A Nabataean shrine to Isis in Wādī Abū ʿUllayqah, in the south-west of Petra
Abstract
The Nabataean sanctuary of Isis in Wādī Abū ʿUllayqah is located at the foot of Jabal Hārūn in the south-west of Petra, on the route to Egypt via Wādī ʿArabah, the Negev, and the Sinai. The wadi is divided in two parts by a waterfall. In the upper part, terraces on both sides of the wadi bed present various archaeological remains, including a niche containing a headless statue of the goddess Isis and traces of rock-cut and masonry structures. Dozens of unpublished Nabataean inscriptions — mostly short graffiti — as well as drawings of feet, are engraved on the terraces along the wadi or on the rock faces. Among them, an inscription is dedicated to Isis and another one mentions a 'servant' of Isis. Next to it, a three-line inscription was engraved by a scribe who mentions a physician as companion and colleague. This inscription must be related to two biclinia used for ritual banquets (marzeah). The mention of a physician suggests that Isis was worshipped there as a healing goddess, a function mentioned in an Isiac litany of the second century AD. The bottom of the wadi bed could have been used as a pool for ritual baths. The lower part of the wadi has two niches with eye betyls as well as other Nabataean inscriptions. This paper will deal with the name and iconography of Isis in Petra, the cultural links with Egypt, the rituals associated with the cult of Isis in Petra, and her connection with the Nabataean deities al-ʿUzzā and Dūšarā. The origin of the worshippers, the meaning of the different formulas, and the chronology of the site will also be briefly presented.
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Archaeopress Publishing, Oxford, UK