Gobustan: Ancient Habitat, a Long-Term Collective Living Environment

The Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape represents one of the world’s finest collections of prehistoric art, providing invaluable evidence of early human cultural expression, beliefs, and ways of life in Azerbaijan.

The Gaval Dash is an ancient percussion instrument that produces distinctive tambourine-like sounds when struck, demonstrating early humans’ relationship with music. It is considered among the oldest musical instruments in the world.

Ancient boat carvings resembling Viking ships were interpreted by the famous Norwegian explorer and scientist Thor Heyerdahl, who suggested early maritime activity and possible cross-continental connections.

A Roman inscription from the reign of Emperor Domitian (81–96 AD) demonstrates the strategic importance of the Caspian region in ancient times and confirms its role in wider international trade routes. Gobustan contains over 6,000 rock engravings and more than 100,000 individual figures, establishing it as one of the richest petroglyph sites in the world