“Neo-Assyrian records of the eighth century BC name several queens who ruled Qedar, a confederation of nomadic Arab and Semitic tribes that ranged from the Syrian desert to the Nile. The Qedarites were also mentioned in the Old Testament and by Greek and Roman writers.Â
Zabibi (her name means “raisin”) was “Sarrat qur Aribi” (Queen of the Arabs”) from 738-733 BC. Some have suggested that she was part of a dynasty of female rulers that included the Queen of Sheba, the mysterious queen who met King Solomon in the Old Testament. Zabibi ruled as a vassal who paid tribute to the Assyrian king Tiglath Pileser III. Her successor was Samsi (Arabic, “sun”). Queen Samsi made an alliance with Rakhianu, ruler of Damascus, and together they led a rebellion against Tiglath Pileser III in 732 BC.”
