Things to do in Baku To Qobustan
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mud volcanoes
On top of otherwise unremarkable Daşgil Hill, some 10km south of Qobustan are an astonishingly weird collection of baby mud volcanoes . Here a whole family of 'geologically flatulent' little conical mounds gurgle, ooze, spit and sometimes erupt with thick, cold, grey mud.
It's more entertaining than it sounds - even when activity is very modest you get the eerie feeling that the volcanoes are alive. And normally the place is delightfully peaceful, if not completely deserted.
If driving, easiest access is from the Әlət junction, 15km south of Qobustan. Follow 'Şpal Zavodu' signs, but keep straight ahead after crossing the railway. Keep to this unpaved track for 3km then cl…
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Qobustan
Behind depressing Qobustan town, barren rocky hill-crags rise from the semi-desert. But it was not always thus. Around 12,000 years ago the Caspian Sea level was some 80m higher. The Caspian foreshores were lush with vegetation and Stone Age hunter-gatherers settled in caves that were then just a short walk from the waters. The remnants of these caves remain etched with around 6000 fascinating petroglyphs (simple stone engravings).
Even if you have no particular interest in ancient doodles, Qobustan's eerie landscape and the hilltop views of oil-workings in the turquoise blue Caspian are still fascinating.
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Roman Graffiti
Around 2km from the petroglyphs at the bottom of Böyük Dash Mountain, a fenced-in rock sports the easternmost Roman inscription ever discovered. It was chipped out by Julius Maximus, a centurion of the 12th Legion, probably on a reconnaissance mission from Roman Syria during the reign of Emperor Domitian (AD 51-96).
Guides know under which stone the key to the surrounding fence is hidden.
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Qobustan Petroglyph Reserve
The Qobustan Petroglyph Reserve is run by helpful English-speaking staff and it’s well worth paying for a guided tour: deciphering or even spotting the petroglyphs can be pretty tough for the casual visitor. Common themes are livestock, wild animals and human figures, notably shamans. Especially notable is a spindly reed boat sailing towards the sunset.
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Bibi Heybət Mosque
The scene of nodding oil-pumps of the James Bond Oil Field is best surveyed from near Bibi Heybət Mosque, which was for centuries the region's holiest shrine. However, the original 13th-century building was demolished by the Soviets in 1934 and today's Ottoman-style structure dates from 1998.
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James Bond Oil Field
At Baku's southern limits lies an incredible 'forest' of 1930s nodding-donkey oil-pumps. It has been nicknamed the James Bond Oil Field since featuring in the opening scenes of the movie The World is Not Enough, but hurry to see it before a long-overdue clean-up operation sanitises the whole area.
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Şixov Beach
Just beyond Bibi Heybət Mosque is Şixov Beach, fascinating for photographing bathers gambolling on the 'sand' with a romantic backdrop of giant offshore oil-rigs. There are hotels, restaurants and disco-beaches here should you wish to stay a while.
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museum section
The reserve's simple museum section , slated for eventual reconstruction, offers some interesting conjecture on daily cave-life, setting the scene with mannequins eating and hunting. Tools and weapons found on the site are also displayed.
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tambourine stone
Seek out the fascinating tambourine stone. This resonant rock was played like a primitive musical instrument accompanying a ritual chain-dance (yallı) that features in some petroglyphs and was performed to ensure a successful hunt.
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