Azerbaijan is the most popular country packed with stunning destinations, huge skylines, seaside delight, refreshing nature, perfect Asian ambience. But one more element which fascinates travellers is the eternal ancient monuments and hidden heritage sites. It’s one destination Gobustan is settled near the downtown of Baku. It houses National Park which is famous all the world for its ancient Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape. You know this whole is present in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site!! But what historic bounty of creativity it is portraying on rocks you know that?
Let explore more about this heritage site of Azerbaijan
Glancing at Gobustan & its National Park
Located in eastern Azerbaijan, Gobustan is a hill and mountain site on the Greater Caucasus mountain ridge. It is well known for its mud volcanoes. Around 300 mud volcanoes are found near the Caspian Sea.
Rock art representations for prehistoric hunts, animals, natural beauty of caverns, burials, flora and lifestyles, as well as the cultural connection between prehistoric and mediaeval eras this what Gobustan is all about.
Gobustan National Park
Gobustan National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its archaeological landmarks and rock-solid art from the ancient era. The foamy mud of Yellowstone, as well as the vistas, aromas found here.
Apart from mud volcanoes, Gobustan National Park features the high quality and density of its rock art engravings, a music stone and paintings, a scenic view of Baku.
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Gobustan Rock Art
Gobustan is a place that dates back to the gloomy era. There are also astonishing petroglyphs dating back to some 40,000 years. The petroglyphs at Gobustan are considered some of the most well-preserved cultural assets in the country.
Here travellers can explore some of the most beautiful and conserved public historical sites of Azerbaijan. Witness the traces of the history of humans in Eurasia from the Paleolithic era to the Middle Ages.
The site has almost 6,000 works of art, including depictions of flora, animals and many human cultures. The quality of Gobustan rock art carvings you will notice here is of exceptional international significance.
What are Petroglyphs?
They are images formed by removing part of a rock surface by incising, pecking, cutting and scratching, are common among the rock engravings in Gobustan and commonly depict oxen and women.
Date of Inscription: 2007
Reason Behind its Heritage Site Status
More than 6000 rock engravings have been discovered at Gobustan, indicating the presence of a 12,000-year-old civilization. Then Gobustan State Reserve, located west of the settlement of Gobustan was established in 1966.
After that, the national historical landmark of Azerbaijan is declared as the UNESCO Heritage Site to conserve the region’s ancient sculptures, mud volcanoes and fire stones. A Bronze Age village and a sacred structure appear that have been constructed here.
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What Else You Can Remark Here?
Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape comprises three regions of a rocky boulder plateau standing out of the semi-desert of central Azerbaijan. Apart from its rock collection, this heritage site contains the remnants of inhabited caves, towns and cemeteries, all of which demonstrate the area’s heavy human use throughout the humid period following the last Ice Age.
Gobustan has an outstanding universal value for the quality and density of its rock art engravings, for the substantial evidence the collection of rock art images presents for hunting, fauna, flora and lifestyles in pre-historic times.
Protection of Site
The Jinghirdag Mountain-Yazylytepe Hill and Kichikdash Mountain have the most remote and untouched scenery. These areas must be completely protected to maintain their originality. Boyukdash, the most frequented site, has additional problems, such as prisons and a rock crusher, which should be governed as part of the Management Plan.
The Museum of Gobustan National Park tells the full history of Gobustan Rock Art. So first visit there and witness on the artefacts and learn about the archaeology of this region. Petroglyphs, Teeth of ancient animals, Pottery artefacts, Unearthed stone implements that were discovered in Gobustan are present in the museum of Gobustan.
Gavaldash – The Muscial Stone
The Gavaldash is a traditional tambourine that sounds like a musical instrument. Using small stones to tap on Gavaldash produces a variety of clear sounds that sound like a drum. It is made out of shell limestone that generates varying noises depending on the density of the shells in the limestone’s composition.
The rock artworks of Gobustan feature bulls, lions, goats, deer and other zoomorphic drawings, as well as pictures of ladies, hunters, boats and varied composition scenarios, according to the theme you will see here.
It is a full-day adventure in Azerbaijan. If you love history and seeking adventure you can visit the gObustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape.
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