The rocks of Gobustan, located south of Baku, are witnesses of the prehistoric period of the existence of primitive people. One of the business cards of Azerbaijan is the country's main pride. The cave paintings made by an ancient man are perfectly preserved and are transferred several centuries ago.
Unique drawings on the rocks
Images dating back a thousand years of history are a unique phenomenon for all of humanity. In the reserve, they are represented in huge numbers. The legacy of ancient civilization is of great interest to scientists and ordinary visitors, noting the amazing beauty of the open-air museum.
Almost fifteen thousand years ago, the first cave paintings appeared, through which people expressed their attitude to the world.
Petroglyphs Conservation Reserve
Gobustan is a nature reserve created in 1966. From the Azerbaijani language, the name translates as "Land of ravines." The purpose of creating a local attraction is the protection of rock paintings and their thorough study by specialists.
The mountain corner gained immense fame for the whole world thanks to testimonies about the inhabitants of the Stone Age and later periods, found in the territory occupying at least 500 hectares. Their number is impressive to anyone: according to the most conservative estimates, there are six thousand drawings called petroglyphs in the archaeological site. In 1997, they were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Scientists are convinced that the unique archive tells the story of the evolution of a person who begins to make himself known to the world in this way. Over time, the abilities of ancient people improve, which is reflected in the cave paintings.
Important find
Tourists from all over the world are eager to visit Gobustan (nature reserve), which is very easy to get to by bus from the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan to see first-hand images of primitive artists. Petroglyphs carved on stones tell about worldviews, culture, and occupations of ancient people who settled the country many centuries ago.
Interestingly, no one had previously suspected what artifacts lurk in this territory. Rock art was discovered during ongoing 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 opened to the eyes of builders.
Immediately, archaeologists began to work, having discovered a valuable legacy and made the assumption that Gobustan (reserve) is the cradle of civilization. Research by scientists continues to this day.
The largest collection in the world
This is the most extensive collection in the world, testifying to the life of primitive people. Cave paintings appeared in different eras, from the 10th century BC to the Middle Ages. Petroglyphs differing in their coverage of the historical period are diverse in style, subject, and technique. Some images were superimposed on the previous ones, which causes a certain interest of specialists.
The heyday of primitive art is considered to be the Bronze Age, 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 for wild animals carved in stone, images of ritual dances, symbolic signs, insects, snakes and fish.
Life-size drawings are the most ancient and date from the Neolithic era into which matriarchy existed. The woman, often adorned with a symbolic tattoo, was portrayed as a successor to the tribe.
Men appear with bows and arrows. Hunters in loincloths were drawn with well-developed muscles and slender bodies. Preserved images of people dancing in a round dance. As scientists suggest, such rites preceded the hunt. Ritual dances, accompanied by sounds from primitive musical instruments, were very important.
The sizes of petroglyphs gradually decrease over time, and the silhouettes of people become more realistic thanks to the use of metal tools.
First vikings
Drawings of rowers appear in the boat, at the stern of which the sun shines. The famous traveler Thor Heyerdahl visited Gobustan several times. The reserve attracted him primarily by rock carvings 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.
Interesting artifacts
These are not the only artifacts that arouse great interest of researchers. The reserve has ancient sites, perfectly preserved tombstones, and mud volcanoes. In caves on a rocky plateau, traces of habitation of people of the Paleolithic era are found.
It’s incomprehensible even holes in the stones in which poisonous snakes live now. It is believed that they were the result of leaching and weathering of rocks, and the multilayer structure of smooth boulders raises many questions.
No less interesting is the huge stone slab at the foot of the mountain with an embossed Latin inscription left by the Roman army of the emperor Domitian. His legion in the 1st century AD passed through modern Gobustan.
The reserve, the photo of which gives an idea of the amazing sight, is famous for the famous tambourine stone, so named because when tapped on it at different points, primitive people made rhythmic sounds. All ritual dances and rituals were accompanied by peculiar melodies, which were given out 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. A bus number 195 leaves from Baku, at the Bibi Heybat mosque, on the outskirts of the city. The journey to the archaeological site takes no more than an hour.
Gobustan is a nature reserve, the opening hours of which are very convenient for any tourist: from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. without breaks and weekends (except January 1). Receive guests here daily.
Tourists reviews
All visitors note the unusual beauty of the natural corner, where you can touch the "dawn of mankind." There are many unique places in the world whose artifacts testify to the evolution of man, but in order to enjoy the huge collection of cave paintings, you must definitely go to Gobustan (reserve). Reviews from tourists celebrating the greatness of our ancestors are full of enthusiastic words.
Many say that here they have touched secret knowledge. In a mystical place, new sensations appear, as if doors are opening into a forgotten world full of mysteries. The special atmosphere of unity with nature attracts a huge number of foreigners who admit their love for this place.
Enthusiastic visitors note that interest is not only an archaeological site, but also a museum equipped with the latest technology with exposition halls equipped with touch screens, 3D panoramas, laser images.
Gobustan is a nature reserve, inside of which everyone will be transported, like a time machine, several millennia ago, when primitive people left their messages to their descendants.