Queen Arwa al-Sulayhi

Arwa bint Ahmad al-Sulayhi, known throughout Yemeni history as Al-Sayyida al-Hurra (The Noble Free Lady) and the 'Little Queen of Sheba', was raised by Queen Asma bint Shihab. Following the death of her husband King Al-Mukarram, she assumed sovereign power in 1084, reigning as absolute monarch of Yemen for more than half a century.

Queen Arwa moved the capital from Sana'a to the mountain fortress of Jibla, building extensive stone-paved highways across the mountains, constructing agricultural aqueducts, and funding universities. Appointed by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mustansir as Hujja (supreme spiritual authority) in Yemen and western India, she governed with unmatched wisdom, justice, and diplomatic brilliance until her death at ninety.