Gobustan & Mud Volcanoes 🇦🇿 | Day trip from Baku

During my visit to the capital of Azerbaijan, I also took a day trip around Absheron peninsula to some of the nearby attractions.
I decided to book an organized group tour, as public transport outside of Baku appears to be rather inconvenient. Be advised that prices and packages may vary substantially.
I ended up paying 50 manat, around 25 euros, but I was quoted up to 130 manat, so shop around when you are in town!

The first stop was Gobustan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its ancient petroglyphs, or rock carvings, which depict animals, humans, chasing scenes, ritual dances and other things. Most of the rock carvings are estimated to be 5,000-20,000 years old. There is also a museum showcasing the history of the region and some exhibits.

My next stop took me to the nearby mud volcanoes, which are located on a nearby hill which can only be accessed by 4x4 vehicles. The 15 minute ride to the top was quite a bumpy experience.

Azerbaijan is home to around 300 of the world's estimated 700 mud volcanoes. They are not actual volcanoes, as there is no lava involved, but rather formed by the eruption of mud from deep below the Earth's surface.

Azerbaijan is often called "The Land of Fire" because of its seemingly endless reserve of natural gas. In some places, there are flames that keep on burning for decades or even longer.
One of those places is the Ateshgah Fire Temple, just east of Baku. For many centuries, this site was the holy place for Zoroastrians, a fire worshipping religion and also for Hindus.
The present structure dates from the 17th century and was built around a flame that was thought to be eternal, but went out in the mid-19th-century. At that time, pilgrims interpreted this as punishment by the gods so the site was abandoned and neglected. Some decades ago, the temple was renovated and turned into a museum for tourists, including an artificial flame.

However, there is one place outside of Baku where you can still see a natural gas fire in action. Yanar dag, meaning "Burning Mountain", has been on fire since the 1950s and the flame never went out.

Coming back to Baku in the late afternoon, I had the chance to take pictures of the Heydar Aliyev Center, an arts museum and conference center designed by Zaha Hadid. Its distinctive architecture made this building the symbol of modern Baku.

On the whole, this was perhaps not the most spectacular day trip I've ever made, but it was still interesting to spend some hours outside of Baku and broaden my understanding of the history and culture of Azerbaijan.

Watch my previous video: "Baku, Azerbaijan 2018 | Top sights and tourist attractions" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpWm-Xi8vVA

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MY EQUIPMENT:
* Sony Powershot SX720HS https://amzn.to/2l6VWPB
* Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge https://amzn.to/2LLhX1v
* Small tripod https://amzn.to/2t5q1ma

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Music credits:

Inner Peace by Mike Chino https://soundcloud.com/mike-chino
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Look by KV https://www.soundcloud.com/kvmusicprod/
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Finesse by Peyruis https://soundcloud.com/peyruis
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