"The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" is a part of Haendel's famous work "Solomon", composed in 1748 and based on the biblical stories of King Solomon. The music illustrates the third biblical story, which talks about a state visit from the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon. It has been written that during her visit, the Queen was showing off her wealth at Solomon's court and that she had come as his equal, a royal ruler in her own right. It is believed that the kingdom of Sheba is based on the ancient civilization of Saba in South Arabia. The music expresses the grandeur of the queen and it is possible that the contrast between strings and oboes symbolises this first encounter between the wise king and the beautiful queen.