Introduction
After hearing of King Solomon’s legendary wisdom and supernatural abilities, the Queen of Sheba travels to meet him. Once she arrives in Jerusalem, she is so impressed by Solomon that she chooses to embrace the “God of Israel”. Similarly, the king becomes enchanted by her beauty. Their resulting affair leads to the birth of their son, Bayna Lihkim, who is raised by the queen in her own kingdom. When Bayna Lihkim turns twenty-five, he embarks on a journey to meet his father.
In this exhibit, we will follow Bayna Lihkim’s path using the Catalan Atlas of 1375.1 The focus of the map will be on the Kingdom of Sheba, Gaza, and Jerusalem. After exploring how the concept of absolute space is used to punish King Solomon, we will discuss a few of the Kebra Nagast’s ambiguities, including the idea that Bayna Lihkim may not be of Ethiopian origin.
Footnotes
1 The Catalan Atlas is currently held in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Catalan Atlas c. 1375).