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The Kingdom of Simien, sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Beta Israel, refers to a legendary Jewish kingdom said to have been located in the northwestern part of the Ethiopian Empire. The existence of such a kingdom somewhere in the Horn of Africa was first mentioned by the traveller Benjamin of Tudela in the 12th century CE. A late Ethiopian-Jewish legend dates the establishment of a Kingdom of Simien to the 4th century CE, right after the Kingdom of Aksum turned to Christianity during the reign of Ezana. Local history holds that, around 960, a Jewish Queen named Gudit defeated the empire and burned its churches and literature. While there is evidence of churches being burned and an invasion around this time, her existence has been questioned by some western authors. According to one traditional account, she reigned for forty years and her dynasty lasted until 1137 AD, when it was conquered by Mara Takla Haymanot, resulting in the inception of the Agaw-led Zagwe dynasty. In 1329, during Amda Seyon I's conquests, he campaigned in the northern provinces of Semien, Wegera, Tselemt, and Tsegede, in which many had been converting to Judaism and where the Beta Israel had been gaining prominence. The existence of such a nation plays a significant role in the modern traditions of the Beta Israel.