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The Queen of Sheba: Ethiopian Queen?

The Queen of Sheba: Ethiopian Queen?

Last updated on: October 28, 2026 at 1:00 am by Rebecca Wallace Keene

The Queen of Sheba: Ethiopian Queen? 2026-10-26T21:31:35-04:00 Rebecca Wallace Keene

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The Queen of Sheba: Ethiopian Queen? created by Rebecca Keene with Chatgpt

The Queen of Sheba: Ethiopian Queen?

Welcome back to our Ark Series. Last week we examined whether the Ethiopians stole the Ark of The Covenant. We discovered that they claim The Ark was stolen by Israelites traveling back to Ethiopia with their king Menelik I. They claim Menelik is the son of their Queen Makeda and King Solomon. The Ethiopians connect this story to the Biblical tale of The Queen of Sheba. The problem is The Bible says Solomon was visited by The Queen of Sheba. It never refers to her as Makeda or Queen of Ethiopia. It also never mentions a son. So, who was The Queen of Sheba? Could she have been the Ethiopian Makeda?

Back to Yemen

Earlier in The Arks Series, I said all roads lead to Yemen. Ethiopia is not an exception. In fact, this story gives us several routes to Yemen and we are going to explore them all. The first road to Yemen is the Queen herself.

Queen of Sheba

The Bible’s claim that she was Queen of Sheba is very interesting. We have archaeological inscriptions which use the word Sheba in reference to the country called Saba. The ancient Sabaean kingdom was in Yemen, not Ethiopia. The Encyclopedia of the Bible defines Sheba as, “A country in SW Arabia, now Yemen, the most mountainous and fertile part of Arabia.” This is confirmed in those archaeological inscriptions. The Bible never directly identifies her as Yemeni, but it is strongly suggested by the use of Sheba.

However, it is important to note that none of the inscriptions specifically name The Queen of Sheba. They also never mention a queen who visited Solomon. That doesn’t mean such a visit never occurred. It only means those inscriptions didn’t survive until the modern day.

Still, scholars generally agree that ancient Saba in Yemen is the land of the biblical queen. The Encyclopedia of the Bible explains that one of the reasons for this identification is the gifts the queen exchanged with Solomon, stating:

This country gained wealth through control of the trade in perfumes and incense, which were important in the life and religion of the ancient world. Camel caravans from Sheba (Job 6:19) carried northward to the Mediterranean countries the gold, precious stones, and frankincense of S Arabia (Isa 60:6; Jer 6:20; Ezek 27:22). The capital of Sheba was first Sirwāḥ and then Mārib. At Mārib are the remains of a great dam and of the temple of the moon-god, Ilumquh. In the thousands of Sabean inscrs. are the names of many of their priest rulers. In the 10th cent. b.c. the Queen of Sheba (q.v.) visited Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-13; 2 Chron 9:1-12). Her camel caravan brought typical products of Sheba: gold, precious stones, and spices, which she exchanged with Solomon.

Further evidence lies in the fact that Saba had a special relationship with Israel. Israel hoped Saba would convert and worship The G-d of Abraham. The Bible Encyclopedia says, “Sheba also had a place in Israel’s expectations for the future. It was hoped that Sheba would give gifts to the king of Israel (Ps 72:10, 15) and praise to the God of Israel (Isa 60:6)”

Makeda of Ethiopia

The Kebra Nagast insists the biblical Queen of Sheba was an Ethiopian queen named Makeda. They use her connection to Solomon to establish that their royal line is direct descendants of King Solomon and should have rightful ownership of The Ark.

Establishing which claim is true is complicated by the fact that we do not have outside proof for either claim. There is no evidence tying the biblical Queen of Sheba to an Ethiopian Queen Makeda outside The Kebra Nagast. While we do have inscriptions from Saba, none of them establish that a queen from there traveled to meet Solomon.

This is further complicated by the fact that an inscription found in Africa also names a king of Saba and Dhu-Raydan. However, the political and financial dealings between Ethiopia and Yemen have led many scholars to speculate that this may mean a ruler who ruled both the Yemeni and Ethiopian countries at some point or a leader who ruled over people from both areas. This is because we know many Sabaeans did migrate into Africa. Jean‑François Breton wrote, “The rulers, mukarribs, by including the name of Saba’ in their titles, appear to have claimed control over the Sabaeans residents in their country.” Thus, he argues the leader is claiming rule over people who migrated into his country, not that there is a separate country of Saba in Africa.

Given the lack of archaeological evidence, we need to examine the sources themselves. 1 Kings predates The Kebra Nagast by many centuries, being commonly dated to the 6th century. Meanwhile, The Kebra Nagast is commonly dated to the 14th century. This means it is possible that the Ethiopians took the biblical story and repurposed it to legitimize their claim to The Ark.

In Conclusion The Queen of Sheba Reigns

In this scenario the visit recorded in The Bible is the more accurate story and there was never a child of Queen of Sheba and Solomon. Therefore, if our theories about The Queen’s origin are true, The Arks did not go to Ethiopia in the manner or time the Ethiopians claim. However, The Arks may have gone to Yemen around this time if Solomon gifted them to the Queen of Sheba.

As stated in a previous article, this is unlikely simply because it is something The Bible would have mentioned. Also, I feel if Solomon had a son with a foreign Queen and The Ark was taken from Israel in his reign, through his relationship with that son, The Bible would have recorded at least the loss of The Ark. It doesn’t, which leads me to believe The Queen of Sheba was as her title suggests Queen of Saba, therefore making the Ethiopian story false.

However, don’t write Ethiopia off yet. Sign up for our Newsletter and stay tuned, because next week we will explore how it could still be possible for Ethiopia to get The Ark and why they later claim to have both Arks. Then, believe it or not, that connection will lead us right back to Yemen. Also, our next Spooky Judaism article will be published soon. You don’t want to miss a thing.

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About Rebecca Keene

Rebecca Keene holds a B.S. in Psychology and Religion and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice. An ordained minister, Kabbalah student, and fierce advocate for the marginalized, she is the author of Faith Under the Rainbow: Reclaiming the Truth About Homosexuality and the Bible. Rebecca founded the social media community Reclaiming the Truth and lives in Kentucky, where she practices Non-Denominational Judaism. Read Rebecca's articles at Reclaiming the Truth. You can read more about the author here.

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