Up to 20,000 Nabateans may have once lived here, but earthquakes in the fourth and eighth centuries destroyed most of the city; what remain today are only the sturdiest, most monumental tombs and temples.
The city looks almost the same today as it did in the fourth century.
mnli hypothesis: The city looks almost the same today as it did in the fourth century. premise: Up to 20,000 Nabateans may have once lived here, but earthquakes in the fourth and eighth centuries destroyed most of the city; what remain today are only the sturdiest, most monumental tombs and temples.