Gobustan

Gobustan preserve is located in the eastern part of Azerbaijan, on the territory of Boyukdash, Kichikdash and Jingirdagh Mountains of Big Gobustan. Gobustan preserve is widely known with its lack engravings, monuments of primitive culture not only in our republic but also on the world scale.

These monuments are ancient drawings, cupules for prepar fluid diet and gathering of rain water, two-sided hollows for tying-up animals, signs, tamgas, ancient inscriptions and so on. Revealed and registered on more than a thousand rocks and stones these monuments were ereated by an ancient man and are the reflection of his agricultural and intellectual activity Petroglyphs of Gobustan are artistic chronicles of the past. They hear a great importance both forthe study of the phe history of humanity and for the I study of lots of spheres of primitive art:graphics, music, dances, the art of stone processing, etc.

Gobustan monuments cover the period of approximately 20 thousands years beginning since the end of Upper Paleolith till the beginning of our era.

MUD VOLCANOES

Mud volcanoes are some of the most unique natural phenomenon on Earth. They are active, impressive and definitely worth seeing. Azerbaijan has the most mud volcanoes of any country, spread broadly across the country. 350 of the 1000 volcanoes of the world are in the Azerbaijani Republic. Local people call them “yanardagh”(burning mountain), “pilpila” (terrace), “gaynacha”(boiling water) and “bozdag” (grey mountain) alongside its geographical name-mud volcanoes.

The world’s largest mud volcanoes – Boyuk Khanizadagh and Turaghai – are both in Azerbaijan. Boyuk Khanizadagh, the diameter and height of which are 10 kilometers and 700 meters respectively, erupted on October 10, 2001, shooting out flames 300 meters in the air. It was the highest record for flames shot from a mud volcano.Mud volcanoes are active all year round. Over the past 200 years, more than 200 major eruptions have been recorded in the country. Otman Bozdag volcano, one of the world’s largest mud volcanoes erupted in, Garadagh district in 2017.

This is the ninth eruption of this mud volcano. About 23 mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan received the status of the National Park and are protected by the state. In addition, they were included in the list of Seven Wonders of the World.