Qobustan (also, Gobustan, Duvannaya, Duvanny, Duvannyy, and Duyannaya) is a settlement and municipality in
Baku,
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 ...
. It has a population of 14,470.
Qobustan is best known for being the home to the famous rock petroglyphs and mud volcanoes.
The area has been settled since the 8th millennium BC. It is known for hosting thousands of rock engravings spread over 100 square km depicting hunting scenes, people, ships, constellations and animals. Its oldest
petroglyph
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
s date from the 38th millennium BC.
In 2007,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
included the '
Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape Qobustan or Gobustan may refer to:
* Gobustan District, Azerbaijan
* Qobustan (town), administrative center of Gobustan District, Azerbaijan
* Qobustan, Baku, a settlement and municipality in Azerbaijan
** Gobustan National Park, World Heritage ...
' in the
World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
The
Gobustan State Reserve was featured during the Thirty-third Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers.
There are inscriptions nearby left by a Roman Legionnaire around 75AD during the reign of Emperor Domitian which is the easternmost Roman inscription ever found. Gobustan is also famous for its
mud volcanoes
A mud volcano or mud dome is a landform created by the eruption of mud or slurries, water and gases. Several geological processes may cause the formation of mud volcanoes. Mud volcanoes are not true igneous volcanoes as they do not produce l ...
.
Nearly 300 of the world's 700 mud volcanoes are located in this part of eastern Azerbaijan near the Caspian Sea.
See also
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