Bilquis

Bilquis, also rendered Bilqis or B'luz, is the name traditionally associated with the Queen of Sheba in Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions. The name derives from the Arabic بِلْقِيَس, reflecting the Arabic transliteration of the biblical "Bilhah" or "Belqis." In Islamic scripture, Bilquis is described in the Qur’an as a powerful monarch who visited the court of King Solomon (or His prophet-aligned counterpart, as referenced in Surah 27:20-43) in order to test his wisdom. The encounter is narrated in detail in the Sahih al-Bukhari and the Tafsir works of scholars such as Ibn Kathir.

According to the Qur’anic account, Bilquis arrived with a large entourage and brought with her a significant wealth of gold and goods, reflecting her kingdom’s affluence. She requested to learn whether Solomon possessed the same divine guidance as her own. Solomon’s response included the presentation of Jews and Christians as communities who had received prophets, and he demonstrated divine wisdom by revealing the secret of the creation of birds, a demonstration that Bilquis eventually recognized and reported back to her people.

Historically, the domain attributed to Bilquis in the Qur’an is often identified with the ancient Kingdom of Sheba, located in what is now southern Yemen and northern Ethiopia. The story’s cultural resonance has led to Bilquis being invoked in various literary, religious, and artistic contexts within both Muslim and Christian societies. In contemporary usage, Bilquis remains a popular feminine given name in the Middle East and South Asia. The narrative has also attracted academic interest in comparative mythology, especially in the way it intertwines the Zoroastrian concept of divine wisdom with monotheistic traditions.