| The bird Hoopoe According to one interpretation of the story of how Solomon and Balqis met, one day he inspected his birds but didn't find the Hoopoe. When the bird came back it said, "With truthful news I come to you from Sheba, where I found a woman reigning over people and they worship the sun instead of God". Solomon ordered the Hoopoe to return to her and give her a message calling her not to exalt herself above him (Solomon), but come to him in all submission. When the message arrived to Balqis, she collected her people asking them for advice. They said "we are a valiant and mighty nation. It is for you to command and we shall await your pleasure." She said, "when a king invades a city he ruins it and enslaves its chieftains I shall send then a present and see with what reply my envoys will return". She said so to test his faith. According to the story, Solomon rejected Balquis' present. This threatened Balqis. Because she knew that Solomon had greater territory and riches, she feared he would march against her people. So, she visited Jerusalem. And then she became a believer in the God of Solomon. But who exactly was Balqis? Her identity is hard to trace, because many Balqises ruled Yemen. Some interpreters and historians say she was, in fact, the daughter of Balqis, Sharhabil. Sharhabil appeared in Hamyar among Tuba tribes during the fourth century B.C. She is still remembered by these tribes as the Balqis mentioned in Holy Qura'an". When she ruled Yemen, she constructed many unique and beautiful buildings and temples. The most famous one is in Marib and is called the "Temple of the Moon."
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Who was Solomon || Solomon and Sheba || Sheba and Her Son || Viewzone's Translations