Karak Resources Project

The Via Nova was part of a larger system of roads that linked each part of the Roman Empire. It was built in order to consolidate and secure the newly annexed Nabataean territory into the eastern part of the Empire. It was built by soldiers and designed to last. In fact, it was used for the movement of troops, officials, goods, and equipment for at least four centuries. It generally followed the previously established route of the king’s highway, and, because of the natural topography, the same route with some variations continues to be used by modern travelers in Jordan. The New Way of Trajan joined the Roman provincial capital at Bostra with the important port at Aila, but also linked several key points in between including Karak and Rabba (Areopolis) on the Karak plateau. It was a vital route that linked Roman N. Africa with Syria and Asia Minor while also physically demonstrating the importance of this region to the Roman authorities.