A Gem of a Small Nabataean Temple

Excavations at Khirbet et-Tannur in Jordan

by Marlena Whiting and Hannah Wellman

Book cover: A Gem of a Small Nabataean Temple

Extent: 48 pages

Publisher: Manar al-Athar, University of Oxford

Subjects: Ancient Near East

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(October 2016)

ISBN: 9780995494619

6.73 x 9.72 inches

Price: $14.95

In stock

Khirbet et-Tannur was a religious sanctuary of the Nabataeans, ancient Arabs whose capital was Petra in Jordan. Nelson Glueck’s 1937 excavation revealed fascinating finds of cult offerings and equipment; new research on those discoveries by a team of experts led by Judith McKenzie illuminates the religious practices and art of the Nabataeans.


Khirbet et-Tannur was a religious sanctuary of the Nabataeans, ancient Arabs whose capital was the rose-red rock-cut city of Petra in Jordan. Excavated in 1937, the temple sculptures from Khirbet et-Tannur are in important public collections of the Jordan Museum, Amman, and the Cincinnati Art Museum. Nelson Gluecks fascinating finds of cult offerings and equipment were buried deeply in the Harvard Semitic Museum until they were unearthed by scholars decades later in 2002. New research on those discoveries and the sites sculpture by an international team of experts, led by Judith McKenzie (Oxford), has illuminated the religious practices and art of the Nabataeans. This gem of a small Nabataean temple has a fascinating story.

  • By (author) Hannah Wellman
  • By (author) Marlena Whiting