Baku Trip Overview
It is an excursion to Gobustan National Park and Museum, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of the centre of Baku on the west bank of the Caspian Sea, to see the ancient petroglyphs. Gobustan is assumed one of the cradles of civilization, as ancient petroglyphs have been identified as belonging to the 12-8th century B.C.
In addition to the Gobustan, we will also visit en route active (bubbling) mud volcano site. On the way back we can tour Bibi Heybet Mosque, a recreation of the mosque with the same name built in the 13th century but completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936.
Additional Info
Duration: 5 hours
Starts: Baku, Azerbaijan
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore Baku Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Baku, Absheron Region, Azerbaijan
It is an excursion to Gobustan National Park and Museum, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of the centre of Baku on the west bank of the Caspian Sea, to see the ancient petroglyphs. Gobustan is assumed one of the cradles of civilization, as ancient petroglyphs have been identified as belonging to the 12-8th century B.C.
In addition to the Gobustan, we will also visit en route active (bubbling) mud volcano site. On the way back we can tour Bibi Heybet Mosque, a recreation of the mosque with the same name built in the 13th century but completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936.
Pass By: Gobustan Rock Art, Gobustan Settlement – Garadagh District 60 km South of Baku, Qobustan 1080 Azerbaijan
Total driving distance is about 120 km (to and from Gobustan), approximately 2 hours driving time. Itinerary:
• Gobustan Petroglyphs Museum and Gobustan rock engravings (carvings)
In 2007 Gobustan was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered to be of “outstanding universal value” for its rock art engravings, collection of rock art images presents for hunting, fauna, flora, and lifestyles in pre-historic times and for the cultural continuity between prehistoric and medieval times.
• Mud Volcanoes
Over a thousand mud volcanoes are known to exist in the world, and some 400 of those are in the coastal area of Azerbaijan. Every 20 years or so, one of these mud/gas volcanoes will ignite deep below the surface and create a massive explosion. While generally not dangerous to people, as they are far outside of most city centers, it is believed that six shepherds and over 2,000 sheep were killed by a mud volcano in Bozdagh, Azerbaijan.
• Bibi Heybet Mosque
The Bibi-Heybat Mosque includes the tomb of Ukeyma Khanum (a descendant of Muhammad), and today is the spiritual center for the Muslims of the region and one of the major monuments of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan.
The mosque at the beginning of the 20th century. Left to right: Arcade (behind the minaret is visible), the tomb and new mosque building. The latter two were built in 1911.
The old mosque was situated in the southern part of the tomb, while there was a 20-meter high minaret in the west part of the mosque. Later a crypt and two niches were added to the mosque to the south of the minaret. On the niches, there were inscriptions containing the name of Fatali Khan, whose tombstone marble slab is now in the Azerbaijan State Museum of History.
From 1305 to 1313, Mahmud Ibn Saad built the mosque’s minarets. The top of the thread and stalactites, raised by a small pillar, surmounted by a semicircular dome of Rebrov. Railing minarets were patterned with stone grill. Graphic studies showed that the height of the minaret was about 22 m.
Pass By: Mud Volcanoes, Dasgil Hill, Qobustan 3700 Azerbaijan
Total driving distance is about 120 km (to and from Gobustan), approximately 2 hours driving time. Itinerary:
• Gobustan Petroglyphs Museum and Gobustan rock engravings (carvings)
In 2007 Gobustan was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered to be of “outstanding universal value” for its rock art engravings, collection of rock art images presents for hunting, fauna, flora and lifestyles in pre-historic times and for the cultural continuity between prehistoric and medieval times.
• Mud Volcanoes
Over a thousand mud volcanoes are known to exist in the world, and some 400 of those are in the coastal area of Azerbaijan. Every 20 years or so, one of these mud/gas volcanoes will ignite deep below the surface and create a massive explosion. While generally not dangerous to people, as they are far outside of most city centers, it is believed that six shepherds and over 2,000 sheep were killed by a mud volcano in Bozdagh, Azerbaijan.
• Bibi Heybet Mosque
The Bibi-Heybat Mosque includes the tomb of Ukeyma Khanum (a descendant of Muhammad), and today is the spiritual center for the Muslims of the region and one of the major monuments of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan.
The mosque at the beginning of the 20th century. Left to right: Arcade (behind the minaret is visible), the tomb and new mosque building. The latter two were built in 1911.
The old mosque was situated in the southern part of the tomb, while there was a 20 meter high minaret in the west part of the mosque. Later a crypt and two niches were added to the mosque to the south of the minaret. On the niches there were inscriptions containing the name of Fatali Khan, whose tombstone marble slab is now in the Azerbaijan State Museum of History.
From 1305 to 1313, Mahmud Ibn Saad built the mosque’s minarets. The top of the thread and stalactites, raised by a small pillar, surmounted by a semicircular dome of Rebrov. Railing minarets were patterned with stone grill. Graphic studies showed that the height of the minaret was about 22 m.
