Who were the Nabataeans?

[White Israelite]

I've been reading up about Herod The Great and wikipedia claims he was a Nabataean. I've read about Nabataeans and it looks like they built cities into mountains and what not, I seen a few pictures from Jordan and the Negev Desert in Israel. What was their status with the original Israelites?

I can barely find any information about them.

[Yochai]

Herod's mother was Nabatean and his father was an Edomite, if I am not mistaken.

Nabateans were pretty much the precursor to Arabs.  They spoke a language similar to Arabic.

[White Israelite]

Herod's mother was Nabatean and his father was an Edomite, if I am not mistaken.

Nabateans were pretty much the precursor to Arabs.  They spoke a language similar to Arabic.

Weren't the Arabs originally from the Arabian peninsula? I thought they had little presence until the Islamic revolution other than a few nomads (like the bedouin)

[Yochai]

Herod's mother was Nabatean and his father was an Edomite, if I am not mistaken.

Nabateans were pretty much the precursor to Arabs.  They spoke a language similar to Arabic.

Weren't the Arabs originally from the Arabian peninsula? I thought they had little presence until the Islamic revolution other than a few nomads (like the bedouin)

The Nabateans were the Northern Arabs, and although they did descend from Arabia, the Nabateans I am pretty sure were the descendants of traders who made their way north.

[White Israelite]

Herod's mother was Nabatean and his father was an Edomite, if I am not mistaken.

Nabateans were pretty much the precursor to Arabs.  They spoke a language similar to Arabic.

Weren't the Arabs originally from the Arabian peninsula? I thought they had little presence until the Islamic revolution other than a few nomads (like the bedouin)

The Nabateans were the Northern Arabs, and although they did descend from Arabia, the Nabateans I am pretty sure were the descendants of traders who made their way north.

I see, I didn't think Arabs ever had a presence in the Levant. I figured it was mainly Israelites, Canaanites, Moabites, Amalekites, Amorites, etc.

[AsheDina]

Is this Petra in Israel??