Gobustan: Exploring new ways to appreciate mud volcanoes and rock art

In this episode of Explore Azerbaijan, Euronews reporter Anca Ulea heads to Gobustan, a region that’s home to some of the country’s most precious historical and geological heritage sites.

The journey begins at Gobustan National Historical and Art Reserve, which contains an astonishing 7,000 petroglyphs from the end of the Mesolithic Era.

Historians believe the site was a cultural space for ancient cave-dwellers, where they would perform hunting ceremonies and dances. Today, it’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and functions as an open-air museum where visitors can imagine the lives of these early humans.

Anca tries playing a tune on one of the reserve’s hollow stones, which are thought to have served as musical instruments in these ceremonies. She walks past some of the rock carvings depicting a traditional dance called Yalli, which is still performed in Azerbaijan today.

Afterwards, Anca takes a short drive to visit Azerbaijan’s newest museum – the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex, which opened in Summer 2024. The complex features an outdoor circuit where visitors can observe the mud volcanoes, as well as a natural history museum with animal skeletons from across the region, and master classes in painting and pottery.

Anca tours the grounds with a guide, who explains the different types of mud volcanoes that exist – all of which are visible at the site of the Gilinj Mud Volcano. They end the day by zipping through the parched terrain on electric quad bikes, an exhilarating way to get a closer look at these peculiar geological formations.

For more on this story, watch the full episode in the player above.