Nabataeans

The Nabataeans were a Semitic-speaking Arab people who founded and dominated the Nabataean Kingdom, centered around Petra in southern Jordan, with settlements across the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula. They rose to prominence in the 2nd century BCE, prospering as traders along caravan routes that linked Arabia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean, and reached their peak in the early centuries CE.

Their wealth derived from control of spice and incense routes and from specialized commerce in textiles, metals, and exotic goods. They developed sophisticated water management and hydraulic engineering to support settlements and agriculture in arid environments, enabling the construction of large-scale rock-cut architecture and urban complexes at Petra and other sites.

The Nabataeans used a version of Aramaic-based script known as the Nabataean alphabet, which evolved into the early Arabic script. Their culture blended indigenous Arab traditions with Hellenistic and Roman influences. Their religious life centered on a pantheon that included deities such as Dushara and Al-Uzza, among others, reflecting a mix of local and regional cult practices.

Rome gradually brought Nabataea under its influence and finally annexed it in 106 CE as the province of Arabia Petraea. After incorporation, Petra declined as trade routes shifted and new urban centers emerged. The Nabataean legacy endures in Petra’s architecture and water systems, and in the historical development of the Arabic script.