The Queen of Sheba - Sufra Time at Mocha Box Coffeehouse

Was the Queen of Sheba a real queen, a legend—or somehow both?

Join us at MochaBox Coffeehouse for Sufra Time: The Queen of Sheba, an immersive evening of Arabian food, coffee, history, humor, and storytelling that journeys from the ancient kingdom of Saba to the mountains of Appalachia.

For nearly three thousand years, the Queen of Sheba—known throughout Arabia as Bilqis—has fascinated the world. She has been remembered as a brilliant ruler, a woman of extraordinary wealth and wisdom, the leader of one of the ancient world's great trading kingdoms, and the central figure in stories that have traveled across cultures and continents for centuries.

But where does history end and legend begin?

Around a shared table, we'll explore both.

We'll follow the trail of ancient Arabian queens recorded by their enemies, imagine one of the richest royal caravans of the ancient world, test ourselves with riddles worthy of a queen, explore the strange legend of Bilqis and the glass floor, and discover what archaeology can—and cannot—tell us about the remarkable civilization behind her story.

And along the way, we'll cross an unexpected bridge from Arabia to Appalachia.

Ancient Arabian caravan routes meet Appalachian packhorse trails. Arabian riddles meet front-porch storytelling. The legends surrounding a powerful queen meet the colorful stories mountain communities have told about their own larger-than-life characters. And Bilqis's legacy as a woman holding together a kingdom finds an echo in generations of Appalachian matriarchs who held together families and communities through difficult times.

This isn't a history lecture.

It's Arabian food and coffee, conversation, laughter, storytelling, and discovery around a shared table—an opportunity to encounter an unfamiliar culture and be surprised by how much of ourselves we can recognize in it.

Come hungry. Come curious. And come meet a queen whose story has refused to die for nearly 3,000 years.

Sufra Time: The Queen of Sheba
Friday, September 11
MochaBox Coffeehouse · Asheville, NC

One table. Two mountain cultures. One legendary queen.