Gobustan azerbaijan reserve. Around Baku: Gobustan and mud volcanoes (Azerbaijan)

The National State Historical Artistic Reserve Gobustan, located 70 km south of Baku, is a unique monument of world importance and in 2007 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

On the territory of the reserve with a total area of \u200b\u200b4537 hectares, one of the world's largest collections of ancient rock paintings is concentrated - there are more than 4000 thousand petroglyphs, covering the period from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages.

In the Gobustan National Historical and Artistic Reserve, you can also see the settlements of ancient people, the remains of a large prehistoric cromlech, mounds and other evidence of the material and non-material culture of the region of the Stone Age and subsequent periods. The famous Norwegian explorer and traveler Thor Heyerdahl has repeatedly investigated the Gobustan petroglyphs, who recognized the rock carvings of boats present here as the oldest known pirogues in the world.

These ships, similar to the ancient Scandinavian ships, prompted him to put forward a sensational hypothesis about the relationship between Norwegians and Azerbaijanis. Tourists are also interested in a stone slab with a Latin inscription dating back to the 1st century AD. e., left by the XII Roman legion of the emperor Domitian, which testifies to the stay of this legion here. As a rule, an excursion to Gobustan begins with a visit to the magnificent interactive museum located here, after which guests can walk through the reserve.

Museum of the Gobustan State Historical and Art Reserve

The Museum of the National Gobustan State Historical and Art Reserve was opened in 2012 after a thorough reconstruction. Today it is a modern interactive museum complex with over 100,000 archaeological materials.

In 2013, the Museum of the Gobustan State Historical Artistic Reserve became one of the winners of the "Best European Museum of the Year" competition, which is held by the European Museum Forum and is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world in this field.

In the information center of the museum, visitors, using a touchscreen display, can receive detailed information in various languages \u200b\u200babout the reserve and the structure of the museum, which is divided into thematic sections. The exhibition part of the museum includes several halls: "UNESCO World Cultural Heritage".

"Flora and Fauna of Gobustan", "Time Travel", "Archaeological Discoveries in Gobustan", "Life of People of the Ancient Period ?," Art of the Ancient Period "," The Meaning of Petroglyphs "," Ancient Artists of Gobustan "," Petroglyphs from the Depth of Ages " , "Animals and hunters", "Cultural landscape of the Gobustan rock art".

Their listing alone gives an idea of \u200b\u200bhow diverse the museum's exposition is. A lot of unique artifacts, tools related to the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, animation performances, video materials allow tourists to see the scale of the natural changes that took place in Gobusgan from the early period, the geography of human settlements, get acquainted with the culture and ideas of ancient people. The museum also has a cinema hall for 45 spectators, where you can carry out a virtual 3D flight over the territory of the reserve.

At the disposal of visitors are interactive stands, educational and entertaining games, a library. You can also go up to the observation deck with an area of \u200b\u200b283 sq. m, where two telescopes are installed. The complex has a meeting room, where all conditions are created for various conferences, events of local and international importance, a photo laboratory and a research department.

It is not difficult to get to Gobustan from Baku. There is a shuttle bus №195 from the district "20th section" (Sabail district) to Gobustan. You can take a taxi from Gobustan to the reserve (3-5 manats). Also, in the near future, a special bus will be launched, which will deliver those who wish from Baku directly to the Gobustan reserve.

Or else Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve is called the archaeological reserve of Azerbaijan, stretching across the territories of the Absheron and Karadag regions in the south of Baku.

Gobustan is a plain stretching between the Caspian Sea and the southeastern side of the Greater Caucasus Range.

The very name "Gobustan" comes from the Azerbaijani word "gobu", which translates as "balka". Thus, Gobustan is a land of ravines and ravines.

Gobustan Nature Reserve is famous for its rock art, preserved here since the Mesolithic period.

From year to year, tourists from all over the world visit Gobustan to see with their own eyes these diverse works of art of our distant ancestors.

Creativity of primitive artists, the site of ancient people, prehistoric tombstones and much more can be seen in the mountains of Gobustan. All these evidences of the life of the Azerbaijani people during the Stone Age are the great pride of modern Azerbaijan.

Rock carvings

The so-called petroglyphs, which are carved into the walls of caves and rocks, are by far the most significant local exhibits.

This ancient writing system is able to tell modern people about how our distant ancestors lived, how they thought, how they managed the economy, what they valued, what they respected, and what they feared.

Moreover, the walls of the Gobustan caves are decorated with a huge number of rock paintings, where you can see not only animals, birds, reptiles, insects, fish that have 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.

Matriarchy flourished in the tribes at that time. These ancient people worshiped a woman, she was for them the personification of warmth, prosperity and the continuer of the family. Human figures were depicted in full growth, men - in the attire of hunters, armed with a bow and arrow, women are often tattooed.

The drawings show that people were then tall, slender and muscular. Of the clothes they wore only 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 the images of boats in Norway. Having found quite a lot in common, he suggested that the ancestors of the Vikings moved to Scandinavia from here, from the Caspian Sea.

Over time, people evolved and improved and, of course, this was reflected in their rock art. The changes affected the image technique and dimensions.

When the Bronze Age came to replace the Neolithic period, the rock carvings significantly decreased, people stopped painting them in full size.

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 Jingirdag Mountain.

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

Boyuk-dash mountain

The Boyuk-dash mountain is also remarkable. An inscription in Latin appeared at its foot in the first century AD. This is clear evidence that the Roman legions passed here at one time. This inscription looks like this:

Imp Domitiano
Caesare avg
Germanic
L Julius
Maximus
Leg XII Ful.

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

If we turn to Eutropius, the author who lived in the fourth century AD, we can find out that the emperor Domitian was destroyed along with his entire legion during one of his four campaigns.

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

Gobustan Reserve on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

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

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

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

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

How to behave in the reserve:

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

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

The Gobustan reserve is spread over a vast territory and tourist routes for citizens of the whole world have been laid along this territory.

Where is the Gobustan reserve

Gobustan is located at:

Baku city, territory of Karadag region, southeast of Gobustan massif of the Greater Caucasus. Lermontov kuc. 3, Baku, AZ1006

Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve

Gobustan is one of the world's most famous historical and archaeological reserves, an open-air museum with a huge collection of priceless historical exhibits. The reserve was formed on September 9, 1966. The purpose of its activity is the protection of rock carvings, mounds and housing objects and their careful study.

Rock paintings of Gobustan
The Gobustan Reserve is especially famous for its rock paintings made during the Mesolithic period. Every year, tourists from all over the world come with their own eyes to see numerous works of art once made by primitive artists. Rock paintings, the site of a primitive man, tombstones and many other evidences of the past of the Azerbaijani people of the Stone Age and subsequent periods can be seen in the Gobustan mountains Boyukdash, Kichikdash, Jingirdag, Shongardag and Shikhgaya. The most significant of this entire list, of course, are the petroglyphs, carved by primitive people on the walls of caves, rocks and boulders. They are able to tell the traveler about the culture, economy, worldview, customs and traditions of the ancient people who already at that distant time inhabited this fertile corner of Azerbaijan.

Research
The works of art of ancient artists were discovered quite by accident during the work carried out on this site in a stone quarry. Previously, this place was littered with boulders. So, during the work, one of the workers noticed some images on the rock. The area began to be cleared, and as it was cleared, more and more images became available to the eye. A large number of drawings have been found in caves.

Thus, one more attraction appeared in Azerbaijan. Archaeologists began a thorough study of the area. As a result, more than 6 thousand drawings were discovered on 1000 rocks, ancient dwellings - caves and sites, about 40 mounds, more than 100 thousand objects of material culture. The most ancient drawings date back to the Mesolithic era, but it is assumed that life existed here before, which makes it possible to consider Gobustan one of the cradles of civilization. Research continues here to this day.

Ancient art
All rock paintings in Gobustan appeared at different times and belong to different eras - from 10-8 millennia BC. and up to the Middle Ages. In terms of the coverage of such a large historical period, they occupy a high place among other rock collections in the world. The images differ from each other in a variety of themes, style, structure, and technique. And a very interesting fact is that over time they overlapped. The themes of these pieces of art were in many ways a reflection of the everyday life of people. Here you can see such scenes as horse and foot hunting, scenes of battles, scenes of collective labor, harvest. There are also preserved drawings depicting people in a dance reminiscent of the modern Azerbaijani folk dance "Yalli" (from the word "yal" - "food"). The dance performed in the form of a round dance apparently preceded the hunt. Presumably, these rituals were performed to the sounds of a special musical instrument of the Stone Age. It was called "Gaval-dash" ("Stone-tambourine"). By striking at different points of the stone boulder, ancient musicians achieved different sound tones, and could perform a variety of melodies. It is very likely that the ancient Gobustans danced and performed their rituals to similar music.

In addition, on the walls of the caves of Gobustan you can see numerous images of wild animals that have lived here over the past 10 thousand years - gazelles, wild goats, deer, wild pigs, horses, lions, etc. There are also images of birds, fish, snakes, lizards and various insects.

There are also images of men and women in Gobustan. The almost life-size silhouette drawings of people belong to the most ancient period of time and date back to the early Neolithic era (8th millennium BC), when the mother was the head of the family. During the creation of these images, the woman was a symbol of goodness and goodness and well-being, the continuer of the family. Men in the pictures are depicted in hunting guise with bows and arrows. They are tall, with slender bodies, belted belts, and well-developed muscles. Male figures are depicted mainly in legguards, and some female figures are decorated with tattoos.

Among the many drawings typical for both Asian and European cultures, images of boats with rowers attract special attention. This may mean that at that time the inhabitants of Gobustan were good sailors. The sun depicted at the stern of the boats allows us to draw an analogy with similar drawings found in Sweden, the Urals, and Egypt. According to ancient beliefs, the sun, setting in the east, moves by boat during the night to reappear in the west in the morning. The rock paintings of Gobustan were extremely interested in the famous scientist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl, who had been here several times. Studying similar images of boats in Gobustan and Norway, he hypothesized that the ancestors of the ancient Vikings arrived in Scandinavia by boats from the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Time passed, people changed, their abilities improved, which in fact was reflected in the rock paintings of the Gobustan. The drawing technique has changed, contour images have replaced the silhouette ones. Unlike earlier depictions, often of life size, the size of the drawings began to decrease during the Bronze Age. Along with the development of the visual arts, this was also facilitated by the use of more advanced instruments, including metal ones.

In addition to ancient drawings, a Latin inscription found at the foot of Boyuk-dash mountain is very interesting in Gobustan. Its appearance dates back to the first century of our era, approximately 84 - 96 years, and is direct evidence that at that time Roman troops were located near Baku. Specifically, the Roman inscription reads:

Imp Domitiano
Caesare avg
Germanic
L Julius
Maximus
Leg XII Ful.

Which in translation into Russian means: "The time of the emperor Domitian Caesar Augustus of Germany, Lucius Julius Maximus, Centurion of the XII Legion of Lightning".

The Latin author of the second half of the 4th century, Eutropius, reports that the emperor Domitian, nicknamed "Fulminata" ("lightning fast"), made four campaigns, and during one of them his legion with the commander was exterminated. Apparently, here, in the Gobustan inscription, the same detachment of the XII Legion is mentioned, which was exterminated by the local inhabitants of Absheron.

The presence of the Roman troops on Absheron in the 1st century is probably indicated by the name of the village of Ramana or Romana. The name of the city of Ramana in Asia Minor, mentioned by Bar Ebre in the 13th century, is also associated with the Roman conquest. The presence of Roman troops in Gobustan indicates the presence of a large settlement or city nearby, which could have been Baku at that time and where the Roman troops were probably sent.

Not far from the place of residence of the Romans is the "Gaval-dash" (which was already mentioned above) - the original stone-tambourine, which is a huge plate installed flat on. From it, by tapping, you can extract rhythmically clear motives. It is believed that these sounds were accompanied by ritual dances and ceremonies.

There are also inscriptions carved in the Arabic alphabet and dating back to the 12-14 centuries.

In the Middle Ages, starting from the 8th century and later, due to the decrease in the economic importance of hunting, the development of the fine arts in ceramics and metal, the negative attitude of the Islamic religion to images of people and animals, the rock paintings of Gobustan acquire a schematic character and are increasingly reduced in size. So, over time, the drawings became less and less realistic, they were drawn with straight lines and were often likened to geometric shapes. Among the medieval drawings, there are also inscriptions carved in the Arabic alphabet dating back to the 12-14 centuries.

In 2007, the Gobustan reserve was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Hundreds of tourists from dozens of countries around the world visit it every year.

Yes, and also in Gobustan, in the open air, there are rock paintings of an ancient man. You don't see this every day - art carried 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 mud volcanoes of Gobustan 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. And the queen of these roads is Her Majesty Six! In general, when leaving Baku for Gobustan and other regions, you understand that the most popular transport, which you do not mind ditching on the local off-road, is 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 the Arabs drove past us, but still, the vast majority of cars that come to 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 one is to take a taxi or an excursion from Baku. Tours cost about $ 40 per person and can be bought directly in the old city of Baku. But since we prefer individual travel, our friend Katya ordered us a taxi at service 189. On the phone, she explained that we want to get from Baku from the Four Seasons Hotel to the mud volcanoes and spend 30 minutes there, stop by 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 - 76 manat came out. 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 to their work, and sometimes - the hope for a tip. 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 has remained in our long memory. Apparently this is because all the roads were not close, and the people were interesting. And you, do you remember the taxi driver who drove you a month ago?

On the way, our taxi driver talked about the landscapes floating outside the window and what is now being built near Baku. For example, this is a city on the sea of \u200b\u200bthe Khazar Islands! The project includes many islands with residential buildings and related infrastructure. Construction began back in 2011.

The future city can be seen on this video :

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

We got in the way and a lonely lighthouse.

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

At this fork there are a lot of taxi drivers in sixes and for 20 manats they take you there and back. It is about 6 km one way. The most economical of course can go on foot, but this is a thankless job, 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 goes to the city and further along the highway past the volcanoes. It goes from the stop Shopping center "Bina" (Bina Shopping center), which is located opposite the Shikhov beach, where we went to swim in. 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 if the 125 bus is still quite comfortable, then the 195 has no air conditioning and there are only open windows. I would not be able to stand it for an hour in the heat! The fare for a 125 bus is 0.2 manat using the Baku card transport card, for a 195 bus - 0.8 manat. After bus 195, you will either use the services of taxi drivers at the fork, or go on foot yourself if you find the strength. But even by taxi, the road is not very pleasant, there are continuous bumps and impassability. And at the very end you will find a long and very steep uphill climb. The feeling was that the car would not cope with the load, it would stall and roll down, but nothing happened. And all our experiences were not in vain - we saw the famous volcanoes!

Excursion to the mud volcanoes of Gobustan

Can dirt be beautiful? It turned out, how can you! Mud volcanoes are a miracle that is truly mesmerizing! Azerbaijan ranks first in the world in terms of the number of active mud volcanoes. When you see them in Gobustan, it seems that they are cute cuties who, as foreign tourists next to us said, say: "Bunch, bunch!", The maximum they can do is to spray you with mud. But in fact, over the past 20 years, about 200 large eruptions of mud volcanoes have occurred in Azerbaijan! There were even accidents, albeit a very long time ago. For example, during the eruption in 1902, six shepherds and two thousand heads of cattle were killed - Goo swallowed! What a horror!

Fortunately, mud volcanoes are located far from settlements. Most of these territories are protected, and people are strictly prohibited from entering without special permission. And even there is a large fine - for individuals the amount is 400-600 manats, and for officials - from two to four thousand manats. Therefore, there is no good asphalt road to the volcanoes, and in fact, there is no official road there at all. But tourists and locals still go to the volcanoes located near the city of Gobustan and the Gobustan 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 a mess! We were very lucky with the weather. In early June, there is still no such wild heat, although our taxi driver said that it was still cool to walk. Well, I don’t know, for us +26 is already hot!

The place where volcanoes are located is truly mystical. There the wind is walking, in the distance the Caspian Sea can be seen as a turquoise strip, and next to you they are talking - mud volcanoes. You can look at it endlessly! Like a gray mass of mud gurgles, then swells with a ball, which, in the end, bursts and strives to spray you!

You seem to 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 bowels of the earth under high pressure, causing the mud to boil and boil.

This type of volcano 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 - on the Taman Peninsula.

Volcanoes here form real cone-shaped elevations with a crater (everything is like the big ones!) - mud hills.

The mud of the volcanoes is rich in minerals and is used in cosmetology and medical practice. Therefore, some tourists "recover" right on the spot, lowering their hands in the mouth of the volcano. But if you want to go through such a 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.

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

Climbing 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 that it splattered Serezha's jeans.

Behind this volcano there is a lake, in which, they say, they even swim, but we did not dare.

The thirty minutes we planned to visit the volcanoes, in principle, was enough, we looked at everything and took a bunch of photos. Tourists from group excursions and individual tourists go around. There are a lot of foreigners! These are Europeans and Arabs, and there were practically no Russian tourists.

If you detach yourself from the people who are nearby and do not look towards the Caspian Sea, you can feel yourself on the surface of Mars or the Moon, the local landscapes are so unusual. No wonder they are called the wonder of the world!

Book a trip to the volcanoes for at least half a day 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 have conquered us to the very heart, and we recommend visiting them!

Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve

How to get to the Gobustan reserve, map

After visiting the mud volcanoes, we went to get acquainted with the ancient rock paintings in the Gobustan reserve. It is located north of the volcanoes and the city of Gobustan. From the road to the museum of the reserve about 6 km. You can get to the reserve by taxi, rented car or as part of an excursion group. Tours depart mainly at 10 am from Baku. For example, Baku tours offers an excursion to the Gobustan reserve, the Ateshgah temple of fire worshipers and the Yanardag (burning mountain) 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 by it to Gobustan and go these 6 km on foot. Or local taxi drivers will take you by taxi to the museum from the highway (taking into account your expectations at the museum, this service costs about 45 manats).

About Gobustan reserve

Gobustan State Historical and Art Reserve (Qobustan dövlət tarixi-bədii qoruğu) is spread over an area of \u200b\u200b3000 hectares. The name "Gobustan" means "edge of ravines" (from gobu - hollow, 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 up to the Middle Ages. After them, there were many ancient sites, inhabited caves, tombstones and, of course, rock paintings, which are concentrated in the Gobustan mountains under the names Boyukdash, Kichikdash, Dzhingirdag, Shongardag and Shikhgaya.

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

Gobustan nature reserve routes

There are several excursion routes for tourists in the reserve:

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

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

A good asphalt road leads to the museum of the reserve, and you will not miss the turn to the parking lot of the museum and the excursion route along the reserve, there is such a noticeable sign here:

A ticket office and a parking lot are located near the museum. We decided to take tickets for an independent inspection, as we did not have time for a long excursion and wanted to take pictures in the landscapes of Gobustan.

Guided tour of the Gobustan Reserve Museum

First we visited the museum, which turned out to be very interesting and interactive! The new museum building was opened in 2012. The museum building is inscribed in the surrounding landscape and is equipped with the latest technology.

Lobby

The museum has 2 floors with several halls of different themes. Level 1 is above ground and level 0 is underground. Upon entering the museum, you find yourself on the 1st level in the lobby. The lobby is the place where visitors get to know 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 expositions of 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 in Azerbaijan, but throughout the 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, the ongoing scientific activity has 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. Similar circles of stones in the Orkney Islands of Scotland also came to mind.

And on these screens one could clearly see how our life changed, and a microwave came to replace the fire, and the car replaced the horse.

The life of people of the ancient period

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

The art of ancient times

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 in 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 expositions in this room demonstrate the concept of beauty that existed among the ancient people and their artistic imagination.

In the most traditional cultures, people adorn their bodies, and the petroglyphs of Gobustan indicate that the ancient inhabitants of Gobustan were no exception. For the manufacture of fragile jewelry, the ancient people used animal bones, shells, stone, and in later periods - metal. They also adorned 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 room, visitors, through an interactive device, can study the evolution of the development of the rock art of Gobustan and study some of its aspects.

More than 6300 petroglyphs have been found on the territory of the Gobustan reserve, and therefore it is impossible to see them all within a short period of time. In order to provide visitors with a complete understanding of the rock art of Gobustan, in the hall called "Petroglyphs through the centuries", rock paintings are displayed, being grouped in thematic and chronological order.

Ancient artists of Gobustan

Let's imagine a Stone Age artist at work. He chooses a rock that plays the role of a modern scoreboard for him, a certain heavy stone instrument, and for hours draws an image consisting of several curved lines. In this process, which comes to life in our imaginations, there is a certain greatness that evokes in us a sense of admiration for primitive art.

The ancient artists of Gobustan used various methods of creating petroglyphs. In most cases, petroglyphs were created by embossing the outlines of an image. The earliest images were created by striking one or two stones on the surface of a rock. Later, these stones began to be used, one as a chisel and the other as an ax. In the later periods of rock art, artists used the scratching technique.
Many of the world famous cave paintings were created by painting the surface of a rock. In Gobustan, there are a small number of color images or pictographs.

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 certain materials for understanding the value of petroglyphs and the role they played in the lives of people, we must admit that we have nothing but our own assumptions and interpretations. In this room, visitors can learn about the different ways of interpreting petroglyphs.

Animals and hunters

For ancient people, animals were not only a source of food, but also one of the main elements in religious beliefs, self-identification 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.

Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape

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

Walk in the Gobustan reserve

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

It's hard to resist such a man!

But then Seryozha claimed the rights to his woman.

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

At the beginning of the route, I found a teahouse with samovars.

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

And nearby, as, probably, in the times of ancient people, there are conventionally domestic cats that have not lost their independence since the Stone Age.

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

Photoshoot in the Gobustan reserve

But our main goal was to take pictures in the magnificent landscapes of Gobustan. I put on a red skirt and before conquering the peaks, I tried to play a musical instrument of the Stone Age. This is "Gavaldash" or a tambourine - a stone. In the video later, you can listen to how it sounds. It is believed that tribal guards used this tool during attacks by wild animals or in other dangerous situations.

One euro! - said Seryozha 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. That's how he wanted to finally make some money on my photo shoots in dresses. But I again worked for "origato" and it is good that no one chased us and did not interfere with taking pictures, except for our taxi driver, who strove to get into the frame.

Rock paintings of the Gobustan reserve

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

Nobody knows exactly what the life of the ancient people was like. Scientists very 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 probability that any culture, including the traditional one, 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 the ancient people believe? How did they celebrate their success and grieve their losses? We can only speculate.

The most widespread version of the meaning of the depicted animals in ancient cultures is the depiction of exactly those animals that were hunted by ancient people in order to get food. It is assumed that signs in some of the petroglyphs of Gobustan were used in rituals before hunting. Many petroglyphs of Gobustan depict one or two rows of people, sometimes holding hands. These petroglyphs were created during the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods. Probably, these petroglyphs represent a dance. It should be noted that this dance is especially reminiscent of the Azerbaijani traditional dance of Yalla. Dance is one of the general features of human culture, with numerous ritual and social significance. People still visit Boyukdash Mountain for the wedding ceremony.

Flora and fauna of the Gobustan reserve

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

Over the past decades, the fauna of Gobustan has become very poor. The natural inhabitants of Gobustan are now 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 showed herself to our eyes.

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

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

Other reptiles, snakes, also live in the reserve. These signs warn against them.

History of Gobustan

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

The inscription on the stone slab reads:

Imp Domitiano
Caesare avg
Germanic
L Julius
Maximus\u003e
Leg XII Ful.

Translated into Russian, it means: "Time of Emperor Domitian Caesar Augustus of Germany, Lucius Julius Maximus, Centurion of the XII Legion of Lightning". It is believed that in the Gobustan inscription, a detachment of the XII Legion is mentioned, 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 related to the main periods of human history are presented. But even if you are not interested in ancient history, come for beautiful landscapes and wonderful views of the turquoise Caspian Sea!

Gobustan is an archaeological reserve in Azerbaijan, south of Baku, on the territory of the Karadag and Apsheron regions, which is a plain located between the southeastern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range and the Caspian Sea, and part of which is the cultural landscape of rock paintings, located on an area of \u200b\u200b537 hectares ...

It houses one of the world's largest collections of ancient rock paintings - there are over 4,000 petroglyphs.
The subject of interest is also stone slabs with a Latin inscription dating back to the 1st century AD. e., left by the XII Roman legion of the emperor Domitian, which testifies to the stay of this legion here.
The cultural landscape of the rock paintings of Gobustan is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The very name "Gobustan" comes from the Azerbaijani word "gobu", which translates as "balka". Thus, Gobustan is a land of ravines and ravines.

Gobustan monuments are divided into two groups:

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

The drawings show that people were then tall, slender and muscular. Of the clothes they wore only 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 the images of boats in Norway, finding quite a lot in common.
Over time, people have evolved and improved on their rock art.

In Gobustan, there are more than 6,000 rock paintings, located mainly in caves and on rock fragments. Here is some of them:
The rock paintings of Gobustan clearly demonstrate the natural and animal world of the area. Among the drawings of this reserve there are numerous images of wild and tamed animals, in particular, goats, deer, gazelles, lions, pigs, horses, snakes, lizards, fish, birds, and all kinds of insects.

Scientists are greatly interested in the fact that individual figures of women were depicted in loincloths and were decorated with tattoos, which is completely atypical for Central Asia. Previously, similar rock paintings were found only in Oceania. In addition, among the rock paintings of Gobustan there are many images of horse and foot hunting, harvesting and other scenes of collective labor, ritual and ceremonial dances, as well as battle scenes.

From the drawings of Gobustan, you can really study the life of people from the Mesolithic era to the Middle Ages. It is interesting that the figures of people and wild bulls are depicted in full size. And the drawings of boats, which, incidentally, aroused great interest in Thor Heyerdahl, testify that ancient people were excellent sailors.

Such saucers on rocky stones were created by hand to accumulate water reserves.

Ancient man's dwelling (hut)

Stone-tambourine 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 Chingirdag Mountain.

Gavaldash (from the Türkic words - "gaval" and "dash" - stone) is an original tambourine stone, which is a huge plate installed flat on its face. From it, by tapping, you can extract rhythmically clear motives. The sound of gavaldash is similar to the ringing sound of gaval. There are 2 gavaldash in Gobustan: at the northern foot of Chingirdag mountain and on Boyukdash mountain. It is believed that Gavaldash has been known to people since the Upper Paleolithic, and that hunters and cattle breeders who lived in this territory used the Gavaldash.

Gavaldash is composed of shell limestone and is a flat piece of limestone. It rests on the rock only in two places and stands as if on an air cushion. Gavaldash makes different sounds in different places depending on the density of the shells in the limestone composition. The reason for this difference in sounds is the emptiness and porosity of the shells. The ancients looked for stones that make a loud sound by tapping on them with a small stone, and received a variety of sounds. Gavaldash is voiced by tapping small stones on it. As a result, sounds of different tonalities and resonances are extracted.

It is believed that tribal guards used this tool during attacks by wild animals or in other dangerous situations. It is also believed that this is how ancient people first learned about gavaldash and began to use it. This version is also supported by the fact that Gavaldash is located far from housing, and its sound spreads for 2-3 kilometers. It is believed that these sounds were accompanied by ritual dances and ceremonies. It is also believed that gavaldash served as a kind of symbol of unity, since ancient people conducted religious and festive rituals near it, and organized meetings.