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Hawara was the name given by the Nabataeans to the place they founded in the 1st century BC, which Greek historians changed to Auara and became the Latin Hauarra with the Roman conquerors. The present Arabic name al-Humayma originated in early Islamic times.

Among archaeologists, Humayma is considered one of the most interesting ancient sites in Jordan, with its Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains. From the early 1st century BC to the mid-8th century AD, the site was an important trading post and, for a long time, a garrison on Transjordan's main north-south route between Syria and the Red Sea. The fairly well preserved extensive water supply system is an excellent example of the Nabataeans' technological skills in this field. However, relatively few tourists stop at Humayma on their way from Petra to Wadi Rum, although it is only 10 km from the Desert Highway and easy to reach (see location).

The settlement was probably founded in the early 80s of the 1st century BC by the Nabataean prince - or already King - Aretas III (ruled 87 - ca. 62 BC). Fragments of a founding myth, recorded by the Greek-speaking author Uranius, have survived in the Ethnica of Stephanus of Byzantium. According to this, Prince Aretas received an oracle prophecy from his father, King Obodas I ( ca. 96 - 87 BC), commanding him to seek a white place. Aretas had been wandering and lying in wait until he saw a white-clad rider on a white camel. "When the apparition had vanished, a rock arose of its own accord, rooted in the ground, and there he founded the city." [complete text]

The Nabataean name of the settlement Hawara (Greek: Auara) means "white", which is also preserved in the Arabic version al-Humayma. The archaeologist Barbara Reeves, head of the excavations as of 2008, has an interesting hypothesis: the oracle does not refer the color white to the ground or the rock that is supposed to have come to light and by which is certainly meant the by no means white summit of Jebel Qalkha with its striking notch. King Obodas I may have had the intention with the oracle spell to find a suitable place for a permanent settlement on the route of the caravans through the Hisma Desert, and for this sufficient water is the basic prerequisite. During the excavations, ancient seeds of wild plants that bloom white after the rain were found, including white broom (Retama raetam) in particular. So it would stand to reason that Prince Aretas should find a place where the desert blooms white. [Reeves, 2009, p. 327]