The Nabataean people are an ancient Arab people dating from 600 BC, while their kingdom dates from 400 BC. The kingdom and its people included northern Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Syria (as far as Damascus), Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
Before their emergence as a transcontinental trading kingdom, the Nabataeans spoke local Bedouin dialects that form an early Arabic divergence from other Semitic languages.
Nabateans often left written messages in the rocks as a sign of welcome. 2500 years ago, Nabatean Arabs crossing the desert inscribed messages in the rocks for their fellows. Animals such as camels, representing caravanners, can be found in the rocks, and these inscriptions were generally used to indicate the watering place (the forerunner of the sign). The places where the inscriptions are numerous correspond to campsites or springs. The Nabataeans knew the location of springs, and this knowledge enabled them to establish a vast trading network. Location of Petra in Jordan, and locations of the water sources of the Nabataeans. Springs issue from limestone formations building the high mountains east of Petra. For a few months, during the cold rainy season of the year, a few Bedouin families, with their goat-hair tents and their few goats, find a home and shelter in the valleys and excavations.
But as soon as the weather permits, they move to the highlands, and Petra is abandoned to its solitude. The Nabataeans wanted to use the strategic location near the Wadi Musa water sources to establish an irrigation system that would channel vast volumes of water to Petra (known as Raqmu). Image of the city of Wadi Musa (وادي موسى) and the surrounding mountains, illustrating the geology (outcropping formations) and drainage system (in white lines) of upstream springs’ water to Petra via the narrow path of the Siq. However, as they became a hub of merchant trade, they began to use Aramaic, which was the regional language used for communication between language groups. Later, they became fluent in Greek, and many inscriptions on Nabataean sites are bilingual in Aramaic and Greek. The Nabataeans began to create a pre-Arabic script using Aramaic letters with a cursive adaptation linking each letter.
Miletus bilingual Nabataean-Greek inscription and Greek-Nabataean inscriptions and engravings from a cave in Timna Valley.
A Greek inscription from the Nabataean region of Elusa in the Negev, southern Palestine, written by a person called :
(Abraamius Zenobius) Citizen Abramios, son of Zenobius, is probably one of the local Arabs of the Arabian Negev.
The tomb of the Nabataean king Ubadah is located in the town of Ubadah in the southern Palestinian desert. The Nabataeans began to create a pre-Arabic script using Aramaic letters with a cursive adaptation linking each letter. The Nabataean alphabet consisted of 22 letters, written from right to left.
They returned from Africa, India and China laden with resources such as gold and exotics, which they sold to the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. Nabatean settlements have been found in Greece, Spain & in many cities throughout Italy. In Naples, for example, an altar to ‘Dusares’, a uniquely Nabataean god, has been found. Nabataean tombstones and plaques carved in Italian marble have also been discovered in the Naples area. These items were probably produced by local Nabataean craftsmen.
This indicates that a well established Arabian community was settled in Southern Italy during Antiquity. There is evidence that the art of producing exquisite pottery, for which the Nabataeans are world-famous, was taught to them by the Arab Edomite tribes. The Nabataeans and Edomites claimed descent from the prophet Ishmael, contributing to peace between the two peoples. The Nabataeans’ most profitable product was incense, which cost the Romans the equivalent of 160 million euros a year to obtain. Incense was expensive and used by the wealthy people in Rome, Athens and Egypt. According to Strabo and Pliny the Elder, it took caravans 65 days to make the journey from Marib (in Yemen, the capital of the Queen of Sheba, famous for its temples and mythical dam) to Petra. The caravans were made up of an impressive number of camels. The Nabataean Caravaneers were their main source of income. They extracted bitumen from the Dead Sea. This was their biggest export income. They also extracted salt from the Dead Sea and owned balsam orchards near Jericho. Bitumen and balsam were precious and much sought-after in Egypt for mummification processes. In 312 BC, the Greek Antigonids attempted Three Failed Invasions of Nabataea. The 3rd Invasion was to gain Control of the Dead Sea’s source of Bitumen (Solid Petroleum). The Arabs massacred the Greek Army by using overwhelming arrow fire.
Elusa is an ancient Arab town in Palestine, founded by the Nabataeans. It became one of the largest cities in Palestine during the Byzantine period (10,000-20,000 inhabitants). Elusa was renowned throughout the Mediterranean for its wine.
Palestinian wine was popular because of its unique flavor, which contained Arab spices and local balsam aromatics. Palestinian wine was consumed in Gaul, Spain and Italy.
Previously, the majority of the population of Judea, now the West Bank, was made up of Nabataean Arabs, King Herod himself being a Nabataean Arab. Herod’s family was composed of observant Jews of Nabataean Arab origin. The Nabataeans invaded Judea in 83 BC to fight the Hasmonean Jews. Recent victories had given Aretas III (حارث الثالث) great momentum. The Nabataeans penetrated deep into Judea, defeating the Jews at Adida. Aretas III withdrew from Judea after concessions were paid by the king.
The Nabataeans were true warriors; the Greeks believed the Nabataeans were away trading, so the Greeks camped safely outside Petra. At dawn, a Nabataean cavalry of 8,000 men appeared and massacred the Greeks. In 312 BC, the Greek Antigonids attempted Three Failed Invasions of Nabataea. The 3rd Invasion was to gain Control of the Dead Sea’s source of Bitumen (Solid Petroleum). The Arabs massacred the Greek Army by using overwhelming arrow fire.
- There were many flourishing cities, not just Petra. Cities like Gaza were just as important, since the city’s port was crucial and generated much of the kingdom’s revenue in the transportation of incense, myrrh and other spices from the port for shipment to European markets. The Nabataeans had certain rules. Strabo and Pliny the Elder also mention them, citing that governed Nabataean life, at the beginning of their history, they were forbidden to build a house, they were forbidden to drink wine and they were forbidden to own a cultivated field. The Nabataeans believed that the afterlife was eternal and that life on earth was short, so they took great pride in a spectacular burial tomb. Tombs became larger and more elaborate as society’s wealth increased. Wealthy citizens commissioned stonemasons to dig large tombs with banqueting halls and grand entrances. Large groups worked for years to carve tombs, starting at the top of the cliffs and digging down to form the agreed tomb according to specific plans by designers and engineers. The Nabataeans worshipped the sun and at the top of every house was an altar dedicated to Dushara (𐢅𐢈𐢝𐢛𐢀 / ذو الشرى), the supreme god. This was anointed daily and perfumed with incense. The Nabataeans did not represent their gods, instead using simple geometric shapes to represent the deities. Early Nabataeans generally symbolized Dushara with a block of stone, often black basalt. This evolved over time. Dushara was the sun god and was considered the chief of the gods. There was a big festival every year on December 25, when he was worshipped in the same way as Horus in Egypt. The three main Nabataean goddesses were Al’Uzza, Manaat and Allat (to whom the Wadi Rum temple was dedicated). The main goddesses were worshipped as fertility and destiny gods. These goddesses were also worshipped by other pagan Arabs on the Arabian Peninsula. Other major gods worshipped by the Nabataeans include Shaya Al’Quam – the protector or warrior god, and Al Kutba – the god of education and trade. Dolphins were an important & frequently used symbol in Nabatean Culture. Nabateans believed the Dolphin was a symbol of Good Fortune & Security. For Nabatean Sailors, Dolphins ensured them safe journey through the turbulent seas. Figure of Isis from the Nabataean period found in the major temple ‘Qasr Al-Bint’ dating from the 2nd century BC. Previously based on a system of Cheikhs, where the most charismatic and diplomatic members of wealthy families took control, the Nabataeans switched to a hereditary kingdom in the 2nd century BC.
- List of Nabataean Arab rulers who ruled the Kingdom:
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