There are many natural

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

. Most of these caves are

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ic caves and the remainder are volcanic caves (

lava tube A lava tube, or pyroduct, is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave. Formation A lava tube is a type of lava ca ...

s). These caves were also the first shelters and dwellings of

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

hominids and

humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

Azykh Cave, one of the most famous caves of Azerbaijan, is known as the settlement of Stone Age hominids. It was determined that the cave was the settlement of the Acheulean and the Mousterian

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

s. During the period of the Mousterian culture,

Neanderthals Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an Extinction, extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ag ...

lived in Azykh Cave.Лазуков Г. И., Гвоздовер М. Д., Рогинский Я. Я., «Природа и древний человек» Издательство «Мысль», 1981 стр 71-72

List of caves in Azerbaijan

The list does not include all caves.

List of cave complexes in Azerbaijan

The list does not include all cave complexes.

Gallery

File:Azokh Cave3.jpg, Entrance of Azykh Cave File:Azokh.jpg, A bat in Azykh Cave File:Azokh Cave.jpg, Archaeological excavations in Azykh Cave in 2009 File:Ashab ul Kahf Cave in Azerbaijan.JPG, Ashabi-Kahf Cave File:Mərəzə mağaraları.jpg, Mereze Cave File:Mərəzə mağarasının içərisi.jpg, Interior of Mereze Cave File:Qaradağ rayonu, su mağaraları.jpg, Karstic cave in Qaradag District File:Qaradağ rayonu, Ümid qəsəbəsi yuxarısında su mağarası.jpg, Karstic cave formation in Qaradag District File:Qazanfar caves.jpg, Cave in Gobustan District

References

{{Azerbaijan topics

Caves

List of caves in Azerbaijan

List of cave complexes in Azerbaijan

Gallery

See also

References