Gobustan

Gobustan, a rocky, semi-desert landscape southwest of Baku near the Caspian coast, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site holding one of the most remarkable collections of prehistoric rock art in the world. Scattered across its jumbled boulders are some six thousand engravings, or petroglyphs, carved over a span of tens of thousands of years, depicting hunting scenes, dancing figures, animals, boats and the daily life of the ancient peoples who lived here, a fascinating and evocative window onto the distant human past.

What you actually see

• The petroglyphs - the thousands of ancient rock engravings.
• The rock landscape - the jumbled boulders scattered with art.
• The museum - the modern, interactive museum at the site.
• The nearby mud volcanoes - the bubbling mud volcanoes close by.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the mildest weather to walk the exposed, rocky site; it is an easy half-day trip from Baku, best combined with the surreal nearby mud volcanoes. The modern museum brings the ancient art vividly to life.

Honest expectations

It is a modest, open-air archaeological site rather than a grand monument, seen in a couple of hours, with the excellent modern museum adding valuable context to the engravings. It is an easy trip from Baku and pairs perfectly with the bizarre mud volcanoes nearby. The site is exposed and rocky, so wear good shoes. Its ancient art and the mud volcanoes together make a fascinating half day.

Nearby

The mud volcanoes, the Caspian coast and Baku are close.