The Story

Queen of the South

This is the story of an elusive legend. Beautiful, graceful, and powerful. Though it seems no statue could capture her essence, her story endured for millenia, written in ancient and sacred texts. One could say she conquered even time itself. Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, reigned over the Axumite Kingdom and Southern Arabia around 1000 B.C.

That she spoke a semetic language with its own written scripts. Perhaps, a language like Ge’ez, one of the semetic languages of Northern Ethiopia.Indeed, that is why Ge’ez is the signature of Queen Sheba Watches. A fitting tribute, that we tell time in the language of a queen whose face we’ve never seen, but whose bold spirit, grace and beauty defied 3000 years.

Inspiration Behind our Designs

Lion of Judah

Perhaps one of the most iconic symbols dating back to the 13th century associated with the visit of our Queen of the South to Jerusalem. The Kebre Negest, asserts descent from a retinue of Israelites who returned with the Queen of Sheba from her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem, by whom she had conceived the Solomonic dynasty's founder Menelik I. As Solomon was of the tribe of Judah, his son Menelik I would continue the line, which according to Ethiopian history was passed directly down from king to king until Emperor Haile Selassie I. It is a symbol that represents the best of Ethiopianism passing down throughout history as a beacon of strength, kingship, pride, and African sovereignty.

The Cross

The cross is more than the near-universal symbol of Christianity. This simple design carries the message of love, finality, fulfilled promises, and more to people around the world. For Ethiopians, it even has a deeper meaning of faith and meaning of true sacrifice. For our Queen of Sheba, it is perhaps the most important aspect of her being, carrying her throughout history spreading the message. The cross represents the greatest sacrifice ever made and the assurance of salvation. It’s an incredible gift to ponder, perhaps in the form of a watch becoming one of the primary designs inspiring the Nigiste Saba brand.

Founder of Nigiste Saba Watches

Nigiste Saba Watches was started in 2013 in Massachusetts USA by Fairuz Zein. She found inspiration and beauty in Ge’ez numbers and the history of Queen Sheba, whom Fairuz related as she is Ethiopian with a Yemeni heritage. Since 2013, Fairuz has expended the business world wide, including opening a store Ethiopia in 2019. She lives in New York City and works as a biologist.

The first ever African watch brand to place ancient African numbers on the face of a watch, Nigiste Saba Watches is a market disruptor. Named after the Queen of Sheba, a beloved queen in Ethiopia and MENA, Nigiste Saba's vision paints the power of women, celebration of culture and the tradition of giving back to the community in Ethiopia, other parts of Africa and the world.

Designed and founded by an Ethiopian born American in 2013, Nigiste Saba is woman owned and women lead. Since 2013, Nigiste Saba Watches has gained customers all over the globe. With a flagship store at Grace Plaza Mall in the posh neighborhood of Bole City, Addis Ababa, and a headquarters office in New York City and Maryland, Nigiste Saba has become a global brand for timeless classic pieces for watch enthusiasts.