King Solomon, the Bibleās wisest king, possessed extraordinary wealth. The grand temple he built in Jerusalem was covered in gold from the porch to the inner sanctum, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Long before H. Rider Haggardās classic adventure novel King Solomonās Mines unleashed gold fever more than a century ago, many had sought to find the source of the great kingās wealth. In this new adventureāāa hybrid of Indiana Jones and Herodotusā (Sunday Times, London)āTahir Shah tries his hand at the quest.
Intrigued by a map he finds in a shop not far from the site of the temple, Shah assembles a multitude of clues to the location of Solomonās mines. Some come from ancient texts, including the Septuagint, the earliest form of the Bible, and some from geological, geographical, and folkloric sources. All point across the Red Sea to Ethiopia, the land of the Queen of Sheba, Solomonās lover, who bore Solomonās son Menelik and founded Ethiopiaās imperial line. Shahās trail takes him on a wild rideāby taxi, bus, camel, donkey, and Jeepāthat is sure to delight all travelers.