3rd day
Breakfast at hotel
Absheron Peninsula tour.
We will start heading to the ancient Zoroastrian Temple Ateshgah which is considered as an authentic Azerbaijani exotic site to visit. It is located aproxx. 30 km from the center of Baku in the suburb of Surakhany. During that period, you will learn a lot about the temple from your guide, particularly, more about a unique natural phenomenon as burning natural gas outlets. The history of Atashgah goes back to the time of the Assassins (Sassanids in Azeri) when Zoroastrianism was the main religion in the region. During The Arab caliphate invasion, some of the fire worhipers did not accept Islam and were eventually forced to return to India, where the history of the fire religion continued.
In the second part of the visit, after visiting the temple you will directly go to the Yanardag which is not far from Surakhani temple. It is the most famous and popular tourist site of the “eternal flame” in Azerbaijan. Actually, it is rather a hill than a mountain, with natural gas burning on its slope from ancient times. According to local people, Yanardag flame was only noted when accidentally lit by a shepherd. There is no seepage of mud or liquid, which distinguishes it from the nearby mud volcanoes. Only a handful of fire mountains exist today in the world, and most are located in Azerbaijan.
We will visit Gala Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum Complex.
You can see the petroglyphs demonstrated in the open air museum.
The most of these petroglyphs are dating back to 3rd-2nd millennium, B.C.
Lunch time.
After lunch we will visit Gobustan.
Gobustans Rock Art Cultural Landscape is a hill and mountain site occupying the southeast end of the Greater Caucasus mountain ridge in Azerbaijan, mainly in the basic Jeyrankechmaz River, between the rivers Pirsaat and Sumgait. It is located west of the settlement of Gobustan, about 64 km southwest of the center of Baku on the west bank of the Caspian Sea.
Gobustan is very rich in archeological monuments. The reserve has more than 6,000 rock engraving dating back between 5,000-40,000 years. The site also features the remains of inhabited caves, settlements and burials, all reflecting an intensive human use by the inhabitants of the area during the wet period that followed the last Ice Age, from the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. The site, which covers an area of 537 ha, is part of the larger protected Gobustan Reservation. Most of the rock engraving depict primitive men, animals, battle-pieces, ritual dances, bullfights and boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances in their hands, camel caravans, pictures of sun and stars.
Also visiting Roman inscription and mod volcanoes.
Visit Bibi Heybat Mosque and meanwhile short visit of first OIL Well worldwide in this area.
Our tour ends here today.
Transfer to hotel. Free time.
