Now King Solomon possessed a carpet with intricate designs, interwoven with fine gold and green silk. It is said that he hung this carpet in his bedroom, where it served as a mirror in which the future could be read.
But whenever he wished to travel to a distant place, it was only necessary to take down the carpet and place it on the roof of the palace, and as soon as Solomon spoke the Ineffable Name, it would rise up in the air.
One day King Solomon invited his adviser, Asaph ben Berachiah, and Ramirat, a demon prince, to accompany him on a journey.
They seated themselves on the flying carpet, Solomon pronounced the Name, and the winds picked up the carpet, making it rise higher and higher, until they flew through the heavens with the earth far beneath them. As they sailed through the air, Solomon thought to himself: There is none like me in the world, for the Holy One, blessed be He, has given me wisdom and understanding and has set me to rule all of his creations. But no sooner did these thoughts cross Solomon's mind than the wind ceased, and the flying carpet began to fall. Then Solomon and the others grew terrified they would tumble to the earth from that height, and Solomon shouted to the wind: Return, O wind, return! And the wind replied: First you must return to your God and not be proud, and then I shall return to you. And the words of the wind made Solomon ashamed of himself. And when he grew ashamed, the wind returned, and they continued their flight.
So it was that they flew through the heavens for ten days and nights, and it was then that they glimpsed a glorious citadel far below, and Solomon was very curious to know what it was. So he said to the wind: Descend, and the flying carpet descended beside the citadel. Now the palace was even more beautiful when they stood beside it, but it was also very mysterious, for not a soul was to be seen anywhere. Solomon and his companions walked around it, and they were amazed that there was not any gate or entrance to be found, and this too seemed very strange.
Thereupon Solomon turned to Ramirat, the prince of demons, and said to him: Call upon the hosts of demons, and let them determine if there are any living creatures to be found here. This Ramirat did, and soon there were demons searching everywhere, but they found nothing. Then Solomon said: Let them also ascend to the roof, and search there as well. This the demons did, and when they returned they reported that although no man was to be found there, there was a giant eagle who had made its nest in that place. Solomon then commanded that the eagle be brought to him, and the demons departed and shortly returned accompanied by the noble bird.
Then Solomon greeted the eagle and said: What is your name? Elenad, said the eagle. And how old are you? asked the king. Seven hundred years old, came the reply. Tell me, said Solomon, is there any entrance to this palace, for there is none we have found. My lord king, said the eagle, there is none that I know of, but perhaps my brother, who is two hundred years older than I am, could be of help to you. Then Solomon summoned the second eagle, who turned out to be even larger than the first. The king greeted it and said:
What is your name? And the eagle replied: Aleoph. And how old are you? asked Solomon. Nine hundred years old, was the reply. And do you know of any entrance to this citadel? The eagle answered: I do not know of such an entrance, my lord king, but I have a brother who is four hundred years older than I am, and perhaps he will know. Then Solomon summoned the third eagle, and it was even larger than the other two. Solomon greeted the eagle and said:
What is your name? Altamar, the eagle replied. And how old are you? asked Solomon. Thirteen hundred years old, said the eagle. And do you know of any entrance to this mysterious palace? The eagle answered: I do not know of any such entrance, but I do remember my father, the king of eagles, telling me that there is an entrance on the western side, although it has been covered by dust during all the ages it has been abandoned. Solomon was very glad to hear this, and without hesitation he immediately summoned the winds, who were at his command, and ordered them to blow against the western side of the citadel. The winds blew once, twice, and three times, and thus removed all the dust that had accumulated there, so that the entrance was finally revealed. It was a very large gate of iron, which had been greatly worn down over the ages. On it there was a lock on which was written: Let it be known to you, sons of men, that we dwelt in this palace for many a long year. Yet when the famine came, we ground our pearls instead of wheat, but they could not sustain us. Therefore we have left this palace to the eagles for all the days to come, and no man shall be permitted to enter here unless he is a king. But if this be the case, and he desires to enter, let him dig to the right of this entrance. There he will find a glass box, and within it the keys to this gate and the doors beyond it. In this way Solomon came into possession of the golden keys that fit the doors of that palace. He first opened the iron gate, and found beyond it a gate of silver, and beyond that a gate of gold. Inside the golden gate he found a pavilion made of precious stones, with a dome of ruby, and a courtyard paved with bricks of gold and silver. There, in the center of the pavilion, Solomon saw a large silver scorpion. He lifted it up, and found there an entrance that led down golden stairs to rooms that were underground. Solomon and the others descended those stairs, and they found stored there all kinds of pearls, jewels, and golden objects in great profusion. And at one end of the room there was another door that was locked, and on the lock was written:
The king of this palace once lived here in power and might, and reigned upon his throne. Yet his hour came to perish, and so he did, and the crown fell off his head. Enter here, and look around and wonder! Then Solomon took out the golden keys and opened that door, and there inside he saw a statue seated at a golden table.
Now Solomon and the others were astonished when they saw this, for anyone who looked at that statue would think it was alive. Solomon approached the statue and reached out his hand to touch it, and when he did, fire and smoke suddenly shot forth from its nostrils, and it cried out in a giant voice: Awake, ye children of Satan, for King Solomon has come to destroy you! Then there was a frightful rumbling and great outcry, and all of the statues in the room started to move, as if they were alive once more, with a terrible look in their eyes. But King Solomon was not afraid, and pronounced the Ineffable Name, and all at once the statues grew silent, and fell upon their faces with a loud crash.
Then Solomon approached the statue that was seated, which had also grown silent, and took from around its neck a silver tablet on which words were written. But Solomon, who was familiar with seventy languages and with the languages of the birds and the beasts, did not recognize that writing. He turned to Asaph and Ramirat and said: You know very well how much we have toiled in order to reach this palace, and now I do not know how to read what is written here. Then Ramirat, the demon prince, spoke and said: Let me see if I can decipher this language, O king. And he took the silver tablet from Solomon, and looked at it and said: Yes, this is a language that has been lost to men for many centuries. But it is still known among the demons. I will tell you what it says here. And these were the words that he read: I, Shadad ben Ad, ruled over a thousand times thousand cities, and rode on a thousand times thousand horses, and slew a thousand times thousand warriors. Yet when the Angel of Death came, I could not prevail against him. And it was also written there: Whosoever may read this message, let him remember that in the end all things must perish, and that nothing remains of a man's possessions but a good name. And when he heard these words, Solomon understood why he had been led to that palace on the flying carpet, and that what had happened to that king would come to pass for him as well.
And he also understood that his purpose in life should not be to amass possessions or wisdom, but, above all, to make a good name for himself. And so he returned to Jerusalem greatly humbled, and never forgot what he had learned that day.