Nabataean religion

She was venerated in the city of Petra, where her cult was mainly focused on the Quraysh and the Hurad valley north of Mecca.

Still, most evidence supports the conclusion that this deity was female, for there are betyls of Al-Kutba that are similar in design to those of Al-'Uzza.

Many of the Nabataean deities were being connected with Greco-Roman gods and goddesses, especially during the time that Nabataea was under Roman influence.

There are other processional ways that could have been linked to the so-called high-places, such as el-Madh-bah, by passing the "Roman Soldier" tomb, the "Garden Temple", the Lion monument, a rock-cut altar, before arriving at the high place.

[2] Nabataeans would visit the tombs of relatives and had ritual feasting and would fill the space with incense and perfumed oils.

[12] All of the religious sites at these locations are in varying states of preservation, making it difficult to know which deities would have been worshiped at specific shrines, altars, and temples.

Very little archeological remains of any form of Nabataean cult worship, temples, shrines, or altars have been found.

Religious practice here focused mostly on the deified Obodas I, who gained fame from reclaimed lands in the Negev from Alexander Jannaeus, causing the formation of a “King’s cult.” There are at least two documented Nabataean temple complex atop the acropolis, the smaller of the two being dedicated to the deified Obodas III.

Modern building make it difficult to find archaeological evidence of Nabataean cult worship.

An inscription that reads “This is the wall which ... and windows which Taymu bar ... built for…Dushara and the rest of the gods of Bostra” is located on what is thought to be this temple.

At the back of the cella was the motab and betyl, a square podium flanked by stairs which was the seat of the divine.

Located within the Shara Mountains, Dushara was the primary male god accompanied by the female trinity: Al-'Uzzá, Allat, and Manāt.

[14] The podium within the Temple of the Winged Lion housed the altar, where sacrifices would have been made, or the betyl of the worshiped deity.

[15] Based on the idols and imagery found within the Temple of the Winged Lion, it is theorized to be dedicated to Dushara.

[14] Hawara Temple with 20m long processional way which leads to a courtyard with a view of Jebel Qalkha.

A Cult ritual circle on top of the mountain Jibel Ithlib rests on a rocky outcropping.

[2][12] In 2023, an underwater archaeological survey of the port of Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli, Italy) uncovered a submerged Nabataean temple.

The temple appears to have been constructed using local Roman-style materials and technqiues, and have included inscriptions in Latin, suggesting a level of integration between Nabataean merchants and the Roman community.

Inscriptions found at the site, such as "Dusari sacrum," indicate that the temple served as a place of worship dedicated to Dushara.

The temple is believed to have been reached its end when it was filled with concrete following the establishment of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea in AD 106, which marked the decline of Nabataean trade.

While others, like Petra, would have carvings, monuments, sculpture, betyls, and occasionally obelisks lining the processional way.

Greek, Roman, Persian, Egyptian, and Syrian elements of temple design can be seen to varying degrees of incorporation.

[19] Grooves in the floors of niches and holes in the tops of altars have led to the conclusion that betyls may have been stored for safe-keeping then transported to the worship site.

[17] Offerings of libations (most probably wine) and incense played an important role in Nabataean communal worship.

Whilst Porphyry’s De Abstenentia reports that, in Dumat Al-Jandal, a boy was sacrificed annually and buried underneath an altar, there is no evidence directly linking the Nabataeans and human sacrifice.

It has been noted that the presence of two inscriptions to Dushara-A’ra dated in the month of Nisan could indicate a spring festival.

[20] The famous rock-cut tombs of the Nabataeans were not decorated just for show, they were meant to be comfortable homes for the dead.

that should not be undertaken as well as detail fines and punishments for those who ignore curses etched into the inscriptions on the face of the tomb.

The inscriptions of Mada'in Saleh and other large Nabataean cities name both the owners and curses as well as the types of people who are supposed to be buried in the tomb.

Known grave goods include an alabaster jug found at Mamphis and assorted vessels left over from funerary feasts.