Tabua (queen) facts for kids
Tabua was a powerful ruling queen of the nomadic Arab tribes known as the Qedarites. She ruled around 675 BC, in the 7th century BC. Queen Tabua took the throne after Queen Te'el-hunu.
Who Was Queen Tabua?
Tabua was one of six important Arab queens mentioned in ancient Assyrian records. These records tell us about queens who ruled between the time of Tiglath-Pileser III and Ashurbanipal. The queens were Zabibe, Samsi, Yatie, Te'el-hunu, Tabua, and Adia. Tabua was the fifth of these rulers.
Ancient Assyrian writings also say that Tabua was an apkal-latu, which means she was a priestess for her people. This shows she had both political and religious importance.
How Tabua Became Queen
Before Tabua, the Assyrians had a conflict with the Qedarites. Around 690 BC, the Assyrian king Sennacherib defeated Queen Te'el-hunu and her partner Kaza'il. The Assyrians raided the city of Adummatu and took Queen Te'el-hunu as a prisoner to their capital city, Nineveh. They also took many treasures, including camels, religious statues, spices, and jewels.
Later, when Esarhaddon became the new king of Assyria, he wanted to make peace with the Qedarites. He sent back the important religious statues of Alilat, Nuhay, and Orotalt to Adummatu. Along with these statues, he sent Princess Tabua.
Tabua was related to Queen Te'el-hunu and was chosen to be her successor. Some historians think Tabua might have been the daughter of Te'el-hunu and King Sennacherib. Tabua had grown up in Sennacherib's royal palace. King Esarhaddon placed her on the Qedarite throne because he wanted her to be an ally, or friend, to the Assyrians.
At first, the Qedarite people seemed to accept Tabua as their queen. However, her rule was short. It appears she was replaced by another ruler after a brief time on the throne.
See Also
In Spanish: Tabua (reina) para niños
