Although
the majority of us are familiar with the story of queen Sheba the wife of King
Solomon either in the bible or the al Quran, but the aftermath of the story is
what we might not know.
Do
you know that Queen Sheba died and was buried here in Nigeria? Are you confused? Yeah, you should be,
because the name Nigeria did not exist during this era.
According
to research, queen Sheba’s tomb was discovered in Oke-Eiri a small, sleepy
village on the outskirts of Ijebu Ode, in Ogun State which has been the
destination of local pilgrims for centuries who come to pay homage to the
sleeping legend.
‘Who
is queen Sheba?
According to the Old Testament,
the Queen of Sheba is a seeker of truth and wisdom and she has heard that King
Solomon of Israel is a very wise man. She traveled on camel
to Jerusalem to meet him and test his knowledge with questions and riddles. With her she brought myrrh, gold and precious jewels.
The
Queen of Sheba tested Solomon's wisdom; she asked him many questions and
riddles to solve. He answered to her satisfaction and then he taught her about
his god Yahweh and she became a follower.
This is how some Ethiopians believe Christianity came to their country.
However, she had a son who started a dynasty of ruler in Ethiopia.
In Islamic tradition, Queen Sheba is commonly referred to as Biliqis by the Arabs who believed she came from the city of Sheba. Queen Sheba ruled almost 3,000 years ago, in Ethiopia and Yemen.
Bilikisu
Sugbon of Ijebu Land
Historical
and archeological studies revealed that there are many links between the
Biblical queen and Bilikisu Sungbo of Ijebu land. Each year, thousands of
pilgrims come to honor what they believe is the grave of the queen of Sheba.
Birikisu was believed to have
supernatural powers. She was believed to have dug pits around the village with
a mere needle. These pits could be found throughout Ijebu area and could have
been dug to serve either as a remembrance of her greatness after her death by
her devoted slaves or as a source of water supply in the dry season. The pits
are generally called Sungbo Rivers.
On her tomb no weed
has ever been known to grow there and on the spot where she was washed before
being buried.
However,a
team of British scientists working with Patrick Darling an Archaeologist at
Bournemouth University discovered the remains of the ancient kingdom and found left
over wall and ditch measuring 70ft high in places and around 100deep in the
Nigerian rainforest.
However,It is unfortunate we live in the
generation where histories are deleted rather than remembered, the State
government needs to do more than it is presently doing at the Centre, this
history and more should be taught in school as this makes generation after generation
more inclined in the history and heritage of Nigeria.