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ERIC LAFFORGUE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; NESNAD, CC BY 4.0, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

LEADING FAMILY. One of the largest oases of North Arabia, Tayma was an ancient commercial and economic hub along the famed incense road. Since antiquity, the oasis has survived thanks in large measure to this capacious well, called Bir Haddaj. An Aramaic stela written in Nabatean script mentions individuals with biblical names—a clear sign the family had Jewish heritage. Dated to 203 CE, the memorial inscription belongs to Isaiah, who served as city councilor, while his father, Joseph, bore the title “chief citizen,” meaning that he had served as mayor of Tayma. Their ancestors, therefore, must have arrived in Tayma around the time of the Bar-Kokhba Revolt (132–135 CE), which allowed the family most of a century to make a place for itself within the local community.