The Nabateans were a nomadic people from the land that
is now Jordan and built their remarkable capital at
Petra . By about the end of the fourth century B.C.
Petra had become a key city on the trade route from
Saba (Yemen) to the Mediterranean. The Nabataeans’
control over the caravan routes was due to their ability
to trap and store water.
The Nabataean Empire stretched from what is now Yemen
to Syria, and from western Iraq into the Sinai Desert.
Petra is certainly the most famous of the sites associated
with the Nabateans, but a number of outposts were built
or extended at the height of the empire and are well
worth visiting.
Nabataean monuments are among the most remarkable sites
remaining from the ancient world.
