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In 1974 the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (Deutsches Evangelisches Institut für Altertumswissenschaft des Heiligen Landes) uncovered the remains The worship of gods or goddesses as patrons and guardians of a city was an ancient oriental tradition, especially in Mesopotamia and Egypt. It dates back to the Bronze Age, during the third millennium B.C. This practice long predated the arrival of Alexander the Great to the East in 331 B.C. Each city state had its own god or goddess. He or she was the primary and most popular among other deities. He or she had to protect the city from enemies, attacks from other cities, and represent its needs to the other deities. This tradition transferred later to the Greeks and Romans. The goddess who played the city god or goddess role was often Tyche, as it was in the case of Gadara, the Greek/Roman predecessor of today's city of Umm Qais in Jordan.

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Scholars who have written about the city of Petra have concentrated on the history and archaeology of the city. And, while some of them have written about Nabataean religion, only few of them mentioned information about the holiness of the city; specifically, if it was worshiped as a deity. The aim of this study is to fulfil a gap in Nabataean religion in general and, in particular, re-examine the status of Petra in their religion. In addition to the archaeological evidence, such as buildings, art, and features, the study is based on written resources, such as historical sources and Nabataean inscriptions found in Petra and other cities.