Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE NABATAEANS
The Nabataeans were a people whose original homeland lay in north-
eastern Arabia and who migrated westward in the 6th century BC,
settling eventually in Petra. As merchants and entrepreneurs, they
grasped the lucrative potential of Petra's position on the spice and
incense trade routes from East Asia and Arabia to the
Mediterranean. By the 1st century BC they had made Petra
the centre of a rich and powerful kingdom extending from
Damascus in the north to Leuke Kome in the south and had
built a city large enough to support 20-30,000 people. Key
to their success was their ability to control and
conserve water. Conduits and the remains of
terracotta piping can be seen along the walls of
the Outer Siq - part of an elaborate system for
channelling water around the city. The Romans felt threatened
by their achievements and took over the city in AD 106. Although
the Nabataeans ceased to be an identifiable political group, Petra
continued to thrive culturally for a time. In the end the transfer of
trade from land to sea and two devastating earthquakes in the
4th and 8th centuries AD brought about the city's demise.
Sculpted head,
possibly of a priest
Greek
(left)
and Nabataean
pottery vessels found at Petra
Urn Tomb Arches
Two levels of arches
support the large
terrace in front of
the Urn Tomb.
Their appearance
earned them a
place in Bedouin
folklore as sinister
dungeons under
Urn Tomb Interior
In AD 447 the Urn Tomb was turned into a
church and two of the four recesses in the
back wall were combined to make an apse.
A Greek inscription records the consecration.
r
neath a law court.
