Gobustan Mysteries, Mud Volcanoes, and Healing Shrine

What to Expect

Chronicles of Civilizations
On the way to Gobustan, passing by oil derricks and offshore drilling platforms, we will talk about the 19th-century oil boom, the heroes of that time, modern extraction, and processing of the 'black gold'.
At the interactive museum of Gobustan, you will trace the stages of human development - from the Stone Age to the present. I will tell you about archaeological finds, the flora and fauna of these places, ancient cities, the first writing systems, and much more. We will also discuss the theory of the famous Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl about the ancestors of the Scandinavian Vikings.

Open-Air Museum
Along the road, scattered with oddly shaped boulders, we will head to the rocks. You will see numerous petroglyphs and feel like real archaeologists - perhaps you will be the one to decipher the message of the ancient artists?
You will hear music at the mysterious Gaval Dash stone, visit caves where people settled in the Stone Age, and find traces of campfires that were lit 30,000 years ago. Unlike the French cave of Lascaux, where tourists are prohibited from entering, here you can touch ancient petroglyphs.

We will see barrows, kromlechs, dolmens and talk about the cult significance of these places, the religious beliefs of our ancestors, magic, and sorcery. I will tell you where the important Eastern ceremony of foot washing originated and what elements of prehistoric life can still be found today. You will examine a Latin inscription - evidence of the stay of a 'quick' Roman legion in the 1st century. And then we will climb to an observation platform, from where you will have a uniquely beautiful view of the Caspian Sea, the foothill plain, and the Gobustan mountains.

Natural Wonder and Human Creation
If the weather is good, we will head to the mud volcanoes. Driving through rough terrain, you will find yourself amid alien landscapes: cracked earth and boiling mounds, on the slopes of which, creating a unique relief, a dense mass of mud flow - breccia flows. If you wish, you can experience the healing properties of the mud.
On our way back, we will visit the Bibi-Heybat mosque - a beauty like no other! Here lie four descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, miracles happen, and people find healing for their souls and bodies. Also, if you wish, you can continue the day at a fish restaurant by the sea.