Religion and Culture

Nabataean religion included the worship of Dushara, a principal deity closely associated with the royal center at Petra, and the goddess al-Uzza, along with other regional deities.

Sacred places included temples, open-air worship sites, and carved stone monuments. Religious practices varied across the wide territory of the kingdom.

The Nabataeans used a form of Aramaic in inscriptions. Their distinctive script contributed to the later development of Arabic writing.

Their architecture is famous for rock-cut tomb facades and carefully constructed temples and civic buildings. Greek and Roman artistic forms were adapted to local traditions rather than simply copied.