Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape

Gobustan preserve is located in the eastern part of Azerbaijan, on the territory of Beyukdash, Kichikdash and Jingirdag Mountains of Big Gobustan. The peaks of these mountains are covered with a dense layer of fine Absheron limestone with thickness of 10-15 m. Geological age of this layer formed of the remains of sea animals — seashells is measured with millions of years. In the course of a long-lasting geological period the edges of these layers, at the result of the impact of nature – rains, landslides, wind, heat, earthquakes, gradually breaking off were falling down. As a result of this, the feet of the mountains covered with quite big rock stones.

Gobustan preserve is widely known with its rock engravings, monuments of primitive culture not only in our republic but also on the world scale. These monuments are ancient drawings, cupules for preparing fluid diet and gathering of rain water, two-sided hollows for tying-up animals, signs, tamgas, ancient inscriptions and so on. Revealed and registered on more than a thousand rocks and stones these monuments were created by an ancient man and are the reflection of his agricultural and intellectual activity.

Petroglyphs of Gobustan are artistic chronicles of the past. They bear a great importance both for the study of the pre-history of humanity and for the study of lots of spheres of primitive art: graphics, music, dances, the art of stone processing, etc.

Gobustan monuments cover the period of approximately 20 thousand years beginning since the end of Upper Paleolith till the beginning of our era.   

 









Gobustan Rock Art blog

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