An/iconic idol

This square stele was found in one of the major temples of Petra, the desert capital carved from the rock by the Nabataeans. Located at the crossroads of the Classical Mediterranean and Arabian worlds, the Nabataean kingdom flourished in the first centuries (B)CE before being annexed into the Roman Empire in 106 CE. How does this historical setting explain the remarkable shape of this object, and what does the writing at the bottom tell us about the identity of the female figure—and of the Nabataeans themselves?