'Ilumquh of the Sabeans
~
Sheba is the Anglicized Hebrew spelling of Saba, the name of an
ancient southwest Arabian kingdom roughly corresponding to the modern
territory of Yemen, originally settled by Semites from western or
central Arabia during the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. Excavations
at Ma'rib, its capital, during the 20th century have revealed an
imposing temple to the moon god. Like the sabbath it has a meaning of
"seven".
Temple of 'Ilumquh at Marib Yemen, Sabean Moon Bull,
Incense Holder Aksum, Moon and Orb of Venus Sabean wall frieze (Doe).
"The South Arabians before Islam were polytheists and revered a large
number of deities. Most of these were astral in concept but the
significance of only a few is known. It was essentially a planetary
system in which the moonas a masculine deity prevailed. This, combined
with the use of a star calendar by the agriculturists of certain
parts, particularly in the Hadramaut, indicates that there was an
early reverence for the night sky. Amongst the South Arabians the
worship of the moon continued, and it is almost certain that their
religious calendar was also lunar and that their years were
calculatedby the position of the moon. The national god ofeach of the
kingdoms or states was the Moon-god known by various names: 'Ilumquh
by the Sabaeans, 'Amm and 'Anbay by the Qatabanians, Wadd (love) by
the Minaeans, and Sin by the Hadramis". The term 'God is Love' is
characteristic of Wadd (Briffault 3/85). 'the Merciful' ascribed to
Allah is also South Arabian (Pritchard).
The sun-goddess was the moon's consort; she was perhaps best known in
South Arabia as Dhat Hamym, 'she who sends forth strong rays of
benevolence'. Another dominant deity was the male god known as
Athtarcorresponding to Phoenician Astarte (Doe 25). Pritchard (61)
claims their pantheon included the the moon god Sin etc., Shams
(Shamash) and Athtar or Astarte as in the Semitic trinity, however it
would appear that the sunwas female as the Canaanite Shapash who
figures in Ugarit myth alongside Athtar (Driver 110).
The earliest temple knownis the Mahram Bilquis or Harem of the Queen
of Sheba, previously called the Awwam the temple of the Moon God
'Ilumquh which dates from around 700 BC, although its lower levels may
be substantiallyolder. Sabean moon worship extended througha long
period of time to around 400 AD when it was overtaken be rescendent
Judaism and Christianity around a century before Muhammad.
Bilqis the Sun-worshipper of Islam
Bilquis was the Queen of the Sabeans in Solomons time. Pre-Islamic
poetry describes Solomon as a king of universal kingdom of men, djinn
and winds etc. nine angels stand before him. He built the castle
al-Ablaq near Taima.
Sabean Votive Offerings with a black Shulamite (Doe)
Diodorus Siculus notes:"This tribe [the Sabaeans] surpasses not only
the neighbouring Arabs but also all other men in wealth and in their
severalextravagancies besides. For in the exchange and sale of their
wares they, ofall men who carry on trade for the sake of the silver
they receive in exchange, obtain the highest price in return for
things of the smallest weight. Consequently, since they have never for
ages suffered the ravages of war because of their secluded position,
and since an abundance of both gold and silver abounds in the country,
… they have embossed goblets of every description, made of silver and
gold, couches and tripods with silver feet, and every other
furnishingof incredible costliness, and halls encircled by large
columns, some of them gilded, and others having silver figures on the
capitals. Their ceilings and doors they partitionedby means of panels
and coffers made of gold, set with precious stones and placed close
together, and have thus made the structure of their houses inevery
part marvellous for its costliness; for some parts they have
constructed of silver and gold, others of ivory and the most showy
precious stones or of whatever else men esteem most highly" (Pritchard
1974 44). Their sculpture and votive offerings were refined.
Strabo noted that the kingof Saba who "presides over the court of
justice and other things" was not permitted to leave the palace, for
if he did "the people would at once stone him, in consequence of a
saying of an oracle" (Pritchard 1974 66).
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