Throne of Solomon. Airship of King Solomon's Throne in Byzantium

In ancient myths, legends and sacred texts you can find many stories about various real historical figures who had flying chariots or something like airships at their disposal.

According to ancient manuscripts, King Solomon was not only a very wise man, he also had access to advanced and complex “alien” technologies. The Temple of King Solomon, untold riches and incredible ancient high-tech devices - all this is still shrouded in secrecy.

For example, according to some sources, King Solomon had a magical worm, Shamir, with which he could cut and process any stone. Shamir was a very unusual high-tech device that could change stone, iron and diamond with just a glance.

No less intriguing is the mystery of King Solomon’s mines. As can be understood from ancient sources, King Solomon was one of the richest people in history and owned many tons of gold. But where did this wealth come from?

The Bible says that Solomon's servants went to Ophir and obtained 420 gold talents there. But that’s where the clues end, and the trail is lost. The real location of the legendary Ophir has not yet been established.

It is true that King Solomon was considered a wise man in his day, but his so-called wisdom would not take him very far today. An example of his “illogical and cruel” reasoning is the story of resolving a dispute between two women regarding motherhood.

Solomon proposed to resolve the dispute between the two “mothers” by cutting the child in half. The real mother prevented the murder by giving up her right to the child. We can only wonder whether Solomon would really allow the murder to happen.

And the king said: “Bring me a sword.” The king was given a sword. And the king said: “Cut the living child in half and give one half to one, and the other to the other.” (1 Samuel 3:16)

He built a place for Moloch. The cult of Moloch was associated with child sacrifice.

“Then Solomon built a temple for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Moloch, the abomination of Ammon, in the mountainous east of Jerusalem. This he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and made sacrifices to their gods” (1 Samuel 11:7-8).

Ancient writings also say that the great Jewish king was the owner of a wonderful ancient airship.

According to the Kebra Negast ("Glory of Kings"), an old and very important document of Ethiopia, King Solomon was visited by the Queen of Sheba, who crossed the Red Sea, modern Yemen and Hijaz and arrived in Jerusalem to attend King Solomon's trial.

The main purpose of her visit was to see the Ark of the Covenant. She was also fascinated by the stories of King Solomon's wisdom that reached her country. She remained with the Jewish king for several months. Then she returned back to her kingdom and gave birth to the son of King Solomon - Menelik I.

According to Kebra Negast, King Solomon was to visit Makeda and Menelik's son by flying in a "heavenly machine". “The king...and all who obeyed his word flew in the chariot, without feeling pain or suffering, and without effort or suffering, and covered in one day a distance that would have taken 3 months to cover on foot.”

In the Middle East, where Kashmir is, there are mountains known as the "Throne of Solomon", including one flat-topped mountain located in northwestern Iran called "Takht-i-Suleiman" (Throne of Solomon). There is speculation that this could have been a landing site for Solomon's airship.

We cannot ignore the story of King Solomon's ancient airship simply because he was one of the many aircraft owners described in many ancient texts.

Game of Thrones, the incredibly popular drama based on the books by George R.R. Martin, centers around the throne. Throughout the episodes, we see people trying to take their place in the throne room in the capital of Westeros.

But this Throne pales in comparison to the Throne of Solomon. The Iron Throne cuts down those unworthy to sit on it, but King Solomon's throne, according to legend, had a much more interesting way of preventing those who do not deserve to sit on it.

The Torah tells of the great wealth of King Solomon, son of King David and builder of the first Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Jewels are described, in particular the famous ring of Solomon, spices, horses and chariots. But three verses in the chapter are devoted to a discussion of what was considered one of the wonders of its time - the throne of Solomon.

Description of the throne

“And he created a huge throne of ivory and decorated it with glittering gold,” says the Scripture. The throne was six steps wide, and golden lions stood next to the seat. There were six steps leading up to it, on which lions also sat. The Midrash, the interpretation of Scripture, adds that on the steps there were also golden eagles and kosher animals, also cast in gold, with special mechanisms.

The steps to the throne were paved with precious stones such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires.

But perhaps the most amazing part of the throne, as described in the Midrash, was its mechanism. When Solomon placed his foot on the bottom step, the wheel turned and started the mechanism. The golden lion and eagle on the first step raised a golden paw and wing, on which the King leaned as he climbed to the second step. And so on - at every step the golden animals offered their limbs to help the king rise to the top.

Solomon’s wisdom was great: just look at the story about the famous ring “Everything passes and this will pass,” and it was on his throne that he received people and carried out judgment on them. Then they said that if the animals heard false testimony, they would growl and scream, and everyone would understand that the accusation was unfair.

What happened to the throne after Solomon's death

Unlike Solomon’s ring, which was lost forever and was hardly mentioned after his death, judging by the legends, many rulers who lived after Solomon were “familiar” with the throne.

According to one opinion, it was captured by Shishak, the Pharaoh of Egypt, during the reign of Solomon's son Rehoboam, but was taken from the Pharaoh by the Cushites (modern Ethiopians), and from them it was taken by Asa, the King of Judah, and it remained in Jerusalem until the conquest of Babylon. where he was taken later. As different empires rose and fell, the throne moved - first to Persia, then to Greece, and then to Rome, by which time only pieces remained.

But the Midrash also tells the second version. The throne was captured by Shishak, but remained in Egypt until Sennacherib of Assyria. When plague devastated the Assyrian camp, the throne was restored by the Jews and placed in Jerusalem - only to soon be handed over to Pharaoh Necho.

However, for the time being, the throne seemed to have become inaccessible to those who wanted to sit on it. Whether this was for spiritual reasons or they were simply unaware of its mechanical secrets is unknown, but according to the midrash, when Necho tried to climb the steps of the throne, the lion pushed him away, harming him. The throne was then in Egypt until Nebuchadnezzar invaded and took it with him to Babylon. Like Necho, Nebuchadnezzar tried to climb the path of Solomon's throne, and, like Necho, he was thrown down the stairs by a blow from one of the golden lions. After this, the throne disappears from legends, but perhaps, like the “All shall pass” ring, it will someday be found.

In the Hebrew Bible, the third king of Israel, Solomon, is presented as a wise, strong, and wealthy ruler. He reigned between 965 and 925 BC. The scriptures say that while he was on the throne, magnificent palaces and fortresses were erected in Jerusalem, and the construction of the first temple was also underway to preserve the legendary Ark of the Covenant, where the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God are kept on a gilded tablet. Where did Solomon's treasures go?

Solomon's Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians from 597 to 586 BC. The Ark of the Covenant and other riches disappeared, and nothing is still known about them.

Treasures of King Solomon

Treasures of King Solomon

Historical records depict Solomon as a king possessing enormous wealth. For example, in the Book of Kings I, it is written:

Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year. He also owned merchant ships, collaborated with merchants and kings throughout Arabia and governors of countries.

The scripture also states:

And King Solomon made two hundred great shields, and it took six hundred shekels of gold. And he made three hundred shields. Three pounds of beaten gold went into each shield, and the king set them up in a house of Lebanese wood. They made a large throne for the king out of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. And all the drinking vessels of the king were of pure gold, and all the vessels of the house were of the forest of Lebanon; there was not one thing of silver. And this time happened in the days of Solomon. Solomon surpassed all kings on earth in wealth and wisdom.

These descriptions made everyone believe that there really were countless treasures of gold that were hidden in. Everyone was waiting for the discovery of this wealth.

Where are King Solomon's treasures kept?

A Hebrew manuscript called the Treatise of Judgments states that Solomon's hoard included the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, musical instruments of gold, and the vestments of the high priest.

Solomon's Magic Ring

Other legends indicate other jewelry belonging to the king: this is a ring on which is engraved. With the help of this item, Solomon could command demons, and they carried out his orders.

Golden Throne of Solomon

Another item that Solomon is credited with owning is a table mentioned in the history of the Islamic conquest of Iberia. The governor of Morocco, Musa ibn Nasir, who commanded the invading army, ordered Tariq ibn Ziyad, a Berber vassal, to carry out a military takeover. His landing place was Tariq, the modern name of Gibraltar. Tariq defeated Roderic, king of the Visigoths and captured their capital Toledo. It was in this city that the golden tablet from Solomon's Temple was rumored to have been found. She was taken as booty of war.

When Ibn Nasir arrived in Toledo, he heard about the golden throne and wanted to present it as a gift to the caliph in Damascus. As a result, the trophy was confiscated. The vassal, outraged by such actions, broke one of the legs of the throne, which was soon replaced. When the item was presented before the caliph, he asked about the damage, and Ibn Nasir replied that he found it in this condition. Tariq kept the golden throne leg as proof of war booty. Ibn Nasir was punished, and mention of the artifact disappeared from history.

One of the last stories about Solomon's treasures can be found in the fairy tale " The Legend of Prince Ahmed Al-Kamel or Pilgrim of Love". Its contents can be found in Washington Irving's stories in the Alhambra. He compiled this collection while he was in the Moorish palace in Granada.

There are many legends about the personality of King Solomon. They said that he studied the language of birds, the Queen of Sheba taught him this skill. He is mentioned in history as the owner of a silk carpet that is kept in a box and sandalwood together in Toledo. Jews took refuge under its cover during the attack on Jerusalem. The carpet had magical properties and was used by the prince to fly back to Granada with his princess.

King Solomon's Treasure: Disappearance

In 589 BC. The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar II laid siege to Jerusalem, culminating in the destruction of the city and Solomon's Temple in the summer of 587 BC. It is generally accepted that it was at this moment that the treasure disappeared and was never seen again.

According to the Treatise of Judges, gold was hidden next to the Levites and prophets in hidden places in the land of Israel and Babylonia. Others were delivered into the hands of the angels Shamshiel, Michael, Gabriel, and probably Sariel.

Archaeologists and historians are not sure whether the Ark of the Covenant was stolen, destroyed or hidden, but many continue to search for these long-lost treasures.

The story of the search for Solomon's lost treasure is depicted in the film Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Movie King Solomon's Treasure

The New Testament makes no mention of the throne of King Solomon, but only the throne of his father, David.

Other, non-Old Testament sources say that in addition to this, the throne was decorated with precious stones - rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls and topazes, and on the steps to it stood two. On the first step, a lion and a bull were waiting for those ascending to the king, on the second - a golden wolf and a lamb, on the third - a tiger and a camel, also made of gold, the fourth step was decorated, made of the same metal, with a peacock and. The fifth and sixth steps were decorated with golden hawks and. First, the hawk attacked the dove; right next to the throne, the dove carried the hawk in its beak. All these figures were supposed to symbolize the six commandments given to the kings of Israel.

Near the throne stood a golden menorah - a ritual seven-branched candlestick, decorated with images of flowers, leaves and petals. Behind the menorah there were seven golden branches on both sides. On one side they were engraved with the names of the seven “fathers of the world”, and on the other - the seven pious ones. On both sides of the throne stood golden chairs - large for the high priest and his assistant and thirty-five smaller ones for the seventy members of the Supreme Court - the Sanhedrin. Twenty-four golden vines entwined the throne of King Solomon, forming a huge canopy over it.

A more detailed description of the throne of King Solomon is found in the book of Esther.

Such splendor, the abundance of gold and precious stones should have already awed everyone who saw the throne of King Solomon, but the miracles did not end there. Thousands of mechanisms were built into the throne, forcing all the animals on the way to the throne to expose their paws and wings to Solomon so that he could lean on them while rising to the throne. When Solomon sat on the throne, a dove with the Torah in its beak flew into his lap. According to sources, animals also began to move when a false witness appeared before the throne, horrifying the liar and forcing him to confess.

Where did Solomon's throne go?

According to Jewish scriptures, the throne was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and brought to Babylon. When the king tried to ascend to the throne, a lion rushed at him and knocked him to the ground, frightening him so much that Nebuchadnezzar no longer made repeated attempts to ascend to the throne. The throne was then captured by Darius and taken to Persia. The next to try to ascend the throne was Ahasuerus, who was also defeated. This king ordered a copy of the throne from Egyptian craftsmen and rulers, sitting on it and passing it off as the true throne. After the fall of the Egyptian kingdom, the real throne of King Solomon was taken away by Alexander the Great. Further traces of this magnificent throne are lost.