Home > All our thematic selections > Nabataeans
The ruins of Petra and Hegra, sand-coloured monuments standing at the end of a narrow gorge or in the middle of the desert, were rediscovered during the 19th century by archaeologists; countless tourists now visit these fascinating sites.
Vestiges of this Nabataean era were also uncovered in AlUla, in Saudi Arabia, the subject of the exhibition “AlUla, Wonder of Arabia” at the Arab World Institute (https://www.imarabe.org/fr/expositions/alula-merveille-d-arabie).
What is this little-known ancient civilisation, seemingly dredged from the sand by recent historical research?
- Nabataeans, whose cursive script, along with Syriac, was the origin of the Arabic script.
- The same Nabataeans who were prosperous traders, through their control of the caravan routes between the Arabian Peninsula and the Mediterranean.
- An ancient kingdom, a crossroads of multiple legacies and contemporaneous with major Greek cities and then with the Roman Empire, which prefigured the depth and complexity of the Middle East.
This selection is just a taste of the AWI's rich heritage.
You can find out more about these subjects by exploring this portal or by visiting the Institute.
