Bilqis

Here's a, sadly blurry, picture of a painting that hung in my hotel room in San'a.  Now, this may seem like an odd choice for a conservative Islamic country, but not if you know that subject of the painting.  This is the legendary Queen of Sheba, of Old Testament, New Testament (sort of), Quranic and Ethiopian folklore fame.  While the stories surrounding her vary, they agree in that she is historically tied to Solomon; although that ranges from some measure of infatuation between monarchs that is told in the Old Testament version to the Quranic sura telling of how she accepted monotheism after meeting Solomon.  In the Old Testament she doesn't even have a name other than the Queen of Sheba, but in the Arabic tradition she's known as Bilqis (pronounced something like Belkees).  Actually, and not surprisingly, we don't really know a lot about her, even down to the actual location of her kingdom.  Most people know of the Ethiopian connection, and that the Ethiopian royal family claimed its descent from her union with Solomon.  What is less well known is that the Yemenis make a similar claim, and one which I think has recently gained more historical credence.  Allegedly her state was centered around the Yemeni city of Mareb, which is often described as somewhere between "otherworldly" and "spooky", and not someplace that Americans could really visit today.  This, of course, makes me want to go all the more.

"I found there a woman ruling over them and provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne."
Quran 27: 23