A curious tale of a powerful personality has been floating on the wavelengths for a while. She is known for being an emblem of wealth, mystique, influence and beauty and it has a curious connection Ijebuland. The legendary Queen of Sheba is a personality that appears in multiple historical texts, like the Bible, the Quran and the Talmud (Ancient Jewish text). In all these appearances, she is described as a woman of great wealth, wisdom and influence (although with varying degrees of respect). She is said to have traveled vast distances in search of knowledge, and she is associated as an equal to the wise King Solomon whom she crossed the African continent to meet.
She is thought to have hailed from a kingdom called Saba in modern day Yemen, across the red sea from Ethiopia. In Yemeni and Islamic traditions, they call her Bilqis, and in Ethiopian lore, she is known as Makeda. Her story has embodied wisdom, wealth and beauty and has also been a source of debate for thousands of years, and there is a rumor that she is buried in a small town in Ijebu Ode called Oke Eri. I had to make the trip to visit the Queen.
In successful people fashion, Queen Bilqis was driven by a thirst for knowledge and this is no doubt was a key ingredient in her success. There isn't much about her young life, but it seems she might have made her fortune through spice trading, which is a prominent item she traveled on her famous visit to Israel (Bible 1 Kings 10;2, 2 Chronicles 9;1-9).
I find the journey so fascinating because Ethiopia to Israel trip is a 4,556km journey, a treacherous trek today and more so in that era. According to Britannica, King Solomon had heard of her and her kingdom in the south that worshipped the Sun. He wrote her a letter telling her to worship the Israelite God instead (this seemed like a threat to me), but she responded by sending gifts - a wise way to quell any tensions. King Solomon refused to accept them, and she decided to come to his kingdom herself so they could ask each other 'hard questions' . It was common in this time for knowledge to be exchanged through riddles, and the pair is said to have shared many, developing a relationship in the process. The Bible is the only text where she is referred to by name, the Quran acknowledges her, the Talmud mentions some unsavory comments made in private by one of the kings advisors, who didn't want them to get married. Anyways, it is a documented that they had a son whom they named Melenik, who basically started Solomonic dynasty that ruled Ethiopia for centuries. Emperor Hailie Selasie is from this house and the Rasta religion is based upon him.
With the huge role the Queen of Sheba played in history, I absolutely had to read more on her and my visit to her grove in Oke Eri tied everything together, while allowing me to pay my respects. Not much is documented about how she ended up in Ijebuland, and many people dispute that she is buried here. The Ijebu people however believe that a a legendary figure whose name was Bilkisu Sungbo, is the same Bilqis Queen of Sheba. She lived out her days with her entourage on the outskirts of the town, and an Eredo was built in her honour. This is a series of interconnecting trenches and living quarters below-ground, which I was unfortunately not able to see.
Wealthy and powerful people did all sorts throughout history, so I don’t think it’s an outrageous thing that she ended up in Ogun State. Luckily for us, there have been several studies carried out on the land, and one in particular caught my eye. In this study
researchers used ground penetrating radar and were able to detect the presence of walls and tunnels as well as human remains. The study also shows a few photographs if you are curious. Obviously, it will be almost impossible to ascertain who is buried on that land, but I think it is possible that a 10th century woman of great influence died and is buried in Oke Eri.
While there is no definitive proof linking Bilkis Sungbo and the Queen of Sheba, they share many attributes such as wealth, influence and spiritual devotion. It is also fascinating to think about how stories of this legendary figure seem to have blended across multiple cultures and geographies. It tells the story of how the legacy of the Queen of Sheba is both African, Middle Eastern and now possibly Yoruba.
Other articles for further study below:
Women in the Quran: Bilqis, Queen of Sheba - https://www.getquranic.com/women-in-the-quran-bilqis/
Queen of Sheba by Britannica - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Queen-of-Sheba
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