Customer Reviews

Sheba: Through the Desert in Search of the Legendary Queen

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Nicholas Clapp, discoverer of lost Ubar (see The Road to Ubar) has set himself a new goal, that of discovering the real Queen of Sheba. First studying the stories of her in New York, he then traveled to Jerusalem, where she found herself added to the sacred texts of Judaism. Following her potential trails back to Ethiopia, and (most importantly) Yemen, where he discovers the depth and richness of Sabean (Sheban) culture. However, his journey is not one of simple tourism--at times he found himself in extreme danger, and this is the story of that exciting odyssey!

Now, just when you thought that the story was over, keep reading! Appendix 1 contains a list of potential names of the Queen (good), appendix 2 contains a chronology of the Sabean state (good), appendix 3 contains an analysis of legends identifying the Queen as a source of evil (excellent), and appendix 4 looks at the alchemists view of her (very good). Most appendices are of limited value, but these (especially #3), are well worth your reading-time.

I must admit that I was not terribly fond of this book at first. His story of his time in Jerusalem was rather negative, with stories of a bribe-taking Orthodox archbishop and "rat-faced" monks. However, he moved on, the story picked up, and got quite as fascinating as his previous book. I loved the details he gave of archaeological information on Yemen, and was quite enthralled by his story-telling ability.

I find myself wondering where he will go next. I highly recommend this book.

Nicholas Clapp has done it again! This renowned amateur archeologist has done something us armchair adventurers can only dream about -- he has crafted a brilliant historical account of the mystery surrounding the life of the Queen of Sheba that incorporates a fantastic journey through Europe and Middle East. I was captivated by his conversational style and ability to present the historical backround in an engaging manner, as well as his always fascinating and often humorous tales of his life on the road (or even on a tiny fishing boat crossing from Ethiopia to Yemen).

Lovers of travel and history will undoubtably enjoy this book.

From the acheologist and author behind the superlative Road to Ubar comes this years-long search for the titular queen. Clapp knows that behind many a legend looms a historical figure. In contrast to his search for Ubar, however, Clapp seems a bit too willing to believe the most tenuous of connections when seeking Sheba's stomping grounds. As his ability to wander through possible sites becomes increasingly restricted (due to political unrest), his healthy critical outlook appears to take a back seat to his need for an expedient resolution. Clapp himself seems as likeable as ever, though, and many of his observations (especially those made while in Yemen) are as hilarious as they are insightful.

Nicholas Clapp may be better known for his remarkable discovery of the so-called "lost city" of Ubar in the 90's. What makes his discovery all the more remarkable, and entertaining, is that Clapp is a documentary filmmaker... not an archaeologist. Of course, one could say that a documentary filmmaker is something of a jack of all trades, a good description of Clapp, it seems, as he brought together a team of NASA scientists, a British adventurer in the Lawrence of Arabia vein, and his parole officer wife, among others, on an adventure he created from some serious, in-depth study of ancient texts and maps.

Clapp's Sheba takes place in a similar area, and again deals with the murky mists that cover mankind's ancient past, and with the myths and legends that may, or may not, be based on fact. However, Sheba is notably different than "The Road to Ubar" in that his quest this time involves a person and not a place. Unfortunately, places last quite a bit longer than flesh-and-blooders like ourselves, and Sheba should be approached differently than Ubar-- if you've read it-- because here there will not be that "aha!" moment when the seeming lump of sand gives up its treasure.

Clapp's quest for Sheba offers the tantalizing prospect of such "aha!" moments when and if Yemen becomes a safe place for large, organized archaeological digs. A vast, ancient city of 20,000 people awaits that intrepid Indiana Jones.

Now, having said that, Clapp shows more of his wonderful storytelling ability, and his historical detective work, looking for the weave of fact amongst the warp of time. His mission takes him to Jerusalem, and a monastery on the Sinai peninsula where strange monks are put to pasture; to the wild highways and byways of Yemen, and Ethiopia, where he spends the night overlooking the Queen of Sheba Barbershop. His sense of humor makes for several laugh-out-loud-even-if-you're-alone moments (I'm thinking specifically of the border crossing where the lone working lightbulb is ferried from one official's office to another). This wry amusement, however, extends only to the living. For when Clapp does finally find himself in the land of Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, his awe is palpable, and the tale he eventually patches together is incredible.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history generally, the Middle East particularly, or anyone who likes fiction or non-fiction where each chapter, if not page, contains surprises.

Sheba blends a travel account with a history, chronicling Clapp's search for the truth behind the myth of the queen of Sheba. From an encounter with a 'living queen' of the legend to searches for the Ark and the remains of the queen, Sheba is filled with adventure and archaeological discovery, and is hard to put down.

Nicholas Clapp's search for the Queen of Sheba is one of the best non-fiction books I've read this year. The book is a travelogue, history, biblical study, analysis of Arabic mythology, and view of Middle Eastern and Eastern African politics all wrapped into one. Clapp is an engaging writer with a dry and subtle sense of humor that had me laughing out loud as I followed him on his often whimsical quest through Israel, Yemen, and Ethiopia. His frank, honest style and his ability to poke fun at and not take himself too seriously made the book and absolute pleasure to read. Like most books that focus on the world's great "unsolved mysteries," Clapp's journey often raises more questions than it answers. But that only added to my enjoyment of the story. When I finished the book, it felt as if I'd come to the end of a long stay with a good friend.

Books about Bible characters are aplenty, but most deal with the men. This is one of the few that deal with the queen of Sheba, neither Christian nor Jew, but probably more politically powerful than any of the other women in the Bible. The book is part history, part commentary and part travelogue. The author traverses the various lands mentioned in the Bible such as Jerusalem, Ethiopia, Arabia, etc..., with each chapter dedicated to one region in the area. In each region, the author explains how Sheba figures into local folklore and history. Throughout the book, the author also compares and contrasts the different interpretations of Sheba's life and relationship with King Solomon.

There are several areas where the book could have been improved. First, more pictures would have been nice. Second, the book should have had one table near the end that compares the relative veracities of the different interpretations given about Sheba's life. Instead, this is given over several paragraphs. Third, the book should have given one long time-line with competing dates marked out. But all in all, this was still an interesting and engaging book.

This is not as interesting as the author's first work; 'The Queen of Sheba' remains as enigmatic as ever. It reads like a diary of someone's extended holiday and reveals little which is not available from other sources. I read 'The Road to Ubar' with interest and hoped that this would be equally engaging. I think that if I had read this one first I should not have bought the earlier book

In this most historic effort, one man records - through fact, evidence and study - who the real woman known as the Queen of Sheba was. Firstly, she is a place in the ancient world in which she was at one point considered queen; ruling with her, as well as being the one who made her queen, was none other than the king of Solomon.

In Sheba Nicholas Clapp goes all the way, taking the reader on a guided tour, first into every known genre where the enigmatic Sheba is mentioned. Having provided a strong background and introduction, Clapp then takes the reader into the areas where Sheba is actually though to have lived: Ethiopia, with Solomon and the Holy Land, and into the desert and land of spices.

What is necessary, I believe, before reading the book is a relatively well-rounded background in the religious texts of the ancient world, like the Bible and the Koran, for there are certain instances where Clapp tries to explain religious as well as historical significance, but can only go so far when these texts are involved. Nevertheless, the book is a delight to read and provides a unique insight into a character so shrouded in mystery and legend that very few truly know who the Queen of Sheba really was.

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This is a fun book to read. If you are looking for evidence of Sheba's existance than most of this book will be useless to you, but where it does provide evidence, it is very good and original, at least evidence I wasn't aware of.

There was one thing I didn't like, he talked much about Ethiopia, but did not mention or seem to realize how ancient Ethiopa was in a different location from modern Ethiopia. If he did mention it, I didn't notice.