Ancient African Queen - Makeda, Queen of Sheba

Ethiopia’s 14th-century royal epic, the Kebra Nagast or “Glory of Kings,” writes that Makeda was a queen of incredible strength.

According to the epic, she survived a battle with the serpent king Awre. The serpent king was troubling the northern Ethiopian kingdom of Axum. After defeating the serpent king, Makeda became the queen of Axum.

Makeda is famous for her story with the biblical figure, King Solomon of Jerusalem. They had a son named Menelik I (or Ebna la-Hakim), meaning “son of the wise.” Their son became the first imperial ruler of Ethiopia and the first of a line of Aksûmite kings.

According to historians, Makeda and her son brought back the biblical Ark of the Covenant to Axum. Through them, the lineage of great East African and Nubian kings was born.

She left a legacy as an essential figure in Old Testament history for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.