 <unk> in the largely desert region lived in by the Qedarites - such as Dedan , <unk> , and Dumah - played an important role as sites of settlement , trade , and <unk> @-@ places . Dumah , a remote desert city to the west , known later as <unk> Al @-@ <unk> and today as al @-@ <unk> , was the most important of these , sitting as it did between the empires of Babylonia and Assyria . Serving as the base for Qedarite religious ceremonies , Dumah 's strategic position on the north @-@ south trade route in the area meant that relations with its inhabitants were sought after by both empires , though Dumah and the Qedarites were closer in both geographical and political terms to Babylonia . Those coming from the south and wishing to access Mesopotamia were obliged to pass through Dumah , which also lay on an alternate route to the northwest , leading to the city of Damascus , and from there , on to Assyria and Anatolia . 
