The Ancient Petroglyphs of Gobustan.

The Ancient Petroglyphs of Gobustan, Azerbaijan.

December 2024.

*Recently I collaborated with Bag Baku, one of Azerbaijan’s leading tour companies. The project was to experience some of Azerbaijan’s greatest natural, historical and cultural treasures before writing up honest, detailed accounts of my experiences. Thanks to Bag Baku co-founder Sabina Gasimova for the opportunity* 

Azerbaijan’s captivating Gobustan desert brims with wonders for the adventurous traveler. After exploring the fascinating Mud Volcano Complex and tracking down isolated mountaintop mud volcanoes, we eagerly embarked on the next chapter of our journey.

With Emin a picture of calm behind the wheel and Rajab animatedly outlining what lay ahead, we approached Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve. The rocky expanse of the Boyukdash and Kicikdash mountains loomed ever closer, their weathered slopes casting long shadows under the afternoon sun.

Spread across thirteen hundred acres of desert, the reserve is home to some of Azerbaijan’s most treasured archaeological discoveries. Moreover, its many caves, boulders and stone shelters contain no less than six thousand rock carvings and petroglyphs. Some of which date as far back as forty thousand years. 

The Ancient Petroglyphs of Gobustan.

The discovery of the ancient art came about quite by accident in 1939. In fact, it was a group of quarry workers who noticed that some of the stones they were extracting had faded images on them.

Their bounty sparked much fervour within the country and indeed abroad. As a result, a team of Azerbaijani archaeologists spent years sealing off, protecting and studying the site throughout the 1940s. Piece by piece, they unearthed dozens of artefacts and uncovered thousands of rock drawings.

By the 1960s their work was largely done. Consequently, the Azerbaijani government declared the area a national landmark and work began to transform the site into a public attraction. Up sprang marked trails, signs, info boards, toilets, a visitor’s centre, a car park and a massive Dunkin’ Donuts. Just kidding about that last part.

But it wasn’t until 2007 that international visitors began flooding in thanks to UNESCO adding the reserve to their prestigious list of World Heritage Sites.

Before reaching the first set of caves, Rajab drew our attention to a giant white rock known as Gavaldash. Loosely translated as tambourine stone, historians reckon it was almost certainly used as a musical instrument in the Neolithic Era (8,000–6,000 BCE). When struck with a small rock it emits clear resonant sounds that are not too distant from that of a tambourine or drum.

The Musical Rock.

“There is some skill to playing it” Rajab laughed, explaining that the sounds vary depending on where and how hard you hit it.

The rock is rich in high iron and has hollow cavities, both of which contribute to its unique acoustic qualities. According to experts, the ancient folk who once lived here would incorporate the instrument into their rituals, celebratory dances and funerals. Naturally, Sladja and I had a go at spinning a tune of our own.

With a wide variety of images on display from a range of historic periods, it can be tricky to make sense of the reserve’s spectacular rock art. Yes, there are accompanying info boards, but I’d say Rajab did a fine job of providing more clarity.

Generally, the oldest images (Upper Paleolithic Period, 40,000–12,000 BCE) depict animals such as bulls, goats, deer and other game beasts.

Stylistically the carvings are incredibly simple, chiefly created to show how critical the animals were to the hunter-gatherer societies of the time.

The Mesolithic Period followed the Upper Palaeolithic era, spanning 12,000–8,000 BCE. This is when the region’s rock art began to show human figures, particularly group hunting scenes.

Hunters be Hunting.

One of the site’s most impressive images from this period shows a group of men dancing in formation. There are 12 figures in total, some of whom hold hands as they perform Yalli, Azerbaijan’s oldest known traditional dance.

Performed prior to hunting ceremonies and during celebratory events, participants typically formed a circle and moved to the beat of thumping drums.

A diorama depicting the dance can be found in the reserve’s excellent museum, along with video segments of modern Azerbaijani dances that contain elements of Yalli.

Next, we came across a series of fascinating carvings depicting women. One of these, the so-called Tattooed Woman, shows a female covered in curious flesh markings. Several historians have suggested such a woman would have had a special spiritual or societal role within the community.

Equally interesting, albeit much more puzzling, are those that show pregnant women. Rajab really had to help us out with these ones, as we struggled to recognise these surrealistic forms as female human beings.

Made with rounded forms, exaggerated curves and with minimalistic (or sometimes completely absent!) heads, one explanation is that they were actually meant to be deities of fertility rather than pregnant members of the community.

The Ancient Petroglyphs of Gobustan.

In truth many of the carvings we saw that afternoon were difficult, if not impossible to decipher. Over thousands of years, the elements have eroded them, leaving their original meaning obscured or altogether lost.

Imagine our delight then, when we suddenly came across this carving of a man gleefully riding a horse. Without a doubt it was the clearest image of the day. So clear, in fact, that Sladja suspected it might have been created just a few months ago by a mischievous visitor.

You can find the carving at the entrance to the Ana Zaga Shelter. Archaeologists believe this cave shelter is where numerous communities lived from the end of the Upper Paleolithic era till the Medieval Era. After carrying out a dig, archaeologists found over 3000 objects such as stone hunting tools, shell-made pendants and ornamental ceramics.

Most exciting of all, they found the remains of a human child. The name Ana Zaga meanwhile loosely translates as mother goddess, a reference to the belief that those who lived here also used the cave as a ceremonial space. Possibly for rituals related to fertility.

The Ana Zaga Shelter.

Another fascinating part of the tour came when we happened upon these large, curious holes in the ground. Or cup marks, as the accompanying info calls them. Ancient folk began digging these holes at the end of the Mesolithic era, primarily in order to gather rainwater.

They were also handy as pots to prepare and cook food. Furthermore, a number were kept aside for sacrificial purposes. Yup, a spot in which they could slaughter an animal and drain its blood. Check out the carved channels running to the hole.

From here we took a short walk to the edge of the reserve where quite fabulous views of the desert stretch out as far as the eye can see. As an added bonus, this was our clearest look yet at the calm waters of the Caspian Sea beyond.

Breaking the silence that had descended over us, Rajab was keen to point out the importance of a nearby formation known as Hunter’s Rock.

The Ancient Petroglyphs of Gobustan.

Typically, hunters would lure animals onto the edge of the rock before sending them hurtling toward their death. Sometimes by shooting them with bows and arrows or stabbing them with spears. Or even physically shoving them over the edge.

The best desert views came from the onsite pavilion, accessed via set of stairs.

Before heading up, we paused to check out some impressive 16th century gravestones. Beautifully carved and well-preserved, they belong to a range of people who lived in the Gobustan area, including a clergyman and a soldier.

In the pavilion we had five lovely minutes to ourselves to enjoy the views, until a large group of Indian tourists arrived in a hailstorm of noisy chatter and relentless selfies and group photos. Amid it all came an amusing moment when one man asked, with much confusion, “Where are the mud volcanoes?” 

The Ancient Petroglyphs of Gobustan.

It was almost time to head off for the next part of the day’s adventures. Before getting back in the car, we made sure to do one last loop of the complex. To seek out some of the site’s most arresting rock formations.

Some of the unique erosional patterns are outstanding. Exposed to centuries of wind and rainfall, much of the limestone and sandstone has twisted into fascinating shapes. The below photo is an example of honeycomb weathering. The honeycomb-like holes form because of salt crystallising in the pores. It then expands and breaks the stone apart.

As Rajab had explained earlier in the day, the entire Gobustan region is something of a black hole when it comes to plant growth. Therefore it was a real joy when he showed us a skeletal tree that had somehow managed to produce a cluster of bright red pomegranates. Indeed it was the only such splash of natural colour we saw in the reserve that afternoon.

The Ancient Petroglyphs of Gobustan.

With one last look at the striking desert views, we made our way back to the car where an ever-patient Emin was waking up from a nap. It was time to leave the desert for the bright lights of Baku where two more cultural treasures lay in wait.

*This experience was part of Bag Baku’s private full day tour of the Gobustan Mud Volcanoes, Gobustan petroglyphs, Fire Temple and Burning Mountain*. 

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