Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, Azerbaijan

Gobustan Rock Art, Azerbaijan
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Petroglyphs_in_Gobustan_01.jpg
Author: Bruno Girin


Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape is a plateau of rocky boulders with exquisite rock carvings in Azerbaijan. Created over 40,000 years ago, the rock art along with the prehistoric caves, settlements and burial sites were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2007, during the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee which met in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 23 June to 2 July of that year. Today they are protected under the Gobustan State Reserve.

Gobustan, also written Qobustan, was recognised for the high quality and density of its rock art engravings depicting various subjects including hunting, fauna, flora and prehistoric lifestyles. The rock art was discovered by accident when a group of men ventured there to mine for gravel. According to scientists, the rocks were boulders that chipped away from the cliffs and rolled down the slopes. They fell over each other forming the caves and rock walls.

Petroglyphs on the face of the rocky boulder in Gobustan
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Petroglyphs_in_Gobustan_05.jpg
Author: Bruno Girin

What to See in Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape

See the rock art at Gobustan, which are engravings on the rock rather than painted on. Also worth visiting are the mud volcanoes, formations in the form of mud pools with bubbling liquid and gas.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 40 7 30 E 49 22 30
Inscription Year: 2007
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: III

Location

Gobustan is located in the semi-desert area of central Azerbaijan. It is in the Baku Region, some 64 km to the southwest of the city of Baku.

A bubbling mud volcano in Gobustan
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mud_Volcano_in_Gobustan_01.jpg
Author: Bruno Girin

Visiting Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape

Your base for visiting this World Heritage Site is Baku. Baku is served by the Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD), which is about 25km from the city center. Among the airlines flying there include BMI, Austrian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Air Baltic.

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