Gobustan- an archaeological reserve in Azerbaijan, south of Baku, on the territory of the Karadag and Absheron regions, which is a plain located between the southeastern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range and the Caspian Sea, and part of which is a cultural landscape of rock paintings located on an area of ​​537 hectares.

The name “Gobustan” itself comes from the Azerbaijani word “gobu”, which translates as “beam”. Thus, Gobustan is a land of ravines and gullies.

The monuments of Gobustan are divided into two groups:

1) rock paintings;
2) ancient sites and other objects.

In 2007, the cultural landscape of Gobustan rock paintings was included in the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.

Geography

The reserve's territory of 3096 hectares is a vast low-mountain area between the southeastern spurs of the Greater Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. It is crossed by ravines and dry valleys. From the north, Gobustan is limited by the southern continuation of the Main Caucasus Range, in the west by the valley of the Pirsaatchay River, in the south by the Mishovdag and Kharami mountains, and in the east by the shores of the Caspian Sea and the Absheron Peninsula. The length from north to south is 100 km, from west to east - up to 80 km.

The largest mud volcanoes in the Caucasus are located here. The main river is Jeyrankechmez. On Mount Boyukdash there are also springs and wells fed by groundwater from limestone deposits and precipitation. The climate within the reserve is dry subtropical, with relatively mild winters and hot summers. Short-term spring and autumn rains are observed, after which the flora and fauna revive.

Flora and fauna

The flora of Gobustan is typical of desert and semi-desert vegetation. It consists of grasses and shrubs, wormwood and similar perennials. Among the heaps of stones and rocks there are rose hips, dwarf cherry, honeysuckle, juniper, wild pears, wild rice, wild pomegranate, grapes and some other types of trees and shrubs.

Over the past decades, the fauna of Gobustan has become greatly impoverished. The natural inhabitants of Gobustan now include rare foxes, jackals, wolves, hares and wild cats, mountain partridges, wild pigeons, larks, along with numerous snakes and lizards.

Cave drawings

Every year, tourists from all over the world visit Gobustan to see with their own eyes the works of art of our distant ancestors. The walls of the Gobustan caves are decorated with a huge number of rock paintings, on which you can see not only animals, birds, reptiles, insects, fish that lived in this area for thousands of years, but also people - figures of men and women.

These drawings date back to the eighth millennium BC, that is, the Neolithic period.

At that time, matriarchy flourished in the tribes. These ancient people worshiped a woman; for them she was the personification of warmth, prosperity and the continuer of the family. Human figures were depicted in full height, men in hunter's garb, armed with bows and arrows, while women were often tattooed.

The drawings show that people then were tall, slender and muscular. The only clothes they wore were loincloths.

The famous writer and traveler Thor Heyerdahl became so interested in the rock paintings in the caves of Gobustan that he visited these places several times.

Having studied various materials, in particular how boats are depicted in the drawings in Gobustan, he compared them with images of boats in Norway. Having found quite a lot in common, he Over time, people evolved and improved and, naturally, this was reflected in their rock art. The changes affected the image technique and dimensions.

When the Neolithic period was replaced by the Bronze Age, cave paintings significantly decreased, people stopped drawing them in life-size.

Tambourine stone Gavaldash

One of the most interesting sights of Gobustan is the tambourine stone, which the locals call “Gavaldash”. It is located in the northeast, at the foot of Mount Jingirdag.

It is interesting because when you hit it it makes different sounds. Moreover, you need to hit it with other stones, and depending on the size of the stone, the ringing sound made by Gavaldash will vary. According to one version, this stone was something like an alarm signal or even just a musical instrument that helped carry out certain rituals.

Mount Boyuk-dash

Mount Boyuk-dash is also noteworthy. At its foot in the first century AD an inscription appeared in Latin. This is clear evidence that Roman legions passed through here at one time. This inscription looks like this:

Imp DomitianoCaesare avgGermanicL JuliusMaximusLeg XII Ful.

If we translate this into our language, we get the following phrase: “The time of Emperor Domitian Caesar Augustus of Germany, Lucius Julius Maximus, Centurion of the XII Lightning Legion.”

From this we can conclude that this inscription was made by a centurion of the twelfth detachment of this particular legion, destroyed by the inhabitants of Absheron.

Gobustan Nature Reserve on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Due to its significance for the whole world, the Gobustan Nature Reserve was submitted by the government of Azerbaijan in 2002 for consideration for inclusion in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Just 5 years later, in 2007, it was already included in this list of the most significant cultural and historical monuments of the world.

The Gobustan Nature Reserve and its attractions began to be studied back in the distant year one thousand nine hundred and thirty-nine, and continue to this day.

Now Gobustan is a unique heritage of Azerbaijan with the status of a monument of world significance. It preserves the history of life, work, work and entertainment of primitive tribes.

How to behave in a nature reserve

If you decide to visit Gobustan, then you definitely need to remember these simple rules and follow them so as not to harm the nature and attractions of the reserve.

  • You should not pick mushrooms, berries, plants, flowers. It is better to leave everything as it is - in its original form.
  • Only photographs of the surrounding beauty can be taken out as souvenirs.
  • Don't litter! Be sure to take all trash with you. Otherwise, the purity of the reserve will be at risk.
  • You cannot leave any inscriptions on the walls of caves, rocks, or even on signs.

The Gobustan Nature Reserve is spread over a vast territory and tourist routes are laid across this territory for citizens all over the world.

Reserve address

Baku city, territory of the Karadag region, southeast of the Gobustan massif of the Greater Caucasus.

Yes, and in Gobustan, in the open air, there are rock paintings of ancient people. It's not every day you see something like this - art that has been transported through the centuries! Petroglyphs - rock paintings of Gobustan are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mud volcanoes of Gobustan | Azerbaijan

How to get to the Gobustan mud volcanoes from Baku, map

The distance from Baku to Gobustan is only 60-70 km. As mentioned above, there is no road to the mud volcanoes from the highway, as such, but taxi drivers drive there. And the queen of these roads is Her Majesty Six! In general, when leaving Baku for Gobustan and other areas, you understand that the most popular vehicles, which you don’t mind ruining on the local off-road, are the brainchild of the Soviet automobile industry: sixes and other basins. Of course, there are other cars, for example, we arrived in a Hundai Tuscan taxi, a golden Chrysler with Arabs drove past us, but still the vast majority of cars that come to the volcanoes are sixes.


The volcanoes themselves are located about 10 km south of the city of Gobustan. The map shows their location.

There are different ways to get here from Baku. The most comfortable way is to take a taxi or an excursion from Baku. Excursions cost about $40 per person and can be purchased directly in the old city of Baku. But since we prefer individual travel, our friend Katya ordered us a taxi from the 189 service. Over the phone, she explained that we wanted to drive from Baku from the Four Seasons Hotel to the mud volcanoes and spend 30 minutes there, stop at the Gobustan Archaeological Reserve for 2 hours and return to Baku to the Heydar Aliyev Center. The taxi dispatcher immediately calculated the cost of the trip - it came out to 76 manats. We went together, i.e. 38 manats per person, but if there were more of us, it would be even cheaper.

Any taxi driver in Azerbaijan is also a tour guide. This shows a hospitable, caring attitude towards one’s work, and sometimes, hope for tips. Sometimes, such excessive care is a little annoying, and sometimes communication results in sincere affection. At least in Azerbaijan we have never had a neutral meeting with a taxi driver. Each taxi driver remains in our long memory. Apparently this happens because all the roads were not close, and the people were interesting. And you, do you remember that taxi driver who took you a month ago?

On the way, our taxi driver talked about the landscapes passing outside the window and what was currently being built near Baku. For example, this is a city on the sea Khazar Islands! The project includes many islands with residential buildings and associated infrastructure. Construction began back in 2011.

You can see the future city here video :

It is not for nothing that Azerbaijan is called the “land of fires”; oil production and lights are found everywhere along the route.



We also came across a lonely lighthouse on our way.


There is another option to get to the volcanoes. You can get to the parking lot of those same sixes at the fork near the highway by rental car or taxi, if you or the taxi driver are sorry to torment the car off-road. This place on the map is the top point. The bottom mark shows the place where the off-road begins.

At this fork there are a bunch of taxi drivers in sixes and for 20 manats they will take you there and back. It is about 6 km one way. The most economical ones, of course, can go on foot, but this is a thankless task, there are no signs, and under the hot sun it is completely unsafe.


Those who do not want to spend money on a taxi can be offered to get to Gobustan by public transport. Bus 195 runs all the way to the city and further along the highway past the volcanoes. It goes from the stop Bina Shopping centre, which is located opposite Shikhova Beach, where we went for a swim. To get to this shopping center from Baku you need to take bus 125 near the Baku Railway Station and the 28 May metro station. But I want to say right away that while the 125 bus is still quite comfortable, the 195 bus has no air conditioning and only has open windows. I definitely couldn’t stand driving it for an hour in the heat! The fare on bus 125 is 0.2 manats with a Baku card, on bus 195 - 0.8 manats. After bus 195, you will either use the services of taxi drivers at the fork, or set off on foot yourself if you find the strength. But even by taxi the road is not much fun; there are lots of potholes and impassable roads. And at the very end you will find a long and very steep climb up the mountain. There was a feeling that the car would not be able to cope with the load, would stall and roll down, but everything turned out okay. And all our worries were not in vain - we saw the famous volcanoes!


Excursion to the mud volcanoes of Gobustan

Can dirt be beautiful? It turned out that it could! Mud volcanoes are a miracle that is truly mesmerizing! Azerbaijan ranks first in the world in the number of active mud volcanoes. When you see them in Gobustan, it seems that they are cute cuties who, as the foreign tourists next to us said, say: “Puk-puk!”, the most they can do is splash you with mud. But in fact, over the past 20 years, approximately 200 major mud volcano eruptions have occurred in Azerbaijan! There were even accidents, albeit a long time ago. For example, during the eruption in 1902, six shepherds and two thousand heads of cattle died - the slurry swallowed! What a horror!

Fortunately, mud volcanoes are located far from populated areas. Most of these areas are protected, and people are strictly prohibited from entering there without special permission. And there is even a large fine - for individuals the amount is 400-600 manats, and for officials - from two to four thousand manats. That’s why there is no good paved road to the volcanoes, and in fact, there is no official road there at all. But tourists and local residents still go to the volcanoes located near the city of Gobustan and the Gobustan Nature Reserve - they are not as dangerous as others, they are close. But all the same, in bad weather or after rain you simply cannot get there - the dirt road through the fields turns into mush! We were very lucky with the weather. At the beginning of June there is still no such wild heat, although our taxi driver said that it was still cool to walk around. Well, I don’t know, for us +26 is already hot!


The place where the volcanoes are located is truly mystical. The wind is blowing there, the Caspian Sea is visible in the distance as a turquoise stripe, and next to you they are talking - mud volcanoes. You can look at this endlessly! How a gray mass of mud gurgles, then swells into a ball, which, in the end, bursts and tries to splash you!


It’s like you can see the breath of the earth! I had a similar feeling when looking at the fumaroles on the Teide volcano. What is the essence of mud volcanoes? These compressed gaseous hydrocarbons erupt from the depths of the earth under high pressure, causing the mud to seethe and boil.


This type of volcanoes is found mainly in oil-bearing and volcanic areas, which is why there are so many of them in Azerbaijan. By the way, there are mud volcanoes in Russia too - on the Taman Peninsula.


The volcanoes here form real cone-shaped hills with a crater (just like big ones!) - mud hills.

The mud of volcanoes is saturated with minerals and is used in cosmetology and medical practice. Therefore, some tourists “recover” right on the spot by dipping their hands into the mouth of the volcano. But if you want to undergo this procedure, you need to take a large bottle of water with you, the dirt is very difficult to wash off. Well, think about shoes and clothes so as not to spoil expensive and beautiful things.


After examining the small volcanoes, we went to the largest volcano. Our old friend, a golden Chrysler, was already standing next to him.


Having climbed the volcano, we saw a crater about 3 meters in diameter with numerous bubbles. This volcano was already much more serious than its smaller brothers and even gurgled so much that it splashed Serezha’s jeans.


Behind this volcano there is a lake, in which they say you can even swim, but we didn’t dare.


The thirty minutes we planned for visiting the volcanoes was basically enough; we looked at everything and took a bunch of photos. Tourists from group excursions and individual tourists walk around. A lot of foreigners! These were Europeans and Arabs, but there were practically no Russian tourists.

If you turn away from the people nearby and don’t look towards the Caspian Sea, you can feel like you’re on the surface of Mars or the Moon, the local landscapes are so unusual. No wonder they are called the wonder of the world!


Allow at least half a day for your trip to the volcanoes and, of course, combine it with a visit to the Gobustan archaeological reserve, which will be discussed below. Our trip from Baku and back took about 4.5 hours. Volcanoes captivated our hearts, and we recommend visiting them!

Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve

How to get to the Gobustan Nature Reserve, map

After visiting the mud volcanoes, we went to get acquainted with ancient rock paintings in the Gobustan Nature Reserve. It is located north of the volcanoes and from the city of Gobustan. From the highway to the reserve museum it is about 6 km. You can get to the reserve by taxi, rented car or as part of an excursion group. Tours usually depart at 10 am from Baku. For example, Baku tours offers an excursion to the Gobustan Nature Reserve, the Ateshgah Fire Temple and the Yanardag (Burning Mountain) Nature Reserve from $21 to $60 per person. For those who want to save money, we can again offer the 195 bus, which was mentioned above - you come to Gobustan on it and walk these 6 km. Or local taxi drivers will take you by taxi to the museum from the highway (taking into account the waiting for you at the museum, this service costs around 45 manats).


About Gobustan Nature Reserve

Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve (Qobustan dövlət tarixi-bədii qoruğu) is spread over an area of ​​3000 hectares. The name “Gobustan” means “edge of ravines” (from gobu - depression, ravine, well; stan - edge, land, side). When you look at the landscapes of the reserve, it seems as if ancient giants scattered stones along the mountain slopes descending to the turquoise Caspian Sea. On this plain, located between the southeastern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range and the Caspian Sea, people lived in the Stone Age and until the Middle Ages. They left behind many ancient sites, inhabited caves, tombstones and, of course, rock paintings, which are concentrated in the mountains of Gobustan under the names Boyukdash, Kichikdash, Jingirdag, Shongardag and Shikhgaya.


In 2007, the cultural landscape of Gobustan rock paintings was included in the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.

Routes of the Gobustan Nature Reserve

There are several excursion routes for tourists in the reserve:

  1. Main excursion route. The excursion includes:
    1. Information about rock art and monuments of Gobustan in the museum building. Familiarization with archaeological exhibits;
    2. Familiarization with petroglyphs dating from different periods, as well as with the caves “Ana-zaga”, “Okuzler” and “Ovchular” on the upper terrace of Mount Boyukdash;
    3. Gavaldash;
    4. Cup recesses.
  2. Excursion route of the lower terrace of Mount Boyukdash, which includes:
    1. Roman inscription;
    2. Familiarization with petroglyphs dating from different periods on the lower terrace of Mount Boyukdash;
    3. Gavaldash;
    4. Bronze Age monument, “Daira” settlement.
  3. Entertaining and intellectual game “Ovchu” (for children 7-12 years old). The excursion includes:
    1. Information about rock art and monuments of Gobustan in the museum building. Familiarization with archaeological exhibits;
    2. Interactive game “Ovchu” on the upper terrace of Mount Boyukdash.

The cost of visiting the reserve without an excursion for local citizens is 2 manats, for foreigners it is 5 manats and 1 manat must be paid for parking a car. Excursion tickets cost 10 manats for the museum, 10 manats for the upper terrace of Boyukdash Mountain, or 15 manats if you take everything together.

There is a good asphalt road leading to the museum of the reserve, and you won’t miss the turn to the museum’s parking lot and the excursion route around the reserve; there is such a noticeable sign here:

There is a ticket office and parking near the museum. We decided to take tickets for an independent exploration, since we did not have time for a long excursion and wanted to take photographs in the landscapes of Gobustan.

Excursion to the museum of the Gobustan reserve

First we visited the museum, which was very interesting and interactive! The new museum building opened in 2012. The museum building is integrated into the surrounding landscape and is equipped with the latest technology.


Lobby

The museum has 2 floors, on which there are several halls of different themes. Level 1 is above ground and level 0 is underground. When entering the museum you find yourself on the 1st level in the lobby. The lobby is where visitors are introduced to the museum and its theme—petroglyphs. Images of Gobustan petroglyphs can be seen on the walls and ceiling of the hall.


Gobustan - UNESCO World Cultural Heritage

The exhibitions in this hall demonstrate the fact that the complex of the rock historical and artistic landscape of Gobustan is part of the rich heritage of rock art not only of Azerbaijan, but of the whole world.

Archaeological discoveries in Gobustan

Knowledge about Gobustan was obtained as a result of precise research and analysis of petroglyphs, as well as evidence discovered by scientists during archaeological expeditions. Since the 1940s, continuously ongoing scientific activities have already become part of the history of Gobustan.


Time travel

Before the first people settled in Gobustan, the climate, environment, population and cultural development underwent great changes. This room demonstrates the scale of these changes. Here we saw the most important events that took place in Gobustan and in general in the history of Azerbaijan, starting from the era of dinosaurs.


On one of the screens we saw Stonehenge, which is located near Salisbury in the UK, and remembered how we drove past it in . Also similar circles of stones on the Orkney Islands of Scotland came to mind.

And on these screens we could clearly see how our lives had changed, and the fire was replaced by a microwave, and the car replaced the horse.



Life of people of ancient period

The people who created the petroglyphs of Gobustan built shelters for the night, collected food, hunted animals, made tools and clothing, celebrated successes and were sad about their losses. The display of original artefacts reflects the daily life of Stone Age people, and some aspects of it are reflected in artistic depictions.

Art of Ancient Ages

We continue to explore the museum already at level 0. This room is specially dedicated to the petroglyphs of Gobustan and plays an introductory role to the second part of the exhibition. It would be wrong to consider ancient art to be absolutely primitive. It would be more correct to try to get closer to what was important to their creators. The exhibitions in this hall demonstrate the concept of beauty that existed among ancient people and their artistic imagination.


In the most traditional cultures, people decorate their bodies, and the petroglyphs of Gobustan indicate that the ancient inhabitants of Gobustan were no exception. To make fragile pieces of jewelry, ancient people used animal bones, shells, stone, and, in later periods, metal. They also decorated their bodies with objects found in nature (bird feathers, animal skins, plant seeds and flowers).

Petroglyphs through the ages

Petroglyphs are the most integral part of the primitive heritage of Gobustan. Sometimes they resemble a single ornament densely covering ancient rocks. In this hall, visitors, through an interactive device, can explore the evolution of the development of Gobustan rock art and study some of its aspects.


More than 6,300 petroglyphs have been found on the territory of the Gobustan Nature Reserve, and therefore it is impossible to see them all within a short period of time. In order to give visitors a complete understanding of the rock art of Gobustan, in the hall called “Petroglyphs through the centuries”, rock paintings are demonstrated, grouped in thematic and chronological order.

Ancient artists of Gobustan

Let's imagine a Stone Age artist at work. He selects a rock that plays for him the role of a modern scoreboard, a kind of heavy stone tool, and spends hours painting an image consisting of several curved lines. There is a certain grandeur in this process, which comes to life in our imaginations, which evokes in us a feeling of admiration for primitive art.


Ancient artists of Gobustan used various methods of creating petroglyphs. In most cases, petroglyphs were created by carving out the outlines of a particular image. The most ancient images were created by striking one or two stones on the surface of the rock. Later, these stones began to be used, one as a chisel and the other as an axe. In later periods of rock art, artists used the scratching technique.
Many of the world's famous cave paintings were created by applying paint to the surface of the rock. There are a small number of color images or pictographs in Gobustan.

The meaning of petroglyphs

The meaning of petroglyphs continues to remain a mystery because modern people do not have the opportunity to understand the consciousness and worldview of primitive people. Although archeology provides us with some material for understanding the value of petroglyphs and the role they played in people's lives, we must recognize that we have nothing but our own assumptions and interpretations. In this room, visitors can learn about different ways of interpreting petroglyphs.


Animals and hunters

Animals for ancient people were not just a source of food, but also one of the main elements in religious beliefs, self-identity and worldview. In this room you can look at the bones of animals found during archaeological excavations in Gobustan, and test your ability to recognize animals depicted by ancient artists.

Cultural Landscape of Rock Art of Gobustan

The exhibition ends with a general overview of the Gobustan museum complex. In the center of the room there is a 3D map of Gobustan rock art.


Walk through the Gobustan Nature Reserve

Near the museum you can see a historical reconstruction of the life of Stone Age people.

It's hard to resist such a man!

But then Seryozha claimed rights to his woman.

After visiting the museum, we went by car with our driver to the upper terrace of Mount Boyukdash. Along the way we were greeted by landscapes that no longer resembled the savannahs of antiquity. The nature of Gobustan, the birthplace of the founders of the first petroglyphs, was significantly different from today's semi-desert nature.


At the beginning of the route we found a tea house with samovars.

We discovered that there are more samovars in Azerbaijan than in Tula! They are here at every step - in cafes, restaurants and hotels. Moreover, people simply take them with them on a picnic, instead of a thermos!


And nearby, as probably in the days of ancient people, lie conditionally domestic cats that have not lost their independence since the Stone Age.


The first drawings in the reserve were discovered in 1939 on Mount Boyukdash, where the main excursion route is now located.


Photo session in the Gobustan Nature Reserve

But our main goal was to take pictures in the magnificent landscapes of Gobustan. I put on a red skirt and tried to play a stone age musical instrument before conquering the peaks. This is “Gavaldash” or a tambourine - a stone. You can listen to what it sounds like in the video later. There is an opinion that tribal guards used this instrument during attacks by wild animals or in other dangerous situations.


One euro! - Seryozha said to a group of Japanese tourists who aimed their cameras at a girl in a red dress standing on the edge of a cliff in Gobustan. This is how he finally wanted to make some money from my photo shoots in dresses. But I again worked for “origato” and it’s good that no one chased us or stopped us from taking pictures, except for our taxi driver, who tried to get into the frame.


Rock paintings of the Gobustan Nature Reserve

On the rocks you can see drawings of ancient aurochs bulls, which are already extinct. Aurochs bulls (Bos pimigenius) were enormous in size and must not have been easy prey for primitive people.


No one knows exactly what life was like for ancient people. Scientists often draw parallels with modern tribal associations and believe that ancient people lived in conditions similar to the traditional cultures of the inhabitants of South America and Papua New Guinea. However, the likelihood that any culture, including traditional ones, has not changed for 5, 10 or 20 thousand years is very low. Despite the lack of information, try to imagine life in a world without cities, cars, refrigerators, books, modern science or religious structures. What did ancient people believe? How did they celebrate their successes and grieve their losses? We can only guess.

The most widely accepted version of the meaning of depicted animals in ancient cultures is the depiction of precisely those animals that ancient people hunted for food. It is assumed that the signs in some petroglyphs of Gobustan were used in rituals before hunting. Many Gobustan petroglyphs depict one or two rows of people, sometimes holding hands. These petroglyphs were created during the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods. These petroglyphs probably represent dance. It should be noted that this dance is especially reminiscent of the Azerbaijani traditional dance Yalli. Dance is one of the common features of human culture and has numerous ritual and social meanings. People still visit Mount Boyukdash for wedding ceremonies.


Flora and fauna of the Gobustan Nature Reserve

The flora of Gobustan is typical of desert and semi-desert vegetation. It consists of grasses and shrubs, wormwood and similar perennials.


Over the past decades, the fauna of Gobustan has become greatly impoverished. The natural inhabitants of Gobustan now include rare foxes, jackals, wolves, hares and wild cats, mountain partridges, wild pigeons, larks, along with numerous snakes and lizards. One of the inhabitants of the reserve revealed herself to our eyes.


Since ancient times, the lizard has been considered a symbol of rebirth due to its ability to shed its tail, after which it grows back. What was a lizard for Stone Age people? Her images can also be found in the rock paintings of Gobustan.


But the lizard did not reveal its secrets to us, only thoughtfully followed us with its eyes.

Other reptiles—snakes—also live in the reserve. These are the signs that warn you against them.


History of Gobustan

Gobustan became the extreme point of advance of the Roman legions. On the territory of the reserve at the foot of Mount Boyukdash there is a stone slab with a Latin inscription dating back to the 1st century AD. BC, left by the Roman legion of Emperor Domitian with the nickname “Fulminata” (lightning), which recorded the presence of the XII Lightning Legion in the 1st century AD. So, in 75, Domitian sent a legion to help the allied kingdoms of Iberia and Albania in the Caucasus. Thus, the legion is considered the furthest legion to the east of Rome.


The inscription on the stone slab reads:

Imp Domitiano
Caesar avg
Germanic
L Julius
Maximus>
Leg XII Ful.

Translated into Russian, it means: “The time of Emperor Domitian Caesar Augustus of Germany, Lucius Julius Maximus, Centurion of the XII Lightning Legion.” It is believed that the Gobustan inscription mentions a detachment of the XII Legion, which was exterminated by the local residents of Absheron.


Gobustan is a unique monument of ancient rock art. This territory has been a permanent place of residence for at least the last 15,000 years, and here, from the Upper Paleolithic period to the Middle Ages, petroglyphs dating from the main periods of human history are presented. But even if you are not interested in ancient history, come for the beautiful landscapes and wonderful views of the turquoise Caspian Sea!


Early in the morning we went to Gobustan to look at rock paintings and mud volcanoes.

You can get to the bus station, from where the bus goes to Gobustan (or rather, to the nearest settlement to Gobustan), by minibus No. 29 from January 20 Street for 40 kopecks. At the bus station we asked for a bus to Gobustan, which, despite the schedule, leaves as it fills up. Sellers came onto the buses and sold all sorts of crap - pies, drinks, crossword puzzles. We drove for less than an hour, and a taxi was immediately met at the bus. There are no other ways to get to the attractions. The taxi driver asked for 45 manats, we agreed on 25 (we are naive, of course). Don’t expect to hitchhike to the volcanoes, there’s no road there, no one goes there, only tourists (although we didn’t meet anyone along the way). And walking in the heat takes about 2 hours for sure.

There used to be “dangerous” signs around the volcanoes, but taxi drivers pulled them out (we boasted about this), which would scare tourists. In fact, you cannot approach the craters, no matter how small and harmless they may seem - you can fall through, people really drowned.

Average volcano size:

The mud, where it has not dried, actively gurgles, in winter, they say, wow.

Near the volcanoes there is also a mud lake, with a string stretched for folk fun: you tie a string to your belt so as not to drown, and you climb into the lake to swim. They say it doesn't always help. The lake also gurgles to confirm its own danger.

In general, we really liked it, but we didn’t want to go yet. Then we went to Gobustan itself, which contains evidence of the life of people of the Stone Age and subsequent periods - sites and rock paintings - petroglyphs (about 6000!). Thor Heyerdahl, by the way, came to the conclusion that the drawings are strikingly reminiscent of Norwegian petroglyphs, which means that the Scandinavians and Azerbaijanis are brothers! This is doubtful. But the drawings really amazed me. The simplest, of course, but how, how were they drawn so evenly on the rock? We can't do it with a pencil. It’s also very interesting to look at the rocks in search of drawings. The taxi driver says he finds something new every time. By the way, at the reserve there is an excellent museum, completely new, where a lot is told about the drawings and about this place in general, including mud volcanoes. Photos, of course, do not convey these images well; many of the drawings are quite large.

Gavaldash is a huge tambourine stone on which you can play with other small stones:

The taxi driver offered to take us to the beach for a swim, saying it was all inclusive, but it was really hot. Don't be fooled, the sea is very dirty, the beach is littered with bottles and other rubbish.
The taxi driver, by the way, is a goat, although, rather, we are losers. We thought it was good, we’ll give 30 manats instead of 25. At the same time, we only had 40 in two pieces of paper, he joyfully gave the five in change and said that there was no more change. After that, there was no trace of him, and we remained at the bus stop, where he picked us up, flapping our ears. It will be science. By the way, we screwed up like this for the first and last time during this vacation. Photo of a taxi driver, don't take it for our sake!

We took the 195 minibus for 80 kopecks to January 20, and from there took the 120 bus to the railway. And again, on the advice of Lonely Planet (don’t trust their advice!) we went to the QOC cafe on May 28, 50. No one spoke our languages, they just shook their heads. There was not enough food, the kebab turned out to be on the bones and not that tasty. We caught up with fruit for 1.5 manats, which we ate in a nearby park. We walked a little more towards the old city to say goodbye to Baku.

We took our things from the storage room and calmly headed to the train: we had an overnight trip to Sheki. This is where an unpleasant surprise awaited us... What a day! We bought tickets in advance on the website of the Azerbaijani Railways. The rules stated that forms must be filled out in Azerbaijani for local trains, and in Russian for international trains. But, excuse me, where can I find the Azerbaijani layout, not to mention the Azerbaijani spelling of the surname. Well, they wrote it in Russian, and, as stated in the rules, they came with an electronic form to the ticket office an hour before departure. The ticket was printed. Everything is fine. But when boarding the train directly, it turned out that our names were printed in abracadabra: something with fonts or coding. We checked the dates and times, but didn’t even look at the last name. The head of the train immediately appeared, who, looking at the tickets, immediately announced that he would not let us in, as if we would go tomorrow. To all the assurances that we had nothing to do with it, and that these are our passport numbers, which coincide with those on the tickets, he shook his head and spoke in a language that was not our native language. Meanwhile, a crowd of conductors, police, railway workers and sympathizers gathered. They said something, called, looked at my passport, but they still let me in.

The trains are old and stuffy, but the conductors are good. They opened the toilet and cleaned up the garbage themselves. The company in the compartment was also good: a Russian Azerbaijani woman and her son. She talked for a long time and with nostalgia about the Soviet Union, but she didn’t particularly complain about modern life. She said that there are Russian schools, that universities have both Russian and Azerbaijani programs, fifty-fifty. After chatting, we headed to our bunks. It was a night on the train, and in the morning we arrived at .

To the south of the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, is located one of the most interesting attractions of this country - the Gobustan Nature Reserve. The full name of the protected area is “Gobustan National Historical and Artistic Reserve.” Translated from Azerbaijani, the name of the reserve means “edge of ravines.”

The main visiting card of the Gobustan Nature Reserve is rock art - petroglyphs, well preserved to this day. On the territory of the park there is a museum building, which displays various archaeological finds and visually displays the history of this region.

The cave paintings of the museum-reserve were included in the list of world cultural heritage. The Gobustan Nature Reserve has been under UNESCO protection since 2007.

Artifacts in the park are conventionally divided into two types: petroglyphs and sites of ancient inhabitants.

Historical moments of the Gobustan Nature Reserve

Archaeologists first visited the protected area at the beginning of the 20th century. A research expedition of 1939-1940 discovered approximately 3,500 petroglyphs, traces of the presence of primitive people in this territory, presumably from the Stone Age period, and other interesting artifacts that reveal the history of this place.

Archaeologists have established the presence of the XII Roman legion of Domitian in this valley. It is believed that in the mountains of the Gobustan Reserve Park, around the 14th century, there was a sanctuary.

The next archaeological expedition visited the reserve in 1965. A number of studies were carried out and burials, dwellings and about 300 more rock paintings were found.

Russian researchers knew about the rock art of Gobustan back in the middle of the 19th century, as evidenced by reports stored in the archives of the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg.

At the end of 1966, the Gobustan area was officially recognized as a protected area.

Reserve area

The park is located in a valley between the foothills of the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. The territory of the reserve occupies about 3096 hectares. The park stretches from north to south. The Pirsagat River flows from the western side of this area. Within the area there are mountains, the most famous of which are Boyukdash and Kichikdash.

The climate in the area of ​​the Gobustan Nature Reserve is subtropical with warm winters and hot summers. In spring and autumn there is a short period of rain.

The relief of the valley is a collection of rocks, small ravines and dry valleys. Within the boundaries of Gobustan Park there is the largest concentration of mud volcanoes in the world.

The flora of the Gobustan Nature Reserve is represented by flora typical of deserts and semi-deserts: grasses, perennial shrubs, some types of trees. The park's fauna includes foxes, jackals, hares, lizards and snakes, larks, partridges, etc.

Mud volcanoes of Gobustan

Near the village of Gobustan, in the area of ​​the reserve, there is one of the largest accumulations of mud volcanoes in the world. The origin of this natural phenomenon is associated with oil and gas fields. The territory occupied by mud volcanoes is a State Nature Reserve and is under protection.

Rock paintings of the Gobustan Nature Reserve

The main hallmark of the Gobustan protected area are rock paintings from the Mesolithic period to the Middle Ages. In total, there are about 6 thousand petroglyph elements on the territory.

Rock art is found in the area of ​​the Boyukdash and Kichikdash mountain ranges, as well as on the Kyanizadag rocks. Basically, the drawings consist of scenes from the life of people of that time: hunting, rituals, animals, symbols. Petroglyphs contain images of women and men, animals, birds and fish.

According to archaeological research, it was concluded that sun worship was common among the inhabitants of this area during the Bronze Age.

In the area of ​​the current reserve there was once a site for the Roman legion. This is evidenced by an inscription found by archaeologists on one of the stone slabs. The Latin text dates back to the 1st century AD. The translation of the inscription says that the Roman XII Legion was once stationed in this place during the reign of Domitian.

Stone tambourine

Gavaldash, or translated from Turkic as stone-tambourine, is an architectural monument of the past; it is a flat slab installed parallel to the surface of the earth. By striking this structure, you can extract characteristic sounds somewhat reminiscent of tambourine motifs.

On the territory of the Gobustan Nature Reserve there are two gavaldashs at once - near Mount Chingirdag and Boyukdash. Researchers believe that this tool was adapted by hunters and herders.

Gavaldash of Gobustan is made of shell limestone. The tambourine stone sounds differently in different places. The reason for this is the heterogeneity and unevenness of the structure.

According to scientists, this instrument was used in various dangerous situations, as well as during ceremonies and rituals. The sound of gavaldash spreads throughout the area for 3 kilometers.

Gobustan Reserve Museum

In addition to the territory of the protected area itself, a museum was erected in this area, which contains the entire history of the park. The museum building consists of two levels - first and zero. There are 6 halls on each floor.

The first level includes halls: the history of the Gobustan reserve, the environment, archaeological artifacts, the life of people in the park and the past of the area. Level zero is the art and artists of the ancient world, petroglyphs and their interpretation, wildlife, the history of the cultural landscape of rock art.

The museum building has a cinema hall where films about ancient Gobustan, its inhabitants and historical events are shown.

The museum is equipped with rooms with 3D panoramas and interactive whiteboards. The building has an observation deck overlooking the Caspian Sea.

Gobustan National Reserve panorama Google maps

Excursions in the Gobustan Nature Reserve

There are two types of excursions for tourists in the reserve: along the main route and along the lower terrace of Mount Boyukdash. The guide introduces the park’s attractions in Azerbaijani and foreign languages. The cost of excursions is from 5 AZN to 25 AZN.

The first route involves an excursion along the upper terrace of Boyukdash and inspection of rock paintings of nearby caves, gavaldash and cup recesses. The second route is a Roman inscription, rock paintings on the lower terrace of Boyukdash, a tambourine stone and a Bronze Age settlement.

Gobustan Nature Reserve panorama Google Maps

How to get to the Gobustan Nature Reserve

The Gobustan Nature Reserve is located near the village of the same name. It can be reached from the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, by bus No. 195. From the village to the very entrance to the museum-reserve, you can only get by taxi.

You can also get to the village of Gobustan by train Baku - Shirvan - Hajigabul. Departure takes place from the passenger station in Baku; you need to get off in the village of Gobustan. From the station you can only get to the reserve by local taxi.

You don’t have to use public transport, but use the services of a local taxi: Uber, Bakutaxi24, Express Taxi Baku, etc.

Gobustan National Reserve video

The rocks of Gobustan, located south of Baku, are witnesses to the prehistoric period of the existence of primitive people. One of the business cards of Azerbaijan is the main pride of the country. The rock paintings made by ancient man are perfectly preserved and are transported back several centuries.

Unique drawings on the rocks

Images dating back thousands of years are a unique phenomenon for all of humanity. They are represented in huge numbers in the reserve. The heritage of the ancient civilization is of great interest to scientists and ordinary visitors, who note the amazing beauty of the open-air museum.

Almost fifteen thousand years ago, the first rock paintings appeared, through which people expressed their attitude towards the world around them.

Petroglyph Sanctuary

Gobustan is a nature reserve created in 1966. From the Azerbaijani language the name is translated as “Edge of Ravines”. The purpose of creating a local landmark is to protect the rock carvings and their thorough study by specialists.

The mountainous area has gained immense fame throughout the world thanks to evidence of inhabitants of the Stone Age and later periods discovered on an area occupying at least 500 hectares. Their number impresses anyone: the archaeological site contains, according to the most conservative estimates, six thousand drawings called petroglyphs. In 1997 they were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Scientists are convinced that the unique archive tells the story of the evolution of man, who thus begins to declare himself to the world. Over time, the abilities of ancient people improved, which is reflected in rock paintings.

Important find

Tourists from all over the world are eager to visit Gobustan (reserve), which is very easy to get to by bus from the capital, to see with their own eyes the images of primitive artists. Petroglyphs carved on the stones tell about the worldviews, culture, and activities of the ancient people who settled the country many centuries ago.

It’s interesting, but no one had previously suspected what artifacts were hidden in this territory. The rock art was discovered during work in the quarry. In a place littered with stones, workers found images that seemed unusual to them. As the area was cleared, more and more drawings were revealed to the eyes of the builders.

Archaeologists immediately began work, discovering a valuable heritage and making the assumption that Gobustan (reserve) is the cradle of civilization. Scientists' research continues to this day.

The world's largest collection

This is the most extensive collection in the world, testifying to the life of primitive people. Rock art appeared in different eras, from the 10th century BC to the Middle Ages. The petroglyphs, which differ in their coverage of the historical period, are diverse in style, subject matter and execution technique. Some images were superimposed on previous ones, which arouses some interest among specialists.

The heyday is considered to be the Bronze Age, in which the religious and aesthetic views of the ancient tribes most fully manifested themselves.

Realistic drawings

What do these drawings represent? Visitors will see scenes of battles and hunts for wild animals carved in stone, images of ritual dances, symbolic signs, insects, snakes and fish.

The life-size drawings are the most ancient and date back to the Neolithic era, in which matriarchy existed. The woman, often decorated with a symbolic tattoo, was depicted as a continuer of the tribal line.

The men appear with bows and arrows. Hunters were depicted with developed muscles and slender bodies. Images of people dancing in a circle have been preserved. Scientists suggest that such rituals preceded hunting. Ritual dances, accompanied by sounds from primitive musical instruments, were very important.

The size of the petroglyphs gradually decreases over time and becomes more realistic thanks to the use of metal tools.

The first Vikings

Drawings of rowers appear in a boat, at the stern of which the sun shines. The famous traveler visited Gobustan several times. The reserve attracted him primarily because of the rock silhouettes of sailors. Comparing them with similar images in Norway, he suggested that the ancestors of the Vikings first appeared in the Caspian Sea and later arrived in Scandinavia.

These are not the only artifacts that are of great interest to researchers. The reserve contains ancient sites, perfectly preserved tombstones, and mud volcanoes. Traces of habitation by Paleolithic people were found in caves on a rocky plateau.

The smooth holes in the stones in which poisonous snakes now live are incomprehensible. It is believed that they were the result of washing out and weathering of rocks, and the multilayer structure of smooth blocks raises many questions.

No less interesting is the huge stone slab at the foot of the mountain with an engraved Latin inscription, which was left by the Roman army of Emperor Domitian. His legion passed through modern Gobustan in the 1st century AD.

The reserve, photos of which give an idea of ​​the amazing sight, is famous for the famous tambourine stone, so named because when it was tapped at different points, primitive people produced rhythmic sounds. All ritual dances and ceremonies were accompanied by peculiar melodies, which were produced by a flat stone slab called “gavaldash”.

Gobustan (reserve): how to get there

Getting to the reserve, located in the village of the same name in the Karadag region, is very easy by public transport. From Baku, at the Bibi-Heybat mosque on the outskirts of the city, bus number 195 leaves. The road to the archaeological site takes no more than an hour.

Gobustan is a nature reserve whose opening hours are very convenient for any tourist: from 10.00 to 17.00 without breaks or weekends (except January 1). Guests are received here every day.