The Nabatean history started as early as the 6 th or 5 th century BCE. During the 2 nd century BCE, the Nabateans became a kingdom, taking an advantage of the twilight time between the fading Hellenistic world and the rising of the Roman Empire (similar the Kingdom of the Hasmoneans story). The historian Diodorus from the 1 st century BCE tell us that the Nabateans were an Arab tribe, better than all the other Arab tribes. They were nomads who did not build houses, sow the fields, or plant trees. They also avoided the drinking of wine. The Nabateans raised sheep and herded camels, which drove them to lead convoys loaded with myrrh, frankincense, and precious spices from Aden in the south of the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean ports. The Nabataeans mastered the desert better than any other nation. In 25 BCE, the Romans tried to capture the Nabatean Kingdom to take control of the very profitable Arabian trade; they failed. The Romans opened an alternative route to the profitable myrrh and frankincense trade, which caused the Nabatean economy to collapse and their overwhelming wealth to dissolve. The Nabateans changed their economy to desert agriculture and horse breeding, raising the equine species known as the Arabian horse. In 106 AD, the last Nabatean king, King Rabbel II, died and the Nabateans became part of the Roman Empire. In the mid-4th century AD, the Nabateans converted to Christianity. During the 8th century AD, the Nabatean cities were gradually abandoned, without destruction. Today, you can find in the Negev desert, along the Incense Route, a number of Nabateans fortress, caravanserai, and towns: Moa, Nekarot, Ein Saharonim, Makhmal, Avdat , Haluza, Rehovot, Mamshit , Shivta and Nizana