Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald)
Tigrai’s Timeless Legacy: Retracing the Sacred Love of Sheba and Solomon
By Yemane Gedlu Gezahegn
In the rugged highlands of Tigrai, northern Ethiopia, the winds whisper a tale older than most written records—a story of love, power, and divine destiny. It is here, beneath the sun-bleached stones and amidst the solemn echoes of ancient churches, that the fabled romance of Queen Makeda of Sheba and King Solomon of Israel finds its most enduring roots.
According to Ethiopian tradition, beautifully preserved in the Kebra Nagast—the 14th-century national epic—Queen Makeda, ruler of Sheba, journeyed to Jerusalem to test the wisdom of King Solomon. Their meeting was not merely a diplomatic encounter; it was the beginning of a union that would reshape the course of Ethiopian history. From this fateful meeting was born a son, Menelik I, who would return to Ajsum and establish the Solomonic Dynasty—a royal line believed to descend directly from the House of David.
The legacy of this royal union is nowhere more deeply etched than in the cultural and spiritual landscapes of Tigrai. It is a region that, beyond its majestic mountains and historic resilience, serves as a living archive of Tigrai’s sacred past.
In the ancient city of Axum, once the capital of a powerful kingdom and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visitors encounter towering stelae, ruined palaces, and subterranean tombs. Among them lie the ruins said to be the Queen of Sheba’s palace—stone foundations that have cradled centuries of myth and memory. Axum is also home to the Church of Saint Mary of Zion, which, according to Ethiopian Orthodox belief, houses the Ark of the Covenant—brought to Aksum by Menelik I himself.
Traveling deeper into the heart of Tigrai, the terrain becomes a fortress of stone, where faith and art converge in the most astonishing ways. High in the mountains are the famed rock-hewn churches—architectural miracles sculpted directly into cliffs and caves, often at dizzying heights. These churches, some dating as far back as the 6th century, are not only places of worship but also sanctuaries of heritage and silence.
Abuna Yemata Guh, perhaps the most dramatic of them all, sits wedged into a sheer rock face and is accessible only by scaling narrow ledges. Inside, its walls glow with centuries-old frescoes that tell stories of angels, saints, and divine intercession. Wukro Chirkos, by contrast, offers a more accessible but equally profound glimpse into early Ethiopian Christian devotion, with its carved pillars and sacred relics. And the church of Abreha and Atsbeha, said to be built in honor of the twin kings who converted Ethiopia to Christianity, stands as a monument to the country’s fourth-century spiritual awakening.
To the south, though outside the strict borders of Tigrai, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela continue this architectural and spiritual narrative. Created in the 12th century as a “New Jerusalem” for pilgrims unable to reach the Holy Land, the eleven interconnected churches reflect Ethiopia’s determination to remain a bastion of Christian tradition amid centuries of regional change and challenge.
But it is in Tigrai where the interweaving of legend and legacy feels most palpable. Here, the stones speak. They speak of Makeda’s grace and curiosity, of Solomon’s wisdom and allure, of a son who carried the Ark of the Covenant across continents, and of a people who built their churches not to rise above the earth but to be carved from it—timeless, rooted, and sacred.
Tigrai is not merely a destination; it is a passage through time. A place where history is not confined to museum halls but lives in the chants of monks, the footsteps of pilgrims, and the stories passed from elder to child. It is where the mythical romance of Sheba and Solomon ceases to be a distant tale and becomes a living inheritance.
For those who seek more than just sights—for those who yearn for depth, wonder, and a sense of divine narrative—Tigrai offers a journey that transcends tourism. It invites you to walk in the footsteps of royalty, faith, and legend. It is here, in the highlands of Tigrai, that one of humanity’s greatest love stories was born—and here that it continues to be told.
Let the mountains of Tigray guide you through the sacred shadows of history. Come not just to visit—but to remember.
Yemane Gedlu Gezahegn is a Tourism expert who workes Tigrai Culture and Tourism Bureau.
