Mada'in Salih, a Nabataean town in north west Arabia : analysis and interpretation of the excavation 1986-1990
This research concerns Mada'in Salih, an archaeological site in north-west Saudi Arabia. Historically, it was part of the Nabataean kingdom which flourished in north west Arabia (Jordan, parts of Syria, Palestine and some parts of Saudi Arabia), with Petra in Jordan as its capital. The Nabataeans were famous for their trading role, as they transported frankincense and myrrh and exported balsam and bitumen. They built monumental tombs in Petra and Mada'in Salih as well as other public buildings such as temples theatres and baths. They were also famous for their skills in hydraulic engineering and the production of very thin, distinctively painted pottery. Mada'in Salih was an important station on the trade route which linked south Arabia with Mediterranean countries. The main feature of the site is the monumental tombs, which are about eighty in number, some of them dated and bearing inscriptions. Those inscriptions are in Aramaic and usually contain information about the owner name, legal rights, and occasionally the mason's name. Little was known about the site's history and other aspects such as the economy, culture, society and religions prior to the excavation. Various questions were raised which the thesis
Al-Talhi, Dhaifallah
CC Archaeology
Mada'in Salih, a Nabataean town in north west Arabia : analysis and interpretation of the excavation 1986-1990. This research concerns Mada'in Salih, an archaeological site in north-west Saudi Arabia. Historically, it was part of the Nabataean kingdom which flourished in north west Arabia (Jordan, parts of Syria, Palestine and some parts of Saudi Arabia), with Petra in Jordan as its capital. The Nabataeans were famous for their trading role, as they transported frankincense and myrrh and exported balsam and bitumen. They built monumental tombs in Petra and Mada'in Salih as well as other public buildings such as temples theatres and baths. They were also famous for their skills in hydraulic engineering and the production of very thin, distinctively painted pottery. Mada'in Salih was an important station on the trade route which linked south Arabia with Mediterranean countries. The main feature of the site is the monumental tombs, which are about eighty in number, some of them dated and bearing inscriptions. Those inscriptions are in Aramaic and usually contain information about the owner name, legal rights, and occasionally the mason's name. Little was known about the site's history and other aspects such as the economy, culture, society and religions prior to the excavation. Various questions were raised which the thesis
town north west arabia analysis_interpretation excavation concern archaeological_site north_west saudi_arabia historically part kingdom flourish north west arabia jordan part syria_palestine part saudi_arabia jordan capital famous trading role transport export bitumen build monumental tomb well public_building temple theatre bath also famous skill engineering production thin distinctively painted pottery important station trade_route link south arabia mediterranean country main_feature site monumental tomb eighty number date bearing inscription inscription aramaic usually contain information owner name legal right occasionally mason name little_known site history aspect economy_culture society religion prior excavation various question_raise