Unicode Block - Nabataean

Nabataean is a historical script used between roughly the second century BCE and the fourth century CE by the Nabataean people, who controlled a kingdom centered around Petra in modern-day Jordan. This writing system, derived from Aramaic, served as the foundation for later Arabic script, and its characters were typically carved into stone for monumental inscriptions, though it also appeared on papyri and coins. The encoded characters in this range include letters, punctuation, and numbers, reflecting a right-to-left directionality and a cursive style that evolved from earlier Semitic forms. Preserving this script aids scholars in studying the language, trade, and cultural interactions of the Nabataean civilization, offering a crucial link between ancient Aramaic and the development of modern Arabic writing.