PETRA AND THE NABATAEANS

  THE CROSSROADS OF
   ANCIENT TRADE ROUTES

  A CITY CARVED IN STONE

  LOST… AND REDISCOVERED

THE CROSSROADS OF ANCIENT
TRADE ROUTES

Petra was a major crossroads of international trade routes linking southern Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Greece, Rome and even India. Through these camel caravan routes flowed a variety of goods including textiles, spices, precious metals and incense. As savvy entrepreneurs, the Nabataeans took advantage of this strategic location. At Petra, they offered water and a safe haven for merchants, and collected a fee for their service.

They also exacted tolls and customs taxes in exchange for safe passage within Nabataea and beyond its boundaries. By 100 B.C., they controlled the Arabian incense trade and used their significant wealth to build the spectacular city of Petra.