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There are possible reasons for this confusion; the Sabaean established many colonies to control the trade routes and the variety of their caravan stations confused the ancient Israelites, as their ] was based on geographical and political grounds not necessarily racial<ref>Javad Ali,The articulate in the history of Arabs before Islam Voulume 7 p.421</ref> Another theory suggests that the Sabaean hailed from Southern ] and established their kingdom on the ruins of the ] Kingdom<ref>HOMMEL, Südarabische Chrestomathie (Munich, 1892) p.64</ref> It remains a theory however and cannot be confirmed. There are possible reasons for this confusion; the Sabaean established many colonies to control the trade routes and the variety of their caravan stations confused the ancient Israelites, as their ] was based on geographical and political grounds not necessarily racial<ref>Javad Ali,The articulate in the history of Arabs before Islam Voulume 7 p.421</ref> Another theory suggests that the Sabaean hailed from Southern ] and established their kingdom on the ruins of the ] Kingdom<ref>HOMMEL, Südarabische Chrestomathie (Munich, 1892) p.64</ref> It remains a theory however and cannot be confirmed.


The most famous claim to fame for the Biblical land of Sheba was the story<ref>1 Kings 10</ref> of the ], who travelled to ] to question King ], arriving in a large caravan with precious stones, spices and gold. The ]l Christian Arabic text ''Kitāb al-Magall'' ("Book of the Rolls", Kitāb al-Magāll. </ref> considered part of ]) and the Syriac '']'' mention a tradition that after being founded by the children of Saba (son of Joktan), there was a succession of sixty female rulers up until the time of ]. The most famous claim to fame for the Biblical land of Sheba was the story<ref>1 Kings 10</ref> of the ], who travelled to ] to question King ], arriving in a large caravan with precious stones, spices and gold. Some historians speculate that the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon in order to obtain his consent to travel her caravans through Jordan, which at the time, Solomon controlled <ref>Fisher, Eugene M., and M. Cherif Bassiouni. Storm Over the Arab World. Chicago: Follett, 1972. Print.</ref>. The ]l Christian Arabic text ''Kitāb al-Magall'' ("Book of the Rolls", Kitāb al-Magāll. </ref> considered part of ]) and the Syriac '']'' mention a tradition that after being founded by the children of Saba (son of Joktan), there was a succession of sixty female rulers up until the time of ].


The Jewish-] historian ] describes a place called Saba as a walled, royal city of ], which ] afterwards named ]. He says "it was both encompassed by the Nile quite round, and the other rivers, ] and ]" offering protection from both foreign armies and river floods. According to Josephus it was the conquering of Saba that brought great fame to a young ]ian Prince, simultaneously exposing his personal background as a slave child named ].<ref>Josephus, '']'' II.10</ref> The Jewish-] historian ] describes a place called Saba as a walled, royal city of ], which ] afterwards named ]. He says "it was both encompassed by the Nile quite round, and the other rivers, ] and ]" offering protection from both foreign armies and river floods. According to Josephus it was the conquering of Saba that brought great fame to a young ]ian Prince, simultaneously exposing his personal background as a slave child named ].<ref>Josephus, '']'' II.10</ref>

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For other uses, see Sheba (disambiguation).
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A Sabaean priestess, who intercedes with the sun goddess on behalf of the donor probably 1st century AD

Sheba (Ge'ez: ሳባ, Saba, Arabic: سبأ, Sabāʾ, South Arabian , Hebrew: שבא, Šeḇā) was a kingdom mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) and the Qur'an. Sheba features in Ethiopian, Hebrew and Qur'anic traditions. Among other things it was the home of the biblical "Queen of Sheba" (named Makeda in Ethiopian tradition and Bilqīs in Arabic tradition).

Modern archaeological studies support the view that the biblical kingdom of Sheba was the ancient Semitic civilization of Saba in Southern Arabia, in Yemen, between 1200 BC until 275 AD with its capital Marib. The Kingdom fell after a long but sporadic civil war between several Yemenite dynasties claiming kingship, resulting in the rise of the late Himyarite Kingdom.

Similar description in the Hebrew Bible is found in Strabo's writings and Assyrian annals about the Sabaeans Their civilization stretched as far as Aqaba with small colonies to protect the trade routes, these colonies included Yathrib and the central Arabian kingdom of Kindah and northern Ethiopia where archaeologists found an ancient temple dedicated to the Sabaean chief god El-Maqah The study of the history and culture of this kingdom is still patchy. Especially the chronology of historical events and famous kings due to the instability in Yemen

Biblical tradition

The two names Sheba (spelled in Hebrew with shin) and Seba (spelled with samekh) are mentioned several times in the Bible with different genealogy. For instance, in the Table of Nations Seba, along with Dedan, is listed as a descendant of Noah's son Ham (as sons of Raamah, son of Cush). Later on in Genesis, Sheba and Dedan are listed as names of sons of Jokshan, son of Abraham Another Sheba is listed in the Table of Nations as a son of Joktan. Another descendant of Noah's son Shem.

There are possible reasons for this confusion; the Sabaean established many colonies to control the trade routes and the variety of their caravan stations confused the ancient Israelites, as their ethnology was based on geographical and political grounds not necessarily racial Another theory suggests that the Sabaean hailed from Southern Levant and established their kingdom on the ruins of the Minaean Kingdom It remains a theory however and cannot be confirmed.

The most famous claim to fame for the Biblical land of Sheba was the story of the Queen of Sheba, who travelled to Jerusalem to question King Solomon, arriving in a large caravan with precious stones, spices and gold. Some historians speculate that the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon in order to obtain his consent to travel her caravans through Jordan, which at the time, Solomon controlled . The apocryphal Christian Arabic text Kitāb al-Magall ("Book of the Rolls", Kitāb al-Magāll. Kitab al-Magall</ref> considered part of Clementine literature) and the Syriac Cave of Treasures mention a tradition that after being founded by the children of Saba (son of Joktan), there was a succession of sixty female rulers up until the time of Solomon.

The Jewish-Roman historian Josephus describes a place called Saba as a walled, royal city of Ethiopia, which Cambyses afterwards named Meroe. He says "it was both encompassed by the Nile quite round, and the other rivers, Astapus and Astaboras" offering protection from both foreign armies and river floods. According to Josephus it was the conquering of Saba that brought great fame to a young Egyptian Prince, simultaneously exposing his personal background as a slave child named Moses.

Qur'anic tradition

In the Qur'an, Sheba is mentioned by name at 27:22 in a section that speaks of the visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon Qur'an 27:20-44. Also in the Qur'an, the people of Sheba are called the people of Tubba' (أهل تبّع) because Tubba' was used as the title for Sheba's kings. The Qur'an mentions this ancient community along with other communities that were destroyed by God. Muslim scholars, including Ibn Kathir, related that the People of Tubba' were Arabs from South Arabia.

Ethiopian tradition

In Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, the Sheba who was Joktan's son is considered the primary ancestor of the original Semitic component in their ethnogenesis, while Sabtah and Sabtechah, sons of Cush, are considered the ancestors of the Cushitic element. Traditional Yemenite genealogies also mention Saba son of Qahtan (Joktan), however they claim Sabaean descent not from him, but from yet another Saba not mentioned in scripture, who was said to be a grandson of Yarab and a great-grandson of Qahtan.

In the medieval Ethiopian cultural work called the Kebra Nagast, Sheba was located in Ethiopia. Some scholars therefore point to a region in the northern Tigray and Eritrea which was once called Saba (later called Meroe), as a possible link with the biblical Sheba. Other scholars link Sheba with Shewa (also written as Shoa, the province where modern Addis Ababa is located) in Ethiopia. Some even believe that the Arabic word Tubba' in the Quran to be a perversion of the name "Ethiopia", with the letter P in "Ethiopia" being replaced with a B because the letter P doesn't exist in Arabic

Speculation on location

Archaeologists have no doubt that the kingdom was located in southern Arabia.. Before Yemen became Islamist, it was inhabited by Semitic groups called Sabaeans. These peoples are estimated to have arrived in Yemen from 10th century to 12th century BC and they forced their Semitic culture on the natives of South Arabia . The capital was Ma'rib which is about seventy-five miles from present day Sanaa, Yemen . It is recorded that from 7th-5th Century BC that there was some level of leadership by a high-priest and princes . During the Middle Period, there was much architectural development such as the construction of the Ma'rib Dam . The area was very wealthy due to their agriculture and spice trade by sea (Gulf of Aden and Red Sea) and caravan, especially on the Incense Road. Agriculture was the backbone of their economy due to the innovation of irrigation systems like the Ma'rib Dam . Even though trade flourished within Sheba, Sheba experienced many wars with southwestern Arabian peoples of Persia and Byzantium .

The Sabaeans colonized northern Ethiopia during the rule of Karibill Watar I in the 7th century BCE and established several other colonies to control the trade routes that stretched from their capital Marib to Aqaba. Strabo referred to the Sabaeans in Southern Arabia and Nabateans as the same people. These colonies served the sole purpose of shortening the long and difficult journey for the caravans.. One of the cities in Ethiopia that the Sabaeans colonized was Abyssinia . However, it is evident that there was not a lot of communication between Yemeni Sabaeans and Ethiopian Sabaeans because the differences in the languages are significantly different and Sabaean kings are estimated to have only had control over these Ethiopian areas until 1st Century BC.

However, owing to the connection with the Queen of Sheba, the location has become closely linked with national prestige, and various royal houses claimed descent from the Queen of Sheba and Solomon. According to the medieval Ethiopian work Kebra Nagast, Sheba was located in Ethiopia. Some scholars have long since linked Sheba with the Egyptian city of Thebes. Thebes is a Greek name, and apparently derived from the Greek word Thebai, while the correct Egyptian pronunciation of the city’s name was She.wa or similar. Ruins in many other countries, including Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran have been credited as being Sheba, but with only minimal evidence. There has been a suggestion of a link between the name "Sheba" and that of Zanzibar (Shan Sheba); and even a massive earthen monument of the Yoruba people in Nigeria known as Sungbo's Eredo is held by local tradition to have been built in honour of the powerful chieftain Bilikis Sungbo, who is considered by them to be the Bilqis of Arabic legend.

Bibliography

  • Alessandro de Maigret. Arabia Felix, translated Rebecca Thompson. London: Stacey International, 2002. ISBN 1-900988-07-0
  • Andrey Korotayev. Ancient Yemen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-19-922237-1.
  • Andrey Korotayev. Pre-Islamic Yemen. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 1996. ISBN 3-447-03679-6.
  • Kenneth A. Kitchen: The World of Ancient Arabia Series. Documentation for Ancient Arabia. Part I. Chronological Framework & Historical Sources. Liverpool 1994.
  • Andrey Korotayev. Pre-Islamic Yemen. Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 1996, ISBN 3-447-03679-6.
  • Walter W. Müller: Skizze der Geschichte Altsüdarabiens. In: Werner Daum (ed.): Jemen. Pinguin-Verlag, Innsbruck / Umschau-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1987, ISBN 3-7016-2251-6 (formal false ISBN), S. 50–56.
  • Walter W. Müller (Hrsg.), Hermann von Wissmann: Die Geschichte von Sabaʾ II. Das Grossreich der Sabäer bis zu seinem Ende im frühen 4. Jh. v. Chr. (= Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften,Philosophisch-historische Klasse. Sitzungsberichte. Vol. 402). Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1982, ISBN 3-7001-0516-9.
  • Jaroslav Tkáč: Saba 1. In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (RE). Band I A,2, Stuttgart 1920, Pp. 1298–1511.
  • Hermann von Wissmann: Zur Geschichte und Landeskunde von Alt-Südarabien (Sammlung Eduard Glaser. Nr. III = Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse, Sitzungsberichte. Band 246). Böhlaus, Vienna 1964.
  • Hermann von Wissmann: Die Geschichte des Sabäerreiches und der Feldzug des Aelius Gallus. In: Hildegard Temporini: Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt. II. Principat. Ninth volume, First halfvolume. De Gruyter, Berlin/New York 1976, ISBN 3-11-006876-1, Pg. 308
  • Fisher, Eugene M., and M. Cherif Bassiouni. Storm Over the Arab World. Chicago: Follett, 1972. Print.
  • Pietsch, Dana, Peter Kuhn, Thomas Scholten, Ueli Brunner, Holger Hitgen, and Iris Gerlach. "Holocene Soils and Sediments around Ma’rib Oasis, Yemen, Further Sabaean Treasures." The Holocene 20.5 (2010): 785-99. Print.
  • "Saba'" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.

See also

References

  1. "The kingdoms of ancient South Arabia". Britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
  2. Adolf Grohmann, Arabia Volume 3, Issue 1, Part 3 p.122
  3. PHILBY, H. ST. John B. THE LAND OF SHEBA London: Royal Geographical Society, 1938 p.445
  4. Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman,David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition p.171
  5. Saba britannica last retrieved April 18 2013
  6. Kenneth A. Kitchen : The World of Ancient Arabia Series. Documentation for Ancient Arabia. Part I. Chronological Framework and Historical Sources p.110
  7. "Sabaʾ." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2013
  8. D. H. Muller, 1891; Mordtmann, Himyarische Inschriften, 1893 p.53
  9. Javad Ali,The articulate in the history of Arabs before Islam Voulume 2 p.420
  10. arabia felix humnet.unipi.it/
  11. Javad Ali ,The articulate in the history of Arabs before Islam Volume 7 p.241
  12. Javad Ali,The articulate in the history of Arabs before Islam Voulume 7 p.519
  13. David W. Phillipson, Ancient Churches of Ethiopia (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009), p. 36
  14. Queen of Sheba - Behind the Myth Documentary
  15. Genesis 10:7.
  16. Genesis 25:3.
  17. Genesis 10:28
  18. Javad Ali,The articulate in the history of Arabs before Islam Voulume 7 p.421
  19. HOMMEL, Südarabische Chrestomathie (Munich, 1892) p.64
  20. 1 Kings 10
  21. Fisher, Eugene M., and M. Cherif Bassiouni. Storm Over the Arab World. Chicago: Follett, 1972. Print.
  22. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews II.10
  23. The Qur'an. A New Translation by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem Oxford University Press. ad loc.
  24. Brannon M. Wheeler (2002). Prophets in the Quran: An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 166. ISBN 0-8264-4956-5.
  25. Qur'an 50:14
  26. Brannon M. Wheeler. "People of the Well". A-Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism.
  27. Edward Ullendorff, Ethiopia and the Bible (Oxford: University Press for the British Academy, 1968), p. 75
  28. The Quest for the Ark of the Covenant: The True History of the Tablets of Moses, by Stuart Munro-Hay
  29. Donald N. Levine, Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopia Culture (Chicago: University Press, 1972)
  30. Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman,David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition p.167
  31. "Saba'" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  32. "Saba'" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  33. "Saba'" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  34. "Saba'" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  35. "Saba'" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  36. Pietsch, Dana, Peter Kuhn, Thomas Scholten, Ueli Brunner, Holger Hitgen, and Iris Gerlach. "Holocene Soils and Sediments around Ma’rib Oasis, Yemen, Further Sabaean Treasures." The Holocene 20.5 (2010): 785-99. Print.
  37. Pietsch, Dana, Peter Kuhn, Thomas Scholten, Ueli Brunner, Holger Hitgen, and Iris Gerlach. "Holocene Soils and Sediments around Ma’rib Oasis, Yemen, Further Sabaean Treasures." The Holocene 20.5 (2010): 785-99. Print.
  38. Fisher, Eugene M., and M. Cherif Bassiouni. Storm Over the Arab World. Chicago: Follett, 1972. Print.
  39. Phillipson. "The First Millennium BC in the Highlands of Northern Ethiopia and South–Central Eritrea: A Reassessment of Cultural and Political Development". African Archaeological Review (2009) 26:257–274
  40. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: latest edition. A dictionary of arts, sciences and general literature, Volume 24 Day Otis Kellogg, William Robertson Smith Werner 1902 p.739
  41. Ben Abrahamson and Joseph Katz,Yosef Dhu Nuwas, a Sadducean King with Sidelocks p.28
  42. W. H. Irvine Shakespear, In The Geogr. Journal, Lix., No. 5, “1922”, P.321
  43. Strabo's Geography XVI.iv.21
  44. H. Grimme, Neubearbeitung der wichtigeren Dedanischen und Lihjanischen Inschriften, Le Muséon, vol. L, Louvain 1937 p.271
  45. "Saba'" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  46. "Saba'" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  47. Empire of Thebes Or Ages In Chaos Revisited, By Emmet John Sweeney, pg 30-32, at http://books.google.co.za/books?id=F74JXoief34C&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=sheba,+thebes&source=bl&ots=r2yUEA5SlJ&sig=IxhU3VKFh4f4mhJ25x-PpRAxoFQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dd4sUbLELO6Y0QWKh4H4BA&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=sheba%2C%20thebes&f=false
  48. A general collection of the best and most interesting voyages and travels in all parts of the world. By John Pinkerton, pg 256, at http://books.google.co.za/books?id=v5RJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA256&dq=sheba,+thebes&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WeAsUeyPIMaRhQftwIHQDA&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=sheba%2C%20thebes&f=false
  49. A Description of the East and Some Other Countries, By Richard Pococke, Bowyer, Société de Géographie de Lyon, pg 110, at http://books.google.co.za/books?id=aiAdpfVZH9gC&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=pococke,+sheba,+thebes&source=bl&ots=x1gCCiJxyn&sig=HjBK2qLLKZ-w2cw3Hx_V79gzEs8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5ecsUfa5B4O_0QWx1oG4DA&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=pococke%2C%20sheba%2C%20thebes&f=false
  50. Abraham's Other Sons, by Grant Bishop Williams, Grant Bishop Williams, Jr., Ph.D., pg 89, at http://books.google.co.za/books?id=kRYOxmKLwxoC&pg=PA89&dq=sheba,+zanzibar&hl=en&sa=X&ei=A94sUeP5G4-BhQfRp4HwCg&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=zanzibar&f=false
  51. Nigeria News, 4 June 1999, "Archaeologists find clues to Queen of Sheba in Nigeria"

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