Gobustan, Mud volcano,Fire temple,Fire mountain
The journey continues to the Gobustan Museum of Petroglyphs, an indoor aFnd outdoor museum located approximately 70 kilometers from Baku. Marvel at prehistoric rock drawings and petroglyphs which were carved by primitive men on walls of caves and on rocks, reflecting the culture, economy, and world outlook of the ancient Azeri people.
From prehistoric rock art to musical stones, the Azerbaijani people’s prehistoric past comes dramatically to life in the Gobustan State Reserve, home to an astonishing collection of over 6,000 ancient petroglyphs. Depicting scenes of people, warriors, animals, boats, dances, hunting, camel caravans and more, they chart ways of life dating back between 5,000 and 20,000 years.
Established in 1966 and covering 537 ha, the Gobustan State Reserve is located amid the Boyukdash, Kichikdash and Jingirdagh mountains, about 60 kilometres south of Baku. Besides all the breathtaking rock art, visitors can also explore the remains of caves, settlements and burial grounds used by humans between the Upper Paleolithic and the Middle Ages
The area around Baku is home to numerous mud volcanoes, considered one of the world’s most unique natural phenomenon. Known for their bubbling mud, they sometimes seem ready to erupt. Approximately 400 of them have been recorded in Azerbaijan. Although smaller than regular volcanoes, they are more frequently active. The diameter of mud volcanoes is typically around 10 metres, and their height can reach up to 700 metres (the world’s largest mud volcanoes - Boyuk Kanizadag and Toraghay - are located in Azerbaijan).
One of the most interesting and peculiar historical monuments near Baku is the fire temple of Indian fire-worshippers, called Ateshgah. It is located on a flat area not far from the sea, to the south-east of the village of Surakhani on the Absheron Peninsula; it is currently surrounded by oil fields on all sides. The cells and the temple were constructed at different times between the 17th and 19th centuries.
Azerbaijan, a country with ancient and rich history located on the crossroads of the East and West and often called the Land of Fire, is attractive for tourists due to its unique places, resources and traditions.
Yanar Dag or the Fire Mountain is one of the magically attractive sites, which surprises and enchants visitors. It seems like a brilliant sparkling on the mountain surface.
People have always regarded the magnificent view of Yanar Dag as something "sacred".
Yanar Dag, situated on the Absheron Peninsula some 25 kilometers northeast of the capital city Baku, is also known as Pilpila, Bozdag, Ahtarma and Gynarja. It is a 116-meter hill with a continuous natural gas fire eruption, which jets out into the air three meters high from a porous sandstone layer.
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