With over 6,000 rock engravings that tells a story of human survival for 40,000 years, Azerbaijan is one of the few countries in the earth that can actually tell the story of human evolution. The Gobustan Rock Art Cultural landscape is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site that covers 3 areas of a plateau punctuated with rocky boulders in the semi-desert central Azerbaijan.

The site covers an area of 537 hectares and features the periods from Ice Age, Upper Paleolithic and Middle Ages. It forms part of the larger protected Gobustan Reservation and was inscribed into the world heritage sites in 2007. It has been given a buffer zone of 3096 hectares.

Just by the density of the rock engravings at this site, you can tell that the area has seen human inhabitation for quite some time. The rock art provides important evidence of hunting activities, flora and fauna species in the prehistoric times and the cultural continuity between the prehistoric period and the Middle Ages.

The way of life that disappeared somewhere between the Prehistoric times and the Middle ages is greatly detailed at the site. Apparently hunting and fishing were the 2 major economic activities during this time. The area was warmer and wetter than it is today. More alluring to the eye is the remote and largely undisturbed landscape in the Jinghirdag Mountain, the Yazylytepe Hill and Kichikdash Mountain.

If you get a chance to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you might want to know that Boyukdash sit is the most visited, but has had more disturbances than other areas. The area has been given extensive legal protections and you should get a handbook on the rules and regulations of the site lest you find yourself on the bad side of the law. The conservation works that have gone into this site makes it an outstanding example of how nations can work to protect their natural heritage.

Like most Eastern Europe destinations, it is not a very expensive place to visit. There are a lot of cheap motels surrounding this cultural landscape. Tourists are however advised to travel light, and use as much plastic money as possible. You do not want to lose your valuables in the motels.