old dynasty of Ethiopian emperors.

The Bible does not mention her name, she appears in it simply as the Queen of Sheba, or South, and is opposed to those who do not want to heed the wisdom of Jesus. She ruled over the Saveys, the people of "Happy Arabia", which lay south of Palestine. About 2000 km separated her residence from Jerusalem.

For what reason did the queen set off on her journey? According to legend, Solomon learned from a hoopoe about an outlandish country and a woman of incomparable beauty and wisdom ruling it. The king sent her a letter inviting her to visit Jerusalem. In case of refusal, he promised to send demons to her. (Solomon was not only a sage, but also a magician.) The queen responded to the call of her formidable neighbor. She traveled to Jerusalem, hoping to resolve many issues regarding her personal life, her kingdom and her people.

She had heard a lot about Solomon, whose glory was always associated with the name of God. This god seemed to her the cause of the prosperity achieved. Whom can such a wise king worship? The Queen of Sheba is a reasonable and intelligent woman, but she knows the limits of her awareness and wants to become wiser. For this, she sacrifices time, means and conveniences.

Solomon was struck by her beauty. But along with this, he wanted to check what kind of legs she had ... A bad story is described in one of the books of the Talmud. According to the belief of the ancient Semites, one of the characteristic features of the devil is goat hooves. The king was wary that under the guise of a beautiful woman the impure one was hiding. To check, he built a pavilion with a glass floor and launched fish into it.

The ruler needed to pass through this hall, but as soon as she crossed the threshold, she instinctively lifted her dress. Solomon managed to see that the queen's legs were human, but covered with thick hair. The same story can be found in Muslim sources. But the Islamic version of the legend says: Bilquis' legs actually turned out to be goat's - covered with wool and with hooves instead of feet ...


The legends of Ethiopia will be able to reconcile both versions. There the Queen of Sheba is called Makeda, or Atiya-Azeb. It is believed that she was from a tribe that made sacrifices to the dragon. And then the turn of Atiya-Azeb came: the girl was tied to the crown of a tree, where the dragon flew in ... In the shade of this tree, 7 saints sat down to rest. They decided to help and killed the dragon.

However, one drop of blood fell on the girl's heel, and her leg turned into a hoof. The villagers chose Makeda as their leader. Once she heard that King Solomon rules in Jerusalem, who heals people from all diseases. Having overcome the difficult path, the leader crossed the threshold of the king's palace, and her leg immediately became what it was before.

The romance of the king and queen of Sheba lasted for six months. When it turned out that the beautiful southerner was pregnant, she left Jerusalem and returned to Saba, where she gave birth to a boy who became the ancestor of the Abyssinian rulers. The Ethiopians call him Beina Hekem ("son of the king"), or Menelik. Having reached maturity, Menelik went to visit his father. And returning, accompanied by young Jews, to his homeland, he brought to Ethiopia the biblical Ark of the Covenant with relics. Residents of the city of Aksum are sure that the Ark is hidden in the stone chapel of the largest church in the city and has been guarding their homeland for almost three 3,000 years.

Is the Queen of Sheba a real historical figure?

This wonderful story is somewhat overshadowed by two questions: where was the Sabaean kingdom anyway? And in general, did the Queen of Sheba really exist? The south of the Arabian Peninsula and the coast of the Persian Gulf, along with Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley, are considered the oldest centers of civilization. Already in the IV millennium BC. e. Arabians lived there, who were mostly Semites and spoke languages ​​that were close and understandable to the peoples of Palestine and Syria.

At the turn of II and I millennia BC. e. in the southwest of Arabia, the states of Hadhramaut, Kataban, Saba, Mann arose. Around the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. the kingdom of Saba acquired the greatest weight here, which established control over the main trading artery of the Arabian Peninsula - "the way of incense".

It existed under various names for one and a half thousand years. There is very little authentic information about the legendary queen. Muslims call her Bilquis. It is known that she was the daughter of the "prime minister" of the mysterious kingdom of Ophir. Most likely, Bilkis received the powers of the queen only for the duration of her trip to the Israelite-Jewish kingdom, where she went in order to negotiate the free passage of caravans with incense through the territories vassal to him.

In 711 BC. e. the Assyrian king Tiglathpalasar mentioned a state in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. The historian Flavius ​​believed that the country of the Sabeans was located in northeastern Africa - in Ethiopia. Some of the researchers of the biblical story believe that the state of Dilmun (or the Sabaean kingdom) was on the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Such a statement might seem unfounded - in the Old Testament only the south of Arabia is indicated - if it were not for the ancient Greek legend, which leads to unusual thoughts about the origin of the Queen of Sheba.

The Hellenes believed in, the oldest of which were considered to be the inhabitants of Libya, where there were once many tribes of warlike and brave women. The ancestral home of one of their tribes was considered the island of Hespera (Bahrain) off the coast of Ethiopia. Its ruler Mirina once conquered many neighboring peoples, including the Atlanteans, and then through Egypt, Arabia and Syria went to Asia Minor, where she founded a number of cities.

Of course, it cannot be argued that the Queen of Sheba and Mirina are the same person. But this assumption should not be neglected either. Firstly, the island is located just between Ethiopia and Arabia. Secondly, the Greek legend, which originated around the 5th-4th centuries. BC e., talks about "long gone days", so Mirina could well have lived 500 years earlier.

In favor of the fact that the Queen of Sheba is a real historical person, archaeological excavations in the territory of South Yemen may testify. The study of the ruins of the palace showed that approximately in 1000-950. BC e. there lived a queen who traveled north to Al-Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem).

Islamologist M. Piostrovsky believes that Sheba was the queen of Ancient Yemen, whose culture is characterized by monumental, building-like stone thrones of rulers, which are mentioned in legends. In addition, the sun deity Shams played a very important role in the religion of this country. (According to the legends, the inhabitants of Saba worshiped the Sun and the Moon.) The Arabs associate the name of the queen with the Yemeni city of Marib, near which are the majestic ruins of the ancient temple of Avvam (Temple of Bilqis) covered with sand. Many believe that it was there that the earthly Garden of Eden from the Book of Genesis was located.

The Ethiopian version of the origin of the Queen of Sheba is also not without meaning, moreover, many of the scientists seem to be very reasonable. Although Ethiopia itself is located in Africa, it is separated from Saba by a narrow strip of water. The Sabeans, who mastered the sea route to India, could easily overcome it. Perhaps, in ancient times, these two territories were closely connected with each other, constituting one state. The Ethiopian population believes that the Queen of Sheba lived in the town of Aksum, not far from the sea coast.

We find a similar story about this in the national epic, where it is said about the reigning dynasties, which trace their origin from the famous traveler. Arguing that Makeda (the Queen of Sheba) went to Solomon from Aksum, the Ethiopians refer to the Book of Psalms, which directly says about the visit of Makeda to Jerusalem. In addition, there are many religious rites in Ethiopia that resemble Semitic ones: they could hardly take root in the country without support from the supreme power. Attention is drawn to the observance of the Sabbath, the division of animals into clean and unclean, religious dances. In addition, the emperor of Ethiopia is called "the king of Zion."

Local residents say that the son of the Queen of Sheba gave the descendants of the Jewish tribe of the Levites the right to draw up laws and interpret them: after all, he himself was half a Jew! To this day, there is a small isolated religious group of Abyssinian Jews who consider themselves descendants of persons who arrived with the son of Makeda from Jerusalem. They call themselves "falashi", which means "immigrants". This historical name confirms their non-Ethiopian origin. There are several sights in Aksum that are related to the legendary queen.

First of all, this is an obelisk in the central square and the grave of Makeda herself. On a wheat field outside the city, there are several granite slabs measuring 5 × 1.5 meters with obelisks. Under one of them, this mysterious woman allegedly found peace. Beneath the other two rest the ashes of two more kings of Aksum, and Menelik is buried on a mountain near the horizon.

Supporters of the Ethiopian origin of the Queen of Sheba cite various historical facts and references to authorities to prove that the biblical ruler lived here. They also report that Makeda was 50 years old when she went to Jerusalem, and that she died in 986 BC. e. Descendants of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon are believed to have ruled the country until 1974, when Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown.

Many of the scientists consider the assertion that the dynasty of Ethiopian rulers originates from the legendary queen, state propaganda, a myth with which local monarchs tried to confirm the legitimacy of their power. The fact is that none of the official documents outside of Ethiopia mention that the Ark of the Covenant ever left the borders of Jerusalem. The first Ethiopian kingdom in general appeared only 800–900 years after the period indicated as the estimated date of Solomon's life (965–928 BC). In addition, during the reign of the wise king, only the formation of the Sabaean kingdom took place. Consequently, it could not yet be the dominant state either in southern Arabia or in Ethiopia.

One of the most authoritative specialists in this field is the archaeologist R. Eichmann. He also tops the list of skeptics from history. Taking a scientific approach to the biblical account of the Queen of Sheba, he claims to have found no scientific evidence for her existence and believes that she is nothing more than a myth. Eichmann is far from the only skeptic who has expressed doubts about the existence of the legendary queen. However, he, perhaps, for the first time presented purely scientific considerations in this regard.

Doubts are strengthened by detailed studies of archaeologists. Having studied the inscriptions and masonry found in Marib, experts assure that the famous temple of Avvam, the founder of which could supposedly be the Queen of Sheba, was built in the second half of the 7th century BC. e. This means that he has nothing to do with the mysterious ruler who lived in the middle of the 10th century BC. e. According to Eichmann, a number of other points speak in favor of the fact that the story of the Queen of Sheba is not a real fact, but fiction.

For example, it is not known whether the Sabaeans allowed women to occupy such a high position? To this, however, some experts rightly remark that some indirect historical sources say that matriarchy reigned in Saba of that period. As evidence, cuneiform texts found in Assur are cited: they tell about the “Queens of the Arabs” Zabib and Samsi. But besides these records, there are no other Assyrian sources dating back to 700 BC. e., which would contain references to women on the throne. Eichmann and other skeptics are certainly right when they say that without more research, humanity will always remain in the thrall of myths.

So, who was the heroine of the famous biblical legend, in which historical facts, oriental folklore and fantastic legends intertwined? Did she really exist? Did you live in Arab Marib? Was she the ruler of the Ethiopian Aksum? Or was she a member of a proud tribe of female warriors? This mystery has not been solved by scientists to this day. And is it really so important for a modern person? Indeed, in the Book of Books, it continues to exist to this day ...

I.Vagman, O.Kuzmenko

Queen of Sheba. Her beauty is legendary. One of them tells how King Solomon was so shocked by her beauty that he could not look away. But along with this, the same King Solomon, believing that such exquisite beauty is a sign of devilry, decided to check what legs the queen had.
The south of the Arabian Peninsula and the coast of the Persian Gulf, along with Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley, are considered the oldest centers of civilization. Already in the IV millennium BC. Arabians lived here, who were mostly Semites and spoke languages ​​close and understandable to the peoples of Palestine and Syria.
Among the Arabians, primitive beliefs were preserved for a long time: deifications of heavenly bodies, stones, springs, trees. The very nature of Arabia - vast lifeless deserts and valleys, scorching heat during the day and unbearable cold at night, sudden storms, mirages and treacherous sandy abysses that can swallow entire caravans - gave rise to fantastic beliefs about evil and good genies, spirits and other miracles. Over time, these ideas have firmly entered the world of Arab fairy tales and legends.
Three millennia ago, on the territory of modern Oman and Yemen, there were ancient states, including the Sabaean kingdom, where the legendary Queen of Sheba ruled. In the legends of the Haggadah, the state of the Queen of Sheba is described as a magical land where sand is more valuable than gold, trees from the Garden of Eden grow, and people do not know war. The name of the legendary queen is mentioned both in the Old Testament and in the Koran, but nevertheless there is very little authentic information about her. In Muslim legends, the name of the Queen of Sheba is Bilkis. It is known that her father served, in today's speaking terms, as the prime minister in the mysterious kingdom of Ophir. Most likely, Bilquis received the powers of the queen only for the duration of her trip to Israel. According to the Old Testament tradition, the Queen of Sheba, having heard about the glory of King Solomon, came to Jerusalem to test him with riddles and was amazed at his wisdom. Of course, Bilquis came not only to "guess riddles": the Incense Road passed through the territories vassal to Israel - the path from Saba to Egypt, Phoenicia and Syria. In order to negotiate the free passage of caravans, she brought such generous gifts.

The Bible vividly tells about the impressions of the Queen of Sheba from communicating with Solomon: “It is true that I heard in my land about your deeds and your wisdom. But I did not believe the words until I came and saw my eyes. not said; you have more wisdom and riches than what I heard."

Bilquis herself was so beautiful and regal that Solomon was also fascinated by the young queen. But during one of her first meetings with the Israeli king, a bad story happened, which is described in one of the books of the Talmud - the Midrash. According to the beliefs of the ancient Semites, one of the characteristic features of the devil is goat hooves. Solomon feared that under the guise of a beautiful woman, the devil was hiding in his guest. To test whether this was so, he built a pavilion with a glass floor, launched fish into it, and invited Bilquis to pass through this hall. The illusion of a real pool was so strong that the Queen of Sheba, having crossed the threshold of the pavilion, did what any woman instinctively does when entering the water - lifted her dress. Just for a moment. But Solomon managed to see what was carefully hidden: the queen's legs were human, but in "" not very attractive - they were covered with thick hair. Instead of remaining silent, Solomon exclaimed loudly: he did not expect such a beautiful woman to have such a flaw. This story is also found in Muslim sources. And yet, when Bilquis first appeared before Solomon, accompanied by her entire retinue, dozens of half-naked girls as a gift to the king and two panthers guarding her, he was amazed and could not resist her beauty and grandeur.
They say that even a thousand women after many years did not help Solomon to forget her. Their short romance continued for six months. All this time, Solomon did not part with her and constantly gave expensive gifts. When it turned out that Bilquis was pregnant, she left the king and returned to the Sabaean kingdom, where she gave birth to a boy. He, as it turned out, was destined for a glorious fate. They, or rather Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, are considered in Ethiopian legends to be the ancestors of the three thousand-year dynasty of emperors of Abyssinia.





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The legends of antiquity have conveyed to our time information about outstanding female queens. Among them were the mysterious and legendary queens of Sheba from southern Africa and Bilqis from the kingdom of Saba (Yemen). For example, the wise Queen of Sheba, who met with King Solomon, is mentioned in the Bible. There is information about Queen Bilqis in Muslim sources (in connection with her adoption of Islam in the 7th century AD, etc.). They ruled in different historical eras, but they are related by the glory of wisdom, personal beauty, the prosperity and wealth of the countries subject to them, as well as the location of their tombs in Yemen near the Red Sea (on the Arabian Peninsula).

The Bible reports that the Court of the wise King Solomon (son of David) was bathed in indescribable luxury. He died at the age of 37, and his kingdom fell apart like a house of cards, causing the suffering of the people. Is this a trace of his wisdom? The Holy Scripture says: “In the gold that came to Solomon every year, the weight was 666 talents” (20 tons). Further it is reported: “King Solomon also made a ship in Ezion-geber, on the shore of the Black (Red) Sea in the land of Edom. And Hiram (the king of Phoenicia) sent on the ship his subjects, shipmen who knew the sea, with the subjects of Solomon. And they went to Ophir, and took from there four hundred and twenty talents of gold, and brought it to King Solomon ”(III Kings, 9,14,26-28). The Bible repeatedly mentions the land of Ophir. Only the time of sailing for gold in Ophir (before or after the visit of Savskaya to Solomon), as well as the coordinates of the country, are unknown. The Bible says, "Do not look for the way there!" The ships that sailed to the country of Ophir were based on the Black Sea coast. The practical management of the delivery of wealth was carried out by Hiram, a contemporary and friend of Solomon. In the New Testament, the mistress of a rich country is called the "queen of the south." It is also mentioned in the Old Testament traditions. Myths have survived that say that paradise was somewhere nearby, so trees grew in her capital, as in the Garden of Eden.

The Queen of Sheba knew astrology, could tame wild animals, make healing ointments, and knew the secrets of healing and other conspiracies. On her little finger she wore a magic ring with a stone called "asterix". Modern scientists do not know what it is, and in those days it was well known that the gem was intended for philosophers and wizards.

Greek and Roman myths attributed unearthly beauty and wisdom to the Queen of Sheba. She spoke many spoken languages, the power to hold power and was the High Priestess of the planetary Sobornost. High priests from all over the world came to her country for the Council to make important decisions concerning the fate of the peoples of the planet.

Her royal palace complex, along with a fabulous garden, was surrounded by an ornamented wall of colored stones. Legends name different areas of the location of the capital of the mysterious country, for example, at the junction of the borders of Namibia, Botswana and Angola, near the reserve with Lake Upemba (southeast of Zaire), etc.
Ancient written sources report that she was from the dynasty of Egyptian kings, her father was God, whom she passionately desired to see. She was familiar with pagan idols and predecessors of Hermes, Poseidon, Aphrodite. She was inclined to recognize foreign gods. Legends and myths tell us about the real and romantic image of the Queen of Sheba from a large and prosperous state, the boundaries of which are indicated on the map.


In her realm, in addition to the main light-skinned population of normal height, there were also light-skinned giants, from which her personal guard was formed. The giants lived along the basin of the Limpopo and Okavango rivers, between the Indian Ocean and the capital of the country. The main population of the kingdom were the distant ancestors of the modern Boers. The Boers (Afrikaners) now number about 3 million people and live in southern Africa in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, that is, where their ancestors lived many thousands of years ago. In later times, Germans, Dutch, French, Slavs periodically moved to them from Europe. They speak the Boer language, which belongs to the Indo-European (Germanic) group. In this kingdom there was no Negroid population, which at that time lived in Africa in a compactly narrow strip east and north of the river. Congo. The first groups of the Negroid population appeared in Africa about 10 thousand years ago with the gradual sinking of the Black (Negro) continent in the Indian Ocean.

Its main submersion occurred about 2 thousand years ago, but there were still numerous islands.

The legendary state of the Queen of Sheba also included islands adjacent to the continent. The natural wealth of the subsoil was developed in breadth and depth, laying many kilometers of adits, including under the bottom of the shelf part of the ocean. These underground voids were equipped and used for their intended purpose (storages, places of worship). It is possible that today they may contain material and cult values ​​of that period. The discoveries of recent decades confirm these thoughts. There are a lot of mysteries in these places, including the places of ancient capitals and cities, where in the hills overgrown with vegetation there are monuments of ancient culture, similar to those found in the Central and Southern part of the American continent.

The eastern part of Africa since the existence of Egypt was part of it. The capital of Egypt, during the existence of Atlantis, was somewhere in the area between Namibia and the source of the Congo River. Later, it was transferred in a northerly direction: to Lake Victoria, to the middle reaches of the Nile and beyond. There were periods of separation of new associations from the country. The states of Ophir and the Queen of Sheba about 3 thousand years ago were independent countries based on the lands of ancient Egypt, but within new borders. Everything changes in time and space, but traces of ancient cities and capitals with their tombs, phantoms of their buildings, remains of underground structures remain. It is curious that many ancient cities of the countries under consideration are in plan on straight lines. During the reign of Solomon, the country of Ophir was located along the eastern coast of Africa from the Zambezi River (river of gold) to the middle of the Arabian Peninsula, and the state of the Queen of Sheba occupied a significant part of the territory of southern Africa.

Famous ancient travelers and navigators mention the Queen of Sheba and the wealth of southern Africa. So, for example, in 1498, the navigator Vasco da Gama and the Arab pilot Ahmad ibn Majid reported on the country "Golden Safala", located between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers, which was then ruled by Sultan Mwane Mutapa (lord of the mines). A large amount of pure gold from these places (it was said in the sailing directions to the eastern shores of Africa) is exported through the port of Mambane, at the mouth of the Savi River. In the name of this river, the Portuguese heard the name of the Queen of Sheba, who ruled in these lands. After Vasco da Gama, the colonization of Mozambique and expansion to the mainland began. The centers of the ancient African civilization - Sofala were discovered. It geographically corresponds roughly to present-day Zimbabwe. The Portuguese also managed to find gold mines, but they could not penetrate deep into the country. The legends about the fabulous country were almost forgotten, but in 1872, in the interfluve of the Zambezi and Limpopo, the German geologist Karl Mauch discovered gold deposits and the ruins of some structure surrounded by a 300-meter stone wall. Based on the publication of his diary entries, the English writer Rider Haggard wrote and published the novel King Solomon's Mines. The "gold rush" began in the south of the African continent. Plutonium flows bring gold to the surface in various places on earth, including in Ethiopia.

Studies of recent decades show that gold was brought to Solomon from the territory of modern Ethiopia from the area of ​​​​Lake Tana (the source of the Blue Nile), where underground metal mining was carried out. There are now labyrinths of many kilometers planned adits and caves. From this lake and now there are roads to the Ethiopian ports on the Red Sea - Massawa, Assab, to Addis Ababa and waterways along the rivers. Gold was mined here in large quantities. It is possible that caches with ancient mined, but not exported, precious metal can be preserved in these places. Written materials of accounting and metal issue can also be preserved there. So there was no point in sending ships thousands of kilometers to the ends of the world.
The Queen of Sheba's bringing expensive gifts (rather than gold bars) to Solomon from the depths of southern Africa is not the basis for a real search for "Solomon's gold mines" in these places. In every corner of the earth there are amazing legends and mysteries of history that are not born from scratch.

Another legendary queen Bilqis lived in the 7th century. AD She was from an ancient family of Egyptian kings and ruled in the state of Saba, formed on the ruins of the former state of Ophir. It was a period of multiple redistribution of countries, lands and peoples. The kingdom of Saba during the reign of Queen Bilquis was called fabulously rich in legends. Arab sources report that Bilquis was beautiful and intelligent. She was a master at cooking delicious dishes, although she could satisfy her hunger with simple bread and raw water. She traveled on elephants and camels. The capital of the state of Saba (the city of Marib) was located at the crossroads of caravan routes in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, not far from the Red Sea. Years passed after the reign of Bilkis, but every spring the gates of the city also opened, and merchant caravans went in all directions with spices and products of talented artisans, gifts from the depths, nature.

The luxurious palace and temples of Queen Bilquis were located on Mount Moria, surrounded by a high colonnade. The palace inside was decorated with panels made of expensive wood, goblets made of cornelian, and bronze sculptures. The floor was cypress planks. Incense was burning in every corner in cups of gold. The golden throne was trimmed with precious stones. Near the walls lay sacred books bound in sandalwood with inlays. Now the city lies in ruins, among which stones with ancient inscriptions, numerous remains of ancient houses and palaces, sculptures made of marble, alabaster, and bronze are found. The ruins are gradually dismantled for economic needs. At the base of the mountain there are labyrinths of unexplored caves with multi-tiered communication passages, where there may be scrolls with inscriptions. Here, in Yemen, in ancient times there were numerous oases, vegetation was lush green, and gold, copper, and precious stones were mined in the depths.

Somewhere near Marib is the tomb of Queen Bilqis. Not far from it are the tombs of other historical figures inside the rocky religious buildings, including the Queen of Sheba. The legends of the haggadah say that Solomon wished to see the Queen of Sheba in his place, otherwise her kingdom, which did not know wars, would be invaded by “kings with infantry and chariots”, meaning the dark demons subject to him (Midrazh to Proverbs 1.4 ). On the way home, the Queen of Sheba died in the south of the Arabian Peninsula from poisoning. Her death caused the imminent collapse of the kingdom of Solomon. Gold scattered around the world, but the Queen of Sheba, mines with gold and precious stones remained in the legends. Traditions say that not far from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the vaults, there are gifts of Sheva Solomon and information about her. Discoveries await archaeologists.
P.S. The capital of the legendary kingdom of Ophir was in Ethiopia in the bend of the Omo River, between the cities of Waka and Bako.
"Unannounced Visit", No. 7(21), 1996