Gobustan, Azerbaijan

Three countries to add to our list before we got on our cruise ship on the Volga River! First Azerbaijan.  And our first stop in Azerbaijan was the Gobustan National Park.

It's only 40 miles from the capital of Baku but seems very remote. 

Reminds me of some places that I've seen in Utah.

It's very rich in archeological monuments, having more than 6000 rock carvings that depict primitive people, animals, dancers, boats...kind of a giant 'Where's Waldo?" 

 The carvings date from 5,000 to 20,000 years ago.    It amazed me that these could actually be that old....

 The famed Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl visited here many times to study the carvings. 

Can you find the boat?  And the dancers?

Could this one possibly be of a bull fight?

Naturally in a place like this you find the remains of the people who made the carvings.

I particularly liked this spot with its ancient and modern images!

The other claim to fame of this park is the 'gaval dash' which is a natural musical stone that can only be found right here in Gobustan, Azerbaijan.  

When you tap the rock with with a small stone, musical sounds come from it.  Some say that it sounds like a tambourine.  Gaval Dash are formed due to the unique combination of climate, oil and gas that can be found in the area. As I've said many times about our travels, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be in Azerbaijan!