BILIKISU SUNGBO


The burial site of the mythological and biblical Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilikisu Sungbo among Yoruba people, has been transformed into a tourist destination and place of worship in Nigeria. Every year, millions of people travel from all over the world to join in the mystery surrounding the corpse turned shrine of Bilikisu Sungbo in Oke-Eri, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria.

   According to legend, the legendary queen Bilikisu Sungbo journeyed all the way from Ethiopia to Ijebu-Ode, where she passed away and was buried. Strong and well-known assertions about the identity of the contentious Bilikisu Sungbo are made by the residents of Ijebu-Ode.

  They asserted that she was the wise king Solomon's visitor, the Queen of Sheba, who was described in the Bible during the height of his reign. Additionally, they asserted that the person who paid king Sulaiman a visit was Bilikisu Sungbo, the Quranic Queen Baliqs of Ethiopia (from whom the name Bilikisu was derived). According to a different story, affluent potter Bilikisu Sungbo was the head of a group of female potters who traveled to far-off locations. Additionally, she was said to have magical abilities because of which she built ditches all surrounding settlements in Ijebu-Ode.

  Women and dogs were not permitted to visit the site of Bilikisu Sungbo's burial per Ijebu tradition. There is a little area of open land near the shrine that is completely devoid of grass. According to legend, the ancient queen washed here before being buried, and as a result of her paranormal abilities, neither grass nor plants can ever grow there.

The shrine of Bilikisu Sungbo was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List's cultural category in 1995. The "grave-shrine" known as Bilikisu Sungbo will always be a source of pride for the Ijebu-Ode people.


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