Before Alexander’s conquest, a thriving new civilization had emerged in southern Jordan. It appears that a nomadic tribe known as the Nabateans began migrating gradually from Arabia during the sixth century before common Era.

Their capital city was the legendary Petra, Jordan’s most famous tourist attraction. Although Petra was inhabited by the Edomites before the arrival of the Nabateans, the latter carved grandiose buildings, temples and tombs out of solid sandstone rock.

Building an empire in the arid desert also forced the Nabateans to excel in water conservation.
The Nabateans were exceptionally skilled traders, facilitating commerce between China, India, the far East, Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. They dealt in such goods as spices, incense, gold, animals, iron, copper, sugar, medicines, ivory, perfumes and fabrics, just to name a few.

From its origins as a fortress city, Petra became a wealthy commercial crossroads between the Arabian, Assyrian, Greek and Roman cultures.

Of the little-known about Nabatean culture, we know that they spoke a dialect of Arabic, their community was governed by a royal family and there were no slaves.

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