Qobustan Mud Volcano

Qobustan Mud Volcano

Azerbaijan has the largest number of mud volcanoes, which are widespread in the country. Of the 700 volcanoes in the world, 350 are located in in the Azerbaijani Republic. The Qobustan National Park is a hilly and mountainous area occupying the south-eastern end of the Greater Caucasus Mountain ridge in Azerbaijan, mainly in the Jeyrankechmaz River basin, between the Pirsagat and Sumgait rivers. It is located west of the settlement of Gobustan, about 64 km southwest of the center of Baku, on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. The mud volcanoes of Qobustan are a popular attraction for scientists and tourists alike, who often bathe in the mud, which is believed to have medicinal properties. From the animal and human representations found in Qobustan, it is thought that the region had a warm climate 10-12 thousand years ago. The constant warm weather, green vegetation and abundant water made Qobustan a habitat for wild animals such as bulls, horses, deer, goats and others. According to rock paintings and archaeological evidence, wolves, tigers, foxes, jackals and other wild animals also lived in the area. In 1968, during excavations near Atbulakh, the bones of an unknown large animal were discovered 3 meters underground. After examining the bones, it was determined that they were the cervical vertebrae of a southern mammoth that lived in Qobustan.