Wadi Rum

Is the home of the Hawataat Bedouin tribes. The descendants of Ishmael’s son, Nabaioth (Means: Prophecies) dwelt in Arabia. They became the dominant people of northwest Arabia (Genesis 25:13); (I Chronicles 1:29); (Isaiah 60:7). These descendants of Nabaioth became the Nabataeans. Esau married the sister of Nabaioth, making the Edomites and Nabataeans related (Genesis 28:9, 36:3). The ancient Assyrian name: Naba’aiti, was an Arab tribe from this area. The Nabataeans emerged from the deserts of Arabia in the sixth century before Christ. During Greco-Roman times they carved out a large empire, which lasted for a millenium, controlling the desert caravans. It extended from Arabia to Damascus (I1 Corinthians 11:32). During World War I, Lawrence of Arabia relied heavily on the Hawataat tribe from here. Today a few true nomadic Bedouins remain, and the area is famous for camel treks through the moon landscape.