Azerbaijan's Extraordinary Marvels: Mud Volcanoes and Ancient Rock Art

Baku, Dec 15 (NationPress) As the largest city and capital of Azerbaijan, Baku is rich in tourist attractions, showcasing a multitude of historical-architectural monuments from the medieval era, alongside the iconic Flame Towers, a trio of striking skyscrapers, and idyllic beaches enveloped in lush greenery. This vibrant city offers an affordable travel experience where ancient history harmonizes with contemporary architecture.

A brief drive from the COP29 conference center in the Walled City of Baku, the inner city known as Icherisheher preserves much of its 12th-century defensive walls, teeming with Oriental architecture and history amidst its narrow cobblestone streets. Here, one can experience a truly exceptional phenomenon in a stunning desert landscape—mud erupting from the earth, which is believed to possess medicinal qualities.

These are mud volcanoes, among the world's most distinctive natural wonders located in the Gobustan region, resembling craters found on the moon.

Azerbaijan is home to nearly 400 of these unique formations, nestled between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, with several situated in Gobustan. Some of these bubbling volcanoes have existed for over 20 million years.

Unlike traditional volcanoes that eject molten rock, mud volcanoes exude a blend of mud and subterranean gas.

The mud consists of clay, silt, and various minerals, providing visitors with an extraordinary opportunity to witness one of the planet's most remarkable displays while enhancing their understanding of geological wonders.

"Many people believe in the therapeutic benefits of the mud from these volcanoes, and numerous visitors come to enjoy mud baths. However, we advise consulting a medical professional before using them," a guide at the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex informed the visiting media.

Mud volcanoes arise from tectonic activities that allow underground gases to ascend to the surface. During this process, some gases ignite and burn continuously.

It is believed that these eternal flames played a significant role in the emergence of Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan over 2,000 years ago. The Mud Volcanoes Tourist Complex prominently features the Gilinj mud volcano.

In the local dialect, Gilinj translates to 'sword'.

According to the information center, Gilinj consists of a sequence of eight cones that extend into a valley. The active cones of this mud volcano produce a considerable amount of 'breccia' (a type of rock made up of angular fragments). While scientific sources do not detail any significant eruptions of the Gilinj volcano, geological layers from the Middle and Upper Pleistocene eras discovered near the mud volcano suggest it was active as far back as 770,000 to 126,000 years ago.

Adjacent to Gilinj is the Toraghay Mud Volcano, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest mud volcano globally.

Access to the Mud Volcanoes Tourist Complex is priced at 15 manat for foreign visitors, equating to approximately Rs 750, while the fee for children is just 3 manat or Rs 150. However, visitors are advised to maintain a distance of more than five meters from the volcanoes.

The tourist complex also features a natural history exhibition displaying skeletons of various animals, including giraffes, bears, tigers, lions, wolves, pumas, and wild boars.

Additionally, guests can admire rare gemstones, crystals, and geological specimens sourced from different regions across the country, from Gobustan to Nakhchivan.

The mud volcanoes are located near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape. This landscape, characterized by its fractured rocks and boulders, was shaped by earthquakes. The site also contains the remnants of inhabited caves, settlements, and burial sites, reflecting the extensive human activity in the area during the wet period following the last Ice Age, spanning from the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages.

This 537-hectare site is part of the larger protected Gobustan reservation. Renowned for hosting the world's first oil well, drilled in the mid-1800s along with significant gas deposits and thriving wine traditions, Azerbaijan has earned the title of 'The Land of Fire'. The country boasts two sites inscribed on the World Heritage List: the Walled City of Baku, featuring the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, and the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape.

According to UNESCO, the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape encompasses an exceptional collection of approximately 6,000 rock engravings, which provide evidence of 4,000 years of rock art.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)