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