Nabataean Kingdom

The Nabataean Kingdom was an Arab state centred on the rock-cut city of Petra, in the mountains of southern Jordan, that flourished from the 2nd century BC until its annexation by Rome in AD 106. The Nabataeans first appear in Greek accounts around 312 BC, when they successfully resisted an attack by one of Alexander's successors. From their strongholds at Petra and later Bostra they controlled the caravan routes that linked the incense-producing south with Gaza, Damascus and the Mediterranean. Their wealth came from taxing and escorting spices, bitumen and other goods, and from a sophisticated system of cisterns and channels that made desert cities viable. A distinctive monarchy emerged under kings such as Aretas III and Aretas IV, whose coins and inscriptions show a culture blending Aramaic, Arab and Hellenistic elements. Nabataean architecture is best known today for the monumental façades carved into the sandstone cliffs of Petra, including the Treasury and the Monastery. The kingdom was peaceful and prosperous for long periods, but the rise of Roman power in the region and a disputed succession led Trajan to incorporate it as the province of Arabia Petraea in 106, after which Petra gradually declined as trade routes shifted.