- Address: 3, Aksum, Ethiopia
- Phone: +251 92 430 4010
The Queen of Sheba is a biblical character: this is the most powerful queen who visited King Solomon. Lately, historians have begun to believe that it was a real woman, and the events described in the Bible really happened.
History of the palace of the queen
There are several assumptions about who the Queen of Sheba could be, and according to one of them, this is Queen Makeda Sheba of the city of Axum in Ethiopia.
The ancient city of Axum was once the capital of Ethiopia , it is considered the birthplace of Ethiopian civilization. There are a lot of obelisks in it, which serve as a reference point for royal burials.
Several years ago, German archaeologists found the remains of the Palace of the Queen of Sheba. Many scholars deny that Makeda and the Queen of Sheba are one and the same person. History, however, says that Queen Makeda had a relationship with King Solomon of Jerusalem, as a result of which their son Menelik was born. At the age of 22 he went to visit his father and brought the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia. It is the riddle of the Ark that forces archaeologists and historians to seek the Palace of the Queen of Sheba.
Archaeological excavations
In 2008, a group from the University of Hamburg unearthed the ruins of an earlier building - the Palace of the Queen of Sheba - under the palace of Dungur in Axum. Their age is determined by the X century BC. In the same place was found the altar, where, perhaps, the Ark of the Covenant was once kept. The altar is focused on the star Sirius.
The team of archaeologists believes that the symbols of Sirius and the orientation of the buildings on the brightest star are direct evidence of the connection between the Palace of the Queen and the Ark of the Covenant. Scientific evidence for this yet, but the tourists, however, actively began to visit this place.
How to get there?
The attraction is located in the western part of Axum , 500 meters from the residential area. The road that leads to the ruins, has no name, so getting on the map will be quite difficult. To do this, you will need to move along Aksum Univercity Street in a western direction. After reaching the fork in the end of the city, you should go up to the upper parallel street and drive east in about 300 m. To the left you will see the ruins.