550
PAUL F. HOYE
If that were the case, however, it would leave the major question about
Mada'in Salih unanswered: What happened to it?
It is logical that with the decline of the incense trade—after the Romans
conquered the Nabateans—Petra would have declined. It also seems reasonable that if Mada'in Salih were a small outpost of nomads, it, too,
would have vanished with the end of the incense trade. But if there were
a large agricultural settlement there, why would it disappear? The fortunes
of Al 'Ula were also dependent on incense, but because of its agriculture
it survives to this day: So what happened?
No one can answer that question with any dependable degree of certainty, but there might be a clue in the Koranic story of the prophet Salih
in which an "earthquake" shook the valley to punish the villagers for rejecting God's prophet. Geologists see no evidence of an earthquake in
Mada'in Salih. But the Koranic word translated "earthquake" can also
mean "a calamity from God." Couldn't it have been, for example, a plague
that drove the Nabateans away forever?
The only honest answer, of course, is: No one knows. This is why
Mada'in Salih is perhaps the most fascinating part of the story of the
Nabateans.
ACKNO WLEDGM ENTS
The material of this chapter appeared in a special issue (Arabia the Beautiful)
of Aramco World, Vol. 16 (No. 5) September-October, 1965. The editor is indebted
to the Arabian American Oil Company, Inc. for the use of this material. Some
minor changes in text have been made by the editor, for which he is solely responsible. All photographs in this chapter are by Burnett H. Moody, Chief Photographer of the Arabian American Oil Company, Inc.
PAUL F. HOYE
If that were the case, however, it would leave the major question about
Mada'in Salih unanswered: What happened to it?
It is logical that with the decline of the incense trade—after the Romans
conquered the Nabateans—Petra would have declined. It also seems reasonable that if Mada'in Salih were a small outpost of nomads, it, too,
would have vanished with the end of the incense trade. But if there were
a large agricultural settlement there, why would it disappear? The fortunes
of Al 'Ula were also dependent on incense, but because of its agriculture
it survives to this day: So what happened?
No one can answer that question with any dependable degree of certainty, but there might be a clue in the Koranic story of the prophet Salih
in which an "earthquake" shook the valley to punish the villagers for rejecting God's prophet. Geologists see no evidence of an earthquake in
Mada'in Salih. But the Koranic word translated "earthquake" can also
mean "a calamity from God." Couldn't it have been, for example, a plague
that drove the Nabateans away forever?
The only honest answer, of course, is: No one knows. This is why
Mada'in Salih is perhaps the most fascinating part of the story of the
Nabateans.
ACKNO WLEDGM ENTS
The material of this chapter appeared in a special issue (Arabia the Beautiful)
of Aramco World, Vol. 16 (No. 5) September-October, 1965. The editor is indebted
to the Arabian American Oil Company, Inc. for the use of this material. Some
minor changes in text have been made by the editor, for which he is solely responsible. All photographs in this chapter are by Burnett H. Moody, Chief Photographer of the Arabian American Oil Company, Inc.