In Search of King Solomon's Mines

King Solomon, the Bibles 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 Haggards classic adventure novel King Solomons Mines unleashed gold fever more than a century ago, many had sought to find the source of the great kings wealth. In this new adventurea hybrid of Indiana Jones and Herodotus (Sunday Times, London)Tahir 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 Solomons 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, Solomons lover, who bore Solomons son Menelik and founded Ethiopias imperial line. Shahs trail takes him on a wild rideby taxi, bus, camel, donkey, and Jeepthat is sure to delight all travelers.