Gobustan - nature reserve in Azerbaijan: description, artifacts, opening hours, how to get there

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

The rocks of Gobustan, located south of Baku, are witnesses of the prehistoric period of existence of primitive people. One of the visiting cards of Azerbaijan is the main pride of the country. The rock carvings made by the ancient man are perfectly preserved and carry over several centuries ago.

Unique Rock Drawings

Images with a thousand-year history are a unique phenomenon for all mankind. In the reserve they are presented in huge numbers. The heritage of an 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 to the world around them.

Protecting petroglyphs reserve

Gobustan is a reserve established in 1966. From the Azerbaijani language, the name is translated as "Land of ravines". The purpose of creating a local landmark is the protection of rock art and their thoroughstudy by specialists.

The mountain corner gained great fame all over the world thanks to the evidence of the 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 a unique archive tells the story of the evolution of a person who begins to declare himself to the world in this way. Over time, the abilities of ancient people improved, which is reflected in the rock paintings.

Important find

Tourists from all over the world tend to visit Gobustan (reserve), which is very easy to get to by bus from the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to see firsthand the images of primitive artists. The petroglyphs carved on the stones tell about the worldviews, culture, occupations of the ancient people who settled the country many centuries ago.

Interesting, but no one had previously suspected what artifacts lurk in this area. The rock art was discovered during the ongoing work in the quarry. In a place littered with stones, the 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 set to work, discovering valuableheritage and made the assumption that Gobustan (reserve) is the cradle of civilization. Research scientists continue to this day.

The world's largest collection

This is the largest collection in the world, testifying to the life of primitive people. Rock paintings appeared in different eras, from the 10th century BC to the Middle Ages. The petroglyphs, which differ in coverage of the historical period, are diverse in style, subject matter and technique. Some images have been superimposed on previous ones, which is of particular interest to specialists.

The Bronze Age is considered the heyday of primitive art, in which the religious and aesthetic views of the ancient tribes were most fully manifested.

Realistic drawings

What are these drawings? Visitors will see scenes of battles and hunting of 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 adorned with a symbolic tattoo, was portrayed as the successor of the tribes.

Men appear with bows and arrows. Hunters in loincloths were depicted with well-developed muscles and slender bodies. Images of people leading a round dance have been preserved. Scientists suggest that such rituals preceded the hunt. Ritual dances accompanied by sounds from primitive musical instruments were very important.

The size of the petroglyphs gradually decreases over time, and the silhouettes of people become more realistic thanks to the use of metal tools.

First Vikings

Drawings appear of rowers in a boat with the sun shining on the stern. The famous traveler Thor Heyerdahl visited Gobustan many times. The reserve attracted him first of all with rocky silhouettes of sailors. Comparing them with similar images in Norway, he suggested that the Viking ancestors first appeared in the Caspian Sea and later arrived in Scandinavia.

Interesting artifacts

These are not the only artifacts of great interest to researchers. In the reserve there are ancient sites, well-preserved tombstones, mud volcanoes. In caves on a rocky plateau, traces of the habitation of people of the Paleolithic era were found.

The even 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 left by the Roman army of Emperor Domitian. His legion passed through modern Gobustan in the 1st century AD.

The reserve, whose photos give an idea of an amazing sight, is famous for the famous tambourine stone, so named because primitive people made rhythmic sounds when they tapped on it at different points. All ritual dances andrituals were accompanied by peculiar melodies, which were given out by a stone slab set flat with the name “gavaldash”.

Gobustan (reserve): how to get there

It is very easy to get to the reserve, located in the village of the same name in the Karadag region, 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 reserve, the opening hours of which are very convenient for any tourist: from 10.00 to 17.00 without breaks and days off (except for January 1). Guests are welcome here daily.

Reviews of tourists

All visitors note the unusual beauty of a natural corner where you can touch the "dawn of mankind." There are many unique places in the world, the artifacts of which testify to the evolution of man, but in order to enjoy a huge collection of rock art, you should definitely go to Gobustan (reserve). Reviews of tourists who celebrate the greatness of our ancestors are full of enthusiastic words.

Many say that here they touched the secret knowledge. In a mystical place, new sensations appear, as if the doors to a forgotten world full of mysteries are opening. The special atmosphere of unity with nature attracts a huge number of foreigners who declare their love for this place.

Delighted visitors note that not only the archaeological site is of interest, but also the museum equipped with the latest technology with exhibition halls equipped with touch screens, 3D panoramas,laser images.

Gobustan is a nature reserve, inside which everyone will be transported, as if by a time machine, several millennia ago, when primitive people left their messages to their descendants.