Dear Sharon,
As-salamu alaykum
I will attempt to answer your questions as I have already done in my earlier post. However, please can I kindly ask you to remain patient and structure your questions clearly and succinctly. I am finding a lot of emotion in your questions which appear to be intertwined with opinions. This makes it very difficult for me to answer.
With any topic such as this, I believe the approach needs to be careful and methodical. Please kindly see my responses to what I understand are / were your questions.
[1] If the understanding of the 'Nabatean' people is of a community that existed in the few centuries around the 1st century AD, then this is not a reference to the people of Thamud that according to the Quran, lived before the time of Prophet Moses. It may well be that the Nabatean people originated from isolated generations / tribes from the people of Thamud (who were mainly destroyed with exceptions who were saved 27:53, 41:17-18; 11:66), but they will not be the specific people that the Quran refers to that incurred God's wrath.
[2] The Thamud carved many types of buildings structures (bayt) including dwellings (maskan). Please note that the sites at Petra and Mada'in Saleh do not simply have tombs. There are other types of structures as well including influences from earlier / other communities.
The Quran makes use of different terms to refer to what the people of Thamud created. 'Bayt' can refer to all sorts of buildings including tents, uninhabited houses, places of worships, ruins, privies and even possibly to tombs / graves (71:28).
[3] It is quite possible that the specific structures / dwellings that the Quran refers to belonging to the Thamud and were visible at the time of the Quran's revelation have now become obscured due to the passage of time. This can only be better confirmed if the entire site at Petra and Mada'in Saleh is excavated. Until then, we can only comment on the limited structures we can see. It appears that the theories that are widely accepted are built on current excavations and their particular focus on tombs.
[4] The reference in verse 89:9 in my humble view is a reference to the the people of Thamud. From the phrasing of the verse, it appears these sites / locations of the rock were known at the time of the Prophet / Quran's revelation. This is supported by verses 27:52 and 29:38.
[5] Verse 15:80 and the reference to 'Al Hijr' (The Rock) is once again, most likely another description to the numerous references in the Quran to the people of Thamud. It is within the style of the Quran to mention a certain well established reference in a unique way. For example, Prophet Yunus is referred to in an isolated manner in verse 21:87 as ‘Dhul'n-Nun’ (The one of the fish).
[6] The Quran makes it clear that the buildings / structures of destroyed communities have been occupied by subsequent generations for a short period of time (28:58). Even the Arabs were known to occupy buildings of destroyed communities (14:45) or at least have access to them (20:128). This appears to be a legacy of the Arabs. It is quite possible that the Nabateans also dwelt / made use of buildings that were once created by older communities.
[7] Finally, as a believer, and as someone who has come to conclude that the Quran is the word of God, I do not accept that the Quran contains any historic inaccuracies. If I may respectfully say so, I find this question of yours incredulous when I trust that you know my view on the Quran and my beliefs.
I hope this helps, God willing.
Regards,
Joseph