The National State Historical and Artistic Reserve Gobustan, located 70 km south of Baku, is a unique monument of world significance and was included in the list in 2007. world heritage UNESCO.
On the territory of the reserve with total area 4537 hectares, one of the world's largest collections of ancient rock paintings is concentrated - there are more than 4,000 thousand petroglyphs, covering the period from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages.
In the Gobustan National Historical and Artistic Reserve, you can also see the settlements of ancient people, the remains of a large prehistoric cromlech, burial mounds and other evidence of the material and non-material culture of the region of the Stone Age and subsequent periods. The Gobustan petroglyphs were repeatedly studied by the famous Norwegian explorer and traveler Thor Heyerdahl, who recognized the rock carvings of boats available here as the oldest known pir images in the world.
These vessels, similar to ancient Scandinavian ships, prompted him to put forward a sensational hypothesis about the relationship between Norwegians and Azerbaijanis. A subject of interest for tourists is also a stone slab with a Latin inscription dating back to the 1st century AD. e., left by the XII Roman legion of Emperor Domitian, which testifies to the presence of this legion here. As a rule, an excursion to Gobustan begins with a visit to a magnificent interactive museum located here, after which guests can walk around the territory of the reserve.
Museum of Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve
The Museum of the National Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve was opened in 2012 after a thorough reconstruction. Today it is modern interactive museum complex, the fund of which contains over 100,000 archaeological materials.
In 2013, the Museum of the Gobustan State Historical art reserve was among the winners of the "Best European Museum of the Year" competition, which is held by the European Museum Forum and is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world in this area.
In the information center of the museum, visitors, using a touch screen, can get detailed information in various languages about the reserve and the structure of the museum, which is divided into thematic sections. The exhibition part of the museum includes several halls: "UNESCO World Cultural Heritage".
"Flora and fauna of Gobustan", "Travel in time", "Archaeological discoveries in Gobustan", "Life of people of the ancient period?" , "Animals and hunters", "Cultural landscape of Gobustan rock art".
Their listing alone gives an idea of how diverse the exposition of the museum is. Many unique artifacts, tools related to the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, animated performances, video materials allow tourists to see the scale of what was happening in Gobusgan from the early period, natural changes, the geography of human settlements, get acquainted with the culture and ideas of ancient people. The museum also has a cinema hall for 45 spectators, where you can make a virtual flight in 3D over the territory of the reserve.
At the disposal of visitors are interactive stands, educational and entertaining games, a library. You can also climb to the observation deck with an area of 283 sq. m, where two telescopes are installed. The complex has a meeting room, where all conditions are created for holding various conferences, events of local and international significance, a photo laboratory and a research department.
Getting to Gobustan from Baku is easy. From the district "20th section" (Sabail district) to Gobustan goes shuttle bus No. 195. From Gobustan to the reserve you can take a taxi (3-5 manats). Also, a special bus will be launched in the near future, which will deliver those who wish from Baku directly to the Gobustan reserve.
Gobustan is one of the most famous historical and archaeological reserves in the world, a museum under open sky with a huge collection of priceless historical exhibits. It is located on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 60 kilometers from. Gobustan is a region of the extreme southeastern spurs of the Greater Caucasus to the west and southwest of the Absheron Peninsula. The absolute height of the terrain is up to 1047 meters, the relief is ridge-hilly in folded structures of sandy-argillaceous rocks, marls and limestones. In the south are mud volcanoes. Semi-desert landscapes also dominate here; there are winter pastures.
From Azerbaijani "Gobustan" is translated as "Land of ravines" ("gobu" - "depression, ravine, well", "stan" - "land, land").
The reserve was established on September 9, 1966. The purpose of its activity is the protection of rock art, burial mounds and housing objects and their thorough study.
Rock paintings of Gobustan
The Gobustan reserve is especially famous for its rock paintings made during the Mesolithic period. Every year, tourists from all over the world come to see with their own eyes numerous works of art, once made by primitive artists. Rock paintings, the site of a primitive man, tombstones and many other evidence of the past of the Azerbaijani people of the Stone Age and subsequent periods can be seen in the mountains of Gobustan Boyukdash, Kichikdash, Jingirdag, Shongardag and Shykhgaya. The most significant of this list, of course, are the petroglyphs carved by primitive people on the walls of caves, rocks and boulders. They are able to tell the traveler about the culture, economy, worldview, customs and traditions of the ancient people who already at that distant time inhabited this fertile corner of Azerbaijan.
Research
Works of art by ancient artists were discovered quite by accident during the work carried out at this place in a stone quarry. Previously, this place was littered with boulders. So, during the work, one of the workers noticed some images on the rock. The area began to be cleared, and as it was cleared, more and more images became available to the eye. A large number of drawings were found in caves.
Thus, another attraction appeared in Azerbaijan. Archaeologists began a thorough study of the area. As a result, more than 6 thousand drawings on 1000 rocks were discovered, ancient dwellings - caves and parking lots, about 40 mounds, more than 100 thousand objects of material culture. The most ancient drawings belong to the Mesolithic era, but it is assumed that life existed here before, which allows us to consider Gobustan one of the cradles of civilization. Research here is still ongoing.
ancient art
All rock paintings in Gobustan appeared in different time and belong to different eras - from 10-8 millennia BC. and up to the Middle Ages. In terms of coverage of such a large historical period, they occupy a high place among other rock collections in the world. Images differ from each other in a variety of themes, style, structure, and technique. And very interesting fact is that over time they overlapped each other. The themes of these pieces of art were largely a reflection of the everyday life of people. Here you can see such scenes as horse and foot hunting, scenes of battles, scenes of collective labor, harvest. There are also drawings depicting people in a dance reminiscent of the modern Azerbaijani folk dance "Yalli" (from the word "yal" - "food"). The dance, performed in the form of a round dance, apparently preceded the hunt. Presumably, these rites were performed to the sounds of a special musical instrument stone age. It was called "Gaval-dash" ("Stone-tambourine"). By hitting different points of a stone boulder, ancient musicians achieved different sound tones and could perform a variety of melodies. It is very likely that the ancient Gobustans danced and performed their rituals to similar music.
In addition, on the walls of the caves of Gobustan one can see numerous images of wild animals that lived here during the last 10 thousand years - goitered gazelles, wild goats, deer, wild pigs, horses, lions, etc. There are also images of birds, fish, snakes, lizards and various insects.
There are also images of men and women in Gobustan. Almost life-size silhouette drawings of people belong to the most ancient period of time and date back to the early Neolithic era (8th millennium BC), when the mother was the head of the clan. During the period of creation of these images, the woman was a symbol of goodness and kindness and prosperity, the successor of the family. The men in the drawings are depicted in hunting guise with bows and arrows. They are tall, with slender bodies, belted with belts, with well-developed muscles. The male figures are depicted mainly in gaiters, and some female figures are tattooed.
Among the many drawings characteristic of both Asian and European cultures, images of boats with rowers attract special attention. This may mean that at that time the inhabitants of Gobustan were good sailors. The sun depicted on the stern of the boats allows us to draw an analogy with similar drawings found in Sweden, the Urals, and Egypt. According to ancient beliefs, the sun, setting in the east, travels by boat during the night to reappear in the morning in the west. The rock carvings of Gobustan were extremely interested in the famous scientist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl, who had been here several times. Studying similar images of boats in Gobustan and Norway, he put forward a hypothesis that the ancestors of the ancient Vikings arrived in Scandinavia in boats from the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Time passed, people changed, their abilities improved, which in fact was reflected in the Gobustan rock carvings. The drawing technique has changed, contour images have replaced the silhouette ones. In contrast to earlier images, which were often life-sized, during the Bronze Age, the size of the drawings began to decrease. Along with the development visual arts this was also facilitated by the use of more advanced tools, including metal ones.
In addition to ancient drawings, a Latin inscription found at the foot of Mount Boyuk-dash is very interesting in Gobustan. Its appearance dates back to the first century of our era, approximately 84 - 96 years, and is a direct evidence that at that time Roman troops were located near Baku. In particular, the Roman inscription reads: Imp Domitiano Caesare avg Germanic L Julius Maximus Leg XII Ful.
Which, translated into Russian, means: "The time of Emperor Domitian Caesar Augustus of Germany, Lucius Julius Maximus, Centurion XII of the Lightning Legion."
The Latin author of the second half of the 4th century, Eutropius, reports that the emperor Domitian, nicknamed "Fulminata" ("lightning"), made four campaigns, and during one of them his legion with the commander was exterminated. Apparently, here, in the Gobustan inscription, the same detachment of the XII Legion is mentioned, which was exterminated by the local residents of Apsheron.
The presence of Roman troops on Apsheron in the 1st century, perhaps, is indicated by the name of the village of Ramana or Romana. The name of the city of Ramana in Asia Minor, mentioned by Bar Ebrey in the 13th century, is also associated with the Roman conquest. The presence of Roman troops in Gobustan indicates the presence of a large locality or the city that Baku could have been at that time and where the Roman troops were probably heading.
Not far from the place of residence of the Romans is "Gaval-dash" (which was already mentioned above) - the original stone-tambourine, which is a huge slab set flat. Rhythmically clear motifs can be extracted from it by tapping. It is believed that ritual dances and rituals were accompanied by these sounds.
There are also inscriptions carved in the Arabic alphabet, and related to the 12th - 14th centuries.
A trip to mud volcanoes and Gobustan Petroglyphs Park is the most popular day trip from Baku ( 60 km South). If you have already seen enough, you can safely go to Gobustan.
This is the case when the popularity of the place is 100% justified. I recommend not to miss if you are going to Azerbaijan. In addition to Gobustan, in the vicinity of Baku, you can visit the temple of fire worshipers and the burning mountain. I've talked about these places in other posts.
On the map in Google and in maps.me, it is not clear where exactly you need to go in Gobustan. There is no road to the volcanoes at all, so there is a map in the post where I marked all the key points worth visiting in Gobustan.
What to see in Gobustan ↓
Hike to the mud volcanoes of Gobustan
Theoretically, you can walk to the volcanoes on foot in order to save money. Then you need to get off bus 195 on the highway not near Gobustan, but drive further to the point with coordinates 39.991143, 49.429875
You will have to go through the mud for about 20 minutes. But this method has not been tested by me, so I don’t know what obstacles may arise on the way. From the volcanoes you can clearly see the sea and the track. visually close.
If you have hiked to volcanoes, please tell us in a nutshell how it was and how many minutes/hours/days? took a walk.
Mud volcanoes of Gobustan
Entrance is free
Azerbaijan ranks first in the world in terms of the number of mud volcanoes. There are already 350 of them here (there are about 800 in the world).
Our taxi driver's interpreter said that the dirt only started spewing out of the ground at this particular location 50 years ago.
Driving to the volcanic field minutes 15-20 on a dirt road from the village of Gobustan. There are no pointers.
During heavy rains, you can’t get there, because the road is washed out, you can get stuck. On a sedan (Mercedes) we calmly passed, despite the fact that last night it was raining. The road dried up during the day.
Riding through mud to little volcanoes Along the way we saw several lakes and endless garbage dumps. And also tourists who got stuck in the mud because they went the wrong way.
dead salt lakes When you drive up by car, at first you can see a couple of dozen small volcanoes that hiss and gurgle loudly.
small volcanoes Somewhere 200 meters away from the sea there is a larger lone volcano (the coolest), next to it is a lake with gray dirty water, also curative.
During our visit there were two volcanoes excursion groups they came in jeeps. No one but us went to the distant volcano and to the lake, and it is there that everything is most worthwhile.
The depth of it big volcano 3000 meters, the diameter of the crater is three meters. Here are the biggest bubbles.
Lonely big volcano 
This volcano is the most active, with big bubbles If you want to smear yourself with volcanic mud (the mud is cold), then it is better to do it in a large volcano, so that later you can go down to the lake and wash yourself.
Or you need to bring a canister of water with you. Napkins do not wipe off dirt, and there is nowhere else to get water, except in a mud lake.
The lake is also gurgling because of the gas. They sometimes bathe in it. We measured the depth with a stick. Near the shore, a meter and a half, the water was warm.
Lake near a large volcano. From here it seems that the sea is very close, but this is an optical illusion. Gobustan Petroglyph Museum
Entrance - 2 manats
Parking - 1 manat
How long does it take - 1 hour to the museum and a walk through the archaeological complex
A visit to mud volcanoes is usually combined with a trip to the open-air Petroglyph Museum. The taxi drivers and I agreed in advance that we wanted volcanoes and a museum. As a result, after the volcanoes, they brought us to the museum house.
The history of Gobustan and Azerbaijan is described in the museum building, some exhibits (pots, decorations) are collected.
Museum building We went into the house, the taxi driver's translator tells what and how. And I can't wait to see the drawings of dancing men on the mountain, and not museum exhibits. We leave the museum. I ask where are the real drawings.
- You wanted a museum, we showed you a museum, but there was no talk about drawings. It's for an extra charge
At this point, I got very angry. That's really, really hard. No brainer that people come to Gobustan not for the sake of clay pots. I told the taxi drivers everything I think about their behavior.
The men thought and said to Misha:
— Okay, we'll take you to the Petroglyphs for free. Just so she doesn't get mad
Straight Baba Yaga put me out. They themselves are to blame.
After the mud volcanoes, the Petroglyph Museum did not cause me much emotion, but most people have the opposite reaction. Who likes what.
Rock paintings 2 kilometers from the museum The most interesting thing in Gobustan is on the open-air street, where you can see ancient drawings on the stones. And the museum in general could be safely skipped.
The stones depict people and animals Mount Garatly vava
And now about why I'm so angry at the taxi drivers in the Petroglyph Museum came.
When we were descending from the volcanoes happy and inspired, I saw a beautiful white mountain in the rays of the sun. Everywhere is shadow and gray, but it glows directly. I ask what is there.
- Oh, on the mountain at all sooooo! our Azerbaijani perked up
"So what's in there anyway?"
- Don't tell me. Must see. Holy place. Want to?
- What is the price?
— 10 manats
I suddenly felt sick as soon as we stopped behind the barrier and began to climb the mountain. I directly felt that I didn’t need to go there, but we already agreed, it’s inconvenient to turn around. So curiosity and a tongue unrestrained by modesty led me straight into the arms of the cave sorceress.
We've arrived. The views are unforgettable, but on the ground there are bloodied intestines, flies soar, it smells like manure. A swarthy midget peeps out of a crumbling house. Grandmother in a scarf and woolen socks is sitting on the porch, knitting something.
We immediately ran higher up the mountain, looked at the sea. They didn't even pay attention to this grandmother. We crawled over the stones, took pictures, but there was no understanding of why we came here and for what 10 manats were paid.
The scenery there is gorgeous. Here the taxi driver's interpreter starts talking about children. Since I don’t have them, I have to go into the hole in the mountain three times, and then go out.
Thank you, I say, for your care, kind person, but nothing like this is observed in my thoughts or dreams. And because of some of your local superstitions, I definitely won’t climb into the hole above the cliff.
Okay, the mountains are beautiful, but soon the sun will set. We must go to the Petroglyphs. We go to the car, and taxi drivers are already sitting in a cave with their grandmother, whispering. We are called to enter, but they themselves leave. There is a coffin and ropes hanging on the walls. We try to get out, but no. You need to be inside!
And we are polite. An elderly woman is uncivilized to refuse. We stay with her, although we don’t understand what’s going on.
"You have something in your heart, don't you?"
Of course I have something in my heart. I’m happy from the volcanoes, and then they dragged me into a dark hole in the rock and didn’t let me out.
She said to stay close. She made a ring of multi-colored threads and let's entangle us. Five times she threw this ring on her head, after which she lowered it down to her feet. We cross the threads, get out of the ring, and she again. And he whispers something in Azerbaijani. A stone hits the back painfully.
We try to keep a serious look, but it's difficult. Misha doesn't believe in conspiracies and shamans, it's easier for him. And I generally believe in everything, tensed.
Then the aunt twisted the match into a napkin, hung it on a thread on a nail in the rock. Shows me on my stomach. He says everything, they say, come next year with a little one. 25 manats from you. wtf? With what small and what 25 manats?
The sorceress knits a ring of thread It turned out that this wedding is held on the mountain, and those who “have children are not born, but after the mountain are born immediately” come here. Here are the cunning Azerbaijanis. If they had immediately said what kind of mountain, we would not have gone anywhere.
So by chance, out of the kindness of your soul, you go to visit a strange woman, and she will mutter you and demand more money for it. I understand why people are afraid of language barriers. Now I'm afraid myself. Think about what she whispered there.
And business is not bad if it costs 25 manats from each gullible ( 15$ ) takes 3 minutes.
Here it was necessary to throw stones into the hole in order to get rid of problems. What people don't think The sediment after visiting the mountain was terrible. Been away all evening. Although I fully admit that there is a demand for such services. As I understand it, the locals know about this mountain and often come here.
Gobustan volcanoes and dancing men!
Your Mila Demenkova
To the south of the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, one of the most interesting sights of this country is located - the Gobustan reserve. The full name of the protected area is “Gobustan National Historical and Artistic Reserve”. Translated from Azerbaijani, the name of the reserve means "land of ravines".
The main visiting card of the Gobustan Reserve is rock painting- petroglyphs, well preserved to our times. On the territory of the park there is a museum building, which presents various archaeological finds and visually displays the history of this region.
The rock paintings of the museum-reserve were included in the list of heritage of world culture. The Gobustan reserve has been under the protection of UNESCO since 2007.
Artifacts in the park are conditionally divided into two types: petroglyphs and sites of ancient inhabitants.
Historical moments of the Gobustan reserve
For the first time, archaeologists visited the protected area at the beginning of the 20th century. A research expedition of 1939-1940 discovered approximately 3,500 petroglyphs, traces of primitive people, presumably from the Stone Age period, and other interesting artifacts that reveal the history of this place.
Archaeologists have established the fact that the XII Roman legion of Domitian was in this valley. It is believed that in the mountains of the Gobustan Reserve Park, around the 14th century, there was a sanctuary.
The next archaeological expedition visited the territory of the reserve in 1965. A number of studies were carried out and burials, dwellings and about 300 more rock paintings were found.
Russian researchers knew about the rock art of Gobustan as early as the middle of the 19th century, as evidenced by the reports stored in the archives of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
At the end of 1966, the Gobustan region was officially recognized as a protected area.
Reserve area
The park is located in the valley between the foothills of the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. The territory of the reserve occupies about 3096 hectares. The park is stretched from north to south. The Pirsagat River flows from the western side of this region. Within the area there are mountains, the most famous of which are Boyukdash and Kichikdash.
The climate in the area of the Gobustan reserve is subtropical with warm winter and hot summer. In spring and autumn there is a short period of rains.
The relief of the valley is a combination of rocks, small ravines and dry valleys. The largest concentration of mud volcanoes in the world is located within the boundaries of the Gobustan Park.
The flora of the Gobustan reserve is presented flora characteristic of deserts and semi-deserts: herbs, perennial shrubs, some types of trees. The fauna of the park is foxes, jackals, hares, lizards and snakes, larks, partridges, etc.
Mud volcanoes of Gobustan
Near the village of Gobustan, in the area of the reserve, there is one of the largest accumulations of mud volcanoes in the world. The origin of this natural phenomenon is associated with an oil and gas field. The territory occupied by mud volcanoes is a State nature reserve and is under protection.
Rock paintings of the Gobustan reserve
The main visiting card of the Gobustan protected area are rock paintings from the Mesolithic period to the Middle Ages. In total, there are about 6 thousand petroglyphs on the territory.
Rock art is found in the area mountain range Boyukdash and Kichikdash, as well as on the rocks of Kanizadag. Basically, the drawings consist of scenes of the life of people of that time: hunting, rituals, animals, symbols. Petroglyphs contain images of women and men, animals, birds and fish.
According to archaeological research, it was concluded that during the Bronze Age, sun worship was widespread among the inhabitants of this territory.
In the area of the current reserve, there was once a stop of the Roman legion. This is evidenced by an inscription found by archaeologists on one of the stone slabs. The text in Latin refers to the 1st century AD. The translation of the inscription says that the Roman XII legion of the reign of Domitian was once stationed in this place.
stone tambourine
Gavaldash or translated from the Turkic stone-tambourine - architectural monument of the past, is a flat slab installed parallel to the surface of the earth. By hitting this structure, you can extract characteristic sounds that are somewhat reminiscent of the motifs of a tambourine.
On the territory of the Gobustan reserve there are two gavaldash at once - near Chingirdag and Boyukdash mountains. Researchers believe that this tool was adapted by hunters and pastoralists.
Gavaldash of Gobustan is made of shell limestone. In different places, the stone-tambourine sounds in its own way. The reason for this is the heterogeneity and unevenness of the structure.
According to scientists, this tool was used in various dangerous situations, as well as during ceremonies and rituals. The sound of gavaldash is carried in the district for 3 kilometers.
Museum of Gobustan Reserve
In addition to the territory of the protected area itself, a museum has been erected in this area, which contains the entire history of the park. The museum building consists of two levels - the first and zero. Each floor has 6 rooms.
The first level includes halls: the history of the Gobustan reserve, the environment, archaeological artifacts, the life of people in the park and the past of this area. Level zero is art and artists ancient world, petroglyphs and their interpretation, animal world, the history of the cultural landscape of rock art.
The museum building has a cinema hall, which shows films about ancient Gobustan, its inhabitants and historical events.
The museum is equipped with rooms with 3D panoramas and interactive whiteboards. The building has Observation deck overlooking the Caspian Sea.
Gobustan national reserve panorama google maps
Excursions in the Gobustan reserve
There are two types of excursions for tourists on the territory of the reserve: along the main route and along the lower terrace of Mount Boyukdash. The guide introduces the sights of the park in Azerbaijani and foreign languages. The cost of excursions is from 5 AZN to 25 AZN.
The first route involves a tour of the upper terrace of Boyukdash and an inspection of the rock paintings of nearby caves, gavaldash and cup depressions. The second route is a Roman inscription, rock art on the lower terrace of Boyukdash, a tambourine stone and a Bronze Age settlement.
Gobustan reserve panorama Google Maps
How to get to the Gobustan reserve
Gobustan reserve is located near the village of the same name. It can be reached from the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, by bus number 195. From the village to the very entrance to the museum-reserve, you can only take a taxi.
You can also get to the village of Gobustan by train Baku - Shirvan - Hajigabul. Departure is from passenger station in Baku, you need to get off in the village of Gobustan. From the station, you can get to the reserve only by local taxi.
You can not use public transport, but use the services of a local taxi: Uber, Bakutaxi24, Express Taxi Baku, etc.
Gobustan National Reserve video
Gobustan is an archaeological reserve located along the E112 highway, 60 km south of Baku. For convenience, we will immediately separate the interactive museum and the rocks themselves with images from mud volcanoes, since these sights are located at a distance of about 13 km from each other. Yes, and someone may be interested in drawings of the ancient inhabitants of these places, while others only volcanoes, or vice versa. But, if you still decide to visit Gobustan, I recommend visiting both there and there.
Rock paintings in Gobustan
Museum complex of rock paintings, located 4.5 kilometers from bus stop Gobustan, includes a small two-story interactive museum of petroglyphs, opened at the end of 2011, and the rocks themselves with images, located on a hill 2 km from the museum. The cost of the entrance ticket is 2 manats plus 1, you or the driver will have to pay for parking, as agreed. Be careful, tickets are checked both at the bottom and at the top.
A common line runs through the entire composition of the exhibition - the connection of rock paintings with life. ancient man. The museum provides information not only about the petroglyphs found on the rocks in Gobustan, but also about other similar historical monuments around the world. The exhibition should appeal to children, for them there are several interactive stands, for example, on one it is required to guess what kind of animal is depicted in one or another drawing of an ancient person.
After you go around all the halls and remember the drawings depicted on the local rocks, you can go upstairs. Here you will have a short half-kilometer walk with the task of finding petroglyphs and admiring the rocks, the steppe and the sea. Also pay attention to white stones with recesses, one is located at the end of the route (go along the rocks and go to the cliff), the other is already on the way back, this is gavaldash - “tambourine stone”, when struck, sounds similar to the sound drum.
In 2007, the cultural landscape of Gobustan rock paintings was included in the list of monuments of the World cultural heritage UNESCO.
Mud volcanoes of Gobustan
Mud volcanoes are located 13 kilometers from the petroglyph museum. The road to them by car takes about 25-30 minutes, since most of it falls on a broken primer, so in rainy weather you probably shouldn’t go there. When you drive up a hill, on which small hills rise here and there, you get the feeling that you are on some other planet, but definitely not on Earth. The view is mesmerizing. You walk between small mounds, and then on one side, then on the other, a “bulk-gurgle” is constantly heard and a little dirt escapes from the nozzle, which then flows down. In general, rather than paint, it is better to look.
In addition to photos, I also shot a short video with mud volcanoes.
How to get from Baku to Gobustan
Most likely, every Baku hotel offers excursions around Baku and its environs. Mine was no exception, the cost of an excursion to Gobustan in 2016 was 50 manats, but the price did not include visiting mud volcanoes, but about the number of people in the group and vehicle information was missing. Now private tour with a licensed guide in Gobustan with a visit to both attractions you can order in advance online. I myself didn’t consider the option of an organized excursion, because I wanted to get at least to the village on my own, and then choose a taxi and hit the road, but I’ll tell you what came of it and what didn’t.
Web searches for the query “how to get to Gobustan” gave outdated information about bus number 20, which you need to take on Neftchilar Avenue and go to the stop where you can transfer to route 195, which will already take you to your destination. But now, after the modernization of the Baku bus system and the launch of BakuBus, this route does not exist. Therefore, in order to get from Baku to Gobustan on your own at the moment, you need to take bus 5 (following Neftchilar Avenue) or bus 6 towards 20 Sahə and get to the final stop and transfer to bus 195 there, which will take you to Gabustan, where many taxi drivers will be waiting for you, willing to show you both the petroglyph museum and the mud volcanoes.
And now some of personal experience. Bus 195 from bus circle 20 Sahə 100% goes to Gobustan - this is the penultimate village along its route. You should not clarify this information with the conductor or driver, otherwise it may happen, as with me, the driver will first offer the services of a trusted taxi driver, and if you refuse (I argued that there will be many offers on the spot, I’ll figure it out), then he can just stop at the entrance to the village at the crossroads, where the museum will be visible in the distance, and, pointing to it, it is strongly recommended to get out here, where a lone taxi driver is waiting, who will definitely take you. Only now it’s already impossible to bargain with him normally, because he is completely alone. In my case, this story was supplemented by the fact that the taxi driver, a young guy, did not speak Russian at all, but here by chance, lo and behold, there was a man who knew the language well and helped us establish contact, although he assured that they did not know each other. And of course, we then threw this stranger to the central stop of Gobustan, where I was supposed to get by bus. Initially, counting on 15-20 manats, a taxi cost me 25 + 1 for parking at the museum. The fare on the bus 20 Sahə - Qobustan is 80 qepiks.
