Gobustan, Azerbaijan

Qobustan (Gobustan) is about 100 km (61 miles) southwest of Baku, on the west bank of the Caspian Sea.  Gobustan is home to the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape.



In 1996, Azerbaijan declared it a national historical landmark and in 2007 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



The Petroglyphs, ancient rock carvings, here are incredible.  There are more than 6,000 carvings.  Most of them depict primitive man, animals, ritual dances, etc.  The petroglyphs date back between 5,000 - 40,000 years.


It's amazing that many of them are so well preserved given the impact of centuries of sun, wind and rain.




There is also a modern museum on site which was very well done.

Aside from the petroglyphs, Gobustan is also famous for its mud volcanoes.