Gobustan
All places
Thousands of carvings across three hills, and a field of mud volcanoes that mutter to themselves.
People were carving boats, cattle and dancers into this rock before there was an alphabet to describe them. The reserve holds thousands of petroglyphs across three hills, and UNESCO listed the landscape in 2007.
A short drive further on, the ground changes character entirely. Azerbaijan holds a large share of the world's mud volcanoes, and the field here is a grey plain of cones that bubble, belch and occasionally throw cold mud into the air. Wear shoes you do not love.
- Region
- Absheron / UNESCO
- District
- Gobustan reserve, 537 ha
- When to go
- Spring or autumn. There is no shade on the hills.
- Nearby
- An hour south west of Baku, easily done in a half day.
Gobustan reserve, 537 ha
An hour south west of Baku, easily done in a half day.
