Tabūʿa facts for kids

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Tabūʿa was a powerful queen who ruled over the Nomadic Arab tribes of Qedar around 675 BC. She was one of several important Arab queens mentioned in ancient Assyrian records. Tabūʿa became queen after Queen Te'el-hunu.

Life

Tabūʿa was the fifth of six Arab queens known from Assyrian writings. These queens ruled between the time of King Tiglath-pileser III and King Assurbanipal of Assyria. Besides being a queen, Tabūʿa also served as a high priestess for her people.

Around 690 BC, the Assyrians, led by King Sennacherib, defeated Queen Te'el-hunu and her ally Kaza'il. The Assyrians attacked Adummatu, a Qedarite city, and took Te'el-hunu as a prisoner to their capital, Nineveh. They also took many valuable items like 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 their important religious statues of Alilat, Nuhay, and Orotalt. Along with these statues, he sent Princess Tabūʿa back to Adummatu. Tabūʿa was related to Te'el-hunu and was chosen to be the next queen. Some historians think she might have been the daughter of Te'el-hunu and Sennacherib.

Tabūʿa had grown up in the royal palace of Sennacherib. King Esarhaddon placed her on the throne because he wanted her to be an ally of Assyria. At first, the Qedarite people seemed to accept her as their ruler. However, her reign was short, and it appears she was replaced by another ruler soon after.

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