NABATAEANS IN THE
NEGEV

The Bedouin tribes in the Negev and the Sinai
all trace their origins back to the Arabian Peninsula, somewhere
between the 14th and 17th centuries. According to Bedouin traditions
and historical evidence, these tribal ancestors came to the Negev
for three main reasons. Some, such as the Masa'id, Suwarka, Tyaha
and Ugbi, came in search of better pasturelands. Others such as the
Tarabin, Muwaytat and Ahaywat came in search of economic gain,
conveying and protecting Mecca-bound Muslims pilgrims between the
Suez and Aqaba. Many, such as the Ayada, Dhullam and Muzayna tribes
came fleeing from blood-revenge, often as a small clan, or even as
individuals. Most of these tribes have a history in the Arabian
Peninsula that goes back more than 1500 years. Why do I mention
this? Because this ancient pattern of tribes moving from Arabia into
the Negev can be traced even farther back, to the Nabataean
people.

For
many years, previous to 200 BC, the Nabataeans had slowly emigrated from
their homeland in Arabia into the Negev. While they did not abandon their
Arabian roots, they slowly expanded into the Sinai and Negev Peninsula. It
is interesting to note, that after 106 AD, Nabataean influence in the
Sinai and Negev began to wane, and other tribes slowly gained
predominance. Eventually those tribes disappeared and the modern Bedouin
tribes migrated in. However, today, many Bedouin tribes are moving out of
the Sinai and Negev, and others, such as Egyptians and Israelis are the
principle occupiers.

Why has there been a continual migration of groups through the Negev?
In ancient times, the Deserts of Arabia grew slowly harsher and drier. As
pasturelands disappeared through drought, the tribes of Arabia would move
into Sinai and Negev, seeking better lands. They could not enter the
farmlands of what is now southern Jordan, for the kingdom of Edom held a
long grip on these fertile hills. They could not emigrate farther north
than the Negev, because the Israelite nation firmly held the lush green
hills of Judea. They could not immigrate into Egypt, for that land was
held by the Egyptians of old.

On the other hand, the Sinai and Negev were considered desert and
wilderness by the nations that surrounded them. They held little interest
in what tribe currently held sway in that area, and thus, the Sinai and
Negev were left to subjugation of the tribes of Arabia. There was,
however, some concern about raiding. In order to combat the tribal menace
from Arabia, the nations that bordered on the desert built walls and forts
to protect themselves. The Egyptians built a wall on the border of Egypt
and Sinai to protect their border. The Edomites built a wall along their
eastern boarder, and eventually the Moabites incorporated walls into their
line of fortifications that faced the desert. As far back as Gideon in the
Old Testament, tribes came raiding from the desert. (Joshua ?:??)

And so it is that the Nabataeans like the Arabian tribes before and
after them, began to slowly move out of the Arabian Desert and into the
Sinai and Negev region. Diodorus tells us that as far back as 250 BC,
Nabataean villages had sprung up along the shores of the Red Sea, and at
important oasis in the desert. These small settlements would eventually
grow to become important trade cities, located along the ancient trade
routes that crisscrossed the wilderness. As the Nabataeans moved from
being a nomadic people to being civilization builders, they applied their
skills in water collection, so that they could provide their caravan
stations with water. These water systems were expanded as the caravan
stations grew in size, and eventually became small cities in their own
right.

Mampsis

Nessana

Ruheiba

Avdat

Elusa

Gaza

Shivta

Bibliography

Gibson, Dan, The Nabataeans, Builders of Petra, CanBooks,
Saskatchewan, Canada 2002

Gibson, Dan, The Nabataean Collection, CanBooks, Saskatchewan,
Canada, 2003

Glueck, Nelson, Rivers in the Desert, A history of the Negev,
The Norton Library, W. W. Norton & Company Inc, New York, 1959,
1968

Levy, Udi, The Lost Civilization of Petra, Bath Press Color
Books, Glasgow, 1999

Petra (A
complete section in itself)

Bostra

Nabataens
in the Negev

Wadi
Rumm

Mampsis

Aila

Mampsis
Photos

Humeima

Nessana

Meda'in
Saleh

Ruheiba

Meda'in
Saleh: Tombs: Exteriors and Interiors

Avdat

Meda'in
Saleh: Tomb Decorations, Falcons, Faces, etc

Elusa

Meda'in
Saleh: Niches, Altars and God Blocks

Gaza

Ma'an

Shivta

Leuce
Come

The
Wall

Where was
Leuce Come? by Bob Lebling

Negev
Wall

A
Possible Solution for Leuce-Come By Dan Gibson

Sela

South
Forts

Archeological sites in Saudi
Arabia

More
South Forts