Gobustan Reserve

Gobustan is an archaeological reserve in Azerbaijan, south of Baku, on the territory of the Karadagh and Apsheron districts, 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 to “gully”. Thus, Gobustan is a land of ravines and gullies.

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The monuments of Gobustan are divided into two groups:

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1) rock carvings;

2) ancient sites and other objects.

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

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Geography

The Reserve’s territory of 3096 hectares is a vast lowland area between the southeastern spurs of the Greater Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. It is crossed by ravines and dry valleys. Gobustan is bounded to the north by the southern extension of the Main Caucasus Range, to the west by the valley of the Pirsaatchay River, to the south by the Mishovdag and Kharami Mountains, and to the east by the shores of the Caspian Sea and the Apsheron Peninsula. Its length from north to south is 100 kilometers, from west to east – up to 80 kilometers.

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The largest mud volcanoes in the Caucasus are located here. The main river is the Jeyrankechmez. There are also springs and wells on Mount Beyukdash, fed by underground water from limestone deposits and atmospheric precipitation. The climate within the Reserve is dry subtropical, with relatively mild winters and hot summers. Short spring and fall rains are observed, after which the flora and fauna revives.

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Flora and fauna

The plant life of Gobustan is typical of desert and semi-desert vegetation. It consists of grasses and shrubs, Artemisia and similar perennial plants. Among the heaps of rocks and stones one finds rose hips, dwarf cherry, honeysuckle, juniper, wild pears, wild rice, wild pomegranate, grapes and some other species of trees and shrubs.

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The fauna of Gobustan has been greatly impoverished over the last dozen years. The natural inhabitants of Gobustan are now the rarely seen foxes, jackals, wolves, hares and wild cats, mountain partridges, wild pigeons, larks, along with numerous snakes and lizards.

Rock paintings

Year after 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, which have lived in this area for thousands of years, but also people – the figures of men and women.

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

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At that time, matriarchy flourished in the tribes. These ancient people worshiped the woman, she was for them the personification of warmth, well-being and the continuer of the family. Human figures depicted in full height, men – in the attire of hunters, armed with a bow and arrow, women are often tattooed.

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

A famous writer and traveler.

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

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Having studied various materials, in particular the way boats are depicted in the drawings in Gobustan, he compared them with the images of boats in Norway. He found a lot of similarities, and over time people evolved and improved, and naturally this was reflected in their rock art. Changes in depiction techniques and size.

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When the Neolithic period was replaced by the Bronze Age, rock art became noticeably smaller, and people stopped drawing them life-size.

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The Gavaldash cobble stone

One of the most entertaining sights in Gobustan is the buben stone, locally called “Gawaldash”. 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, issued Gavaldash ringing will differ. According to one version of this stone was something like an alarm signal or even just a musical instrument that helps to conduct certain rituals.

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Mount Beyuk-dash

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

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

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

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

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

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Gobustan Reserve on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Due to its importance to the world, the Gobustan Reserve, at the hands of the Azerbaijani government, was submitted for consideration for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002.

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

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

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

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How to behave in the reserve

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

  • You should not collect mushrooms, berries, plants, flowers. It is better to leave everything as it is – in pristine condition.
    • Only photos of the surrounding beauty can be taken as souvenirs.Don’t litter! Be sure to take all trash with you. Otherwise the cleanliness of the reserve will be jeopardized.
  • Don’t litter!
  • Do not leave any inscriptions on the walls of caves, rocks, even on the signs.
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The Gobustan Reserve is spread over a vast area and there are hiking trails for citizens of the world.

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Address of the reserve

Baku city, territory of Karadagh district, south-east of Gobustan massif of the Greater Caucasus.

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Lermontov kuc. 3, Baku, AZ1006

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