4 8-inch pitas

2 1/2 cups water

2 19-oz (540-mL) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cups Balkan-style yogurt

1/2 cup tahini

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

Salt and freshly ground pepper

GARNISH

1/2 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds

3 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sumac

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

4 8-inch pitas

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Oil 2 baking sheets and 4 pitas. Place 2 pitas on each baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. 🤬 pitas and rotate pans, then bake for 10 more minutes or until browned and crisp. Crumble into small pieces and transfer to a bowl.

Place water in pot and add three-quarters of the drained chickpeas. Reserve remaining chickpeas for garnish. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain, reserving chickpeas and cooking water separately.

Combine yogurt with tahini, 2 tbsp lemon juice, oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle 1 cup chickpea cooking water and 1 tbsp lemon juice over bread. Season with salt and pepper and scatter in the base of a serving dish. Cover with cooked chickpeas. Spoon over yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with almonds, parsley, cumin, sumac, remaining chickpeas and pomegranate seeds. Serve with fresh pitas.

Muslim commentators such as al-Tabari, al-Zamakhshari, al-Baydawi supplement the story at various points. The Queen's name is given as Bilqīs (Arabic: بلقيس‎), probably derived from Greek παλλακίς (pallakis) or the Hebraised pilegesh, "concubine".^[29] According to some he then married the Queen, while other traditions assert that he gave her in marriage to a tubba of Hamdan.^[1] According to the Islamic tradition as represented by al-Hamdani, the queen of Sheba was the daughter of Ilsharah Yahdib, the Himyarite king of Najran.^[12]

The Quran and its commentators have preserved the earliest literary reflection of the complete Bilkis legend, which among scholars complements the narrative that is derived from a Jewish Midarash"
^{This shows how Solomon made The Queen of Sheba into a queen. This shows the different classes and how they merged together in that period of time. The Queen of Sheba is Biblical Quranic figure}