Gobustan

Thousands of ancient carvings fill this rock-art reserve near Baku, which is often visited together with the mud volcanoes close by.

Gobustan
Photo: Rəcəb Yaxşı, CC BY-SA 4.0

Attractive locations

Gobustan Reserve

A protected area of rocky hills and plateaus near the Caspian coast, with a museum and trails among boulders. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Gobustan landscape.

Gobustan Rock Art

Thousands of ancient carvings on boulders, showing hunters, animals, boats and dancing figures. The oldest are thought to be many thousands of years old, offering a rare window on early life in the region.

Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan

Small cone-shaped hills near Gobustan where cold mud and gas bubble slowly to the surface. Azerbaijan has more mud volcanoes than almost anywhere, and these are an unusual sight.

Diri Baba Mausoleum

A mausoleum built against a steep cliff face near Maraza, so that the stone building seems to grow out of the rock. It is a revered burial place that local people still visit.

Friday Mosque of Shamakhi

A large mosque in the town of Shamakhi, among the oldest in the Caucasus region and rebuilt several times after earthquakes. Visitors should dress modestly.

Yeddi Gumbaz

A group of domed tombs on a hill near Shamakhi, the burial place of members of the ruling family of the Shirvan khans. The domes and hilltop setting make it a quiet stop.

Airports

Heydar Aliyev International Airport GYD

Baku, Azerbaijan

It is about 70 km in a straight line from Gobustan.

Scams and safe taxis

Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Azerbaijan page

Weather by month

Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.

  • Jan5.3 °C21 mm
  • Feb5.6 °C23 mm
  • Mar8.5 °C25 mm
  • Apr12.4 °C22 mm
  • May19.1 °C17 mm
  • Jun24.5 °C11 mm
  • Jul27.2 °C5 mm
  • Aug27.2 °C7 mm
  • Sep23.2 °C27 mm
  • Oct17.8 °C37 mm
  • Nov11.6 °C37 mm
  • Dec7.2 °C24 mm

Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Sep, Oct, Nov.

Long-term averages from NASA POWER; the area covered is large, so local weather can differ.

Costs

Prices here are about 28% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.

Who can help

Emergency

112 for all emergencies. Police 102. Ambulance 103. Fire 101.

local government

Police emergency number 102

Helps with: Azerbaijan's police number, listed with 103 for an ambulance and 112 for the Ministry of Emergency Situations on the national tourism site. No tourist police unit is shown there.

Who qualifies: Anyone in Azerbaijan who needs the police, including visitors.

Phone: 102

Official website

Source · checked 2026-11-04

local government

Azerbaijan Tourism Board

Helps with: The national tourism body. The national tourism site names it as the contact for tourism-related issues and complaints, and gives a Baku phone number.

Who qualifies: Tourists with a tourism-related problem or complaint in Azerbaijan, and anyone planning a trip.

Phone: +994 12 505 8704

Address: Uzeyir Hajibeyli street 134, Baku AZ1010

Official website

Source · checked 2026-11-04

ngo

Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society

Helps with: Azerbaijan's national Red Crescent society, a member of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its website has pages on its fields of activity and a contact page.

Who qualifies: People in Azerbaijan seeking humanitarian help; see its website for the programmes it runs.

Official website

Source · checked 2026-11-04

un agency

International Organization for Migration (IOM) Azerbaijan

Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in Azerbaijan since 1996. Its site lists an office in Baku and one in Mingachevir.

Who qualifies: Migrants and partners working on migration in Azerbaijan. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.

Address: 31 Ibrahimpasha Dadashov Street, Baku AZ1069

Official website

Source · checked 2026-11-04

embassy

Foreign diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan (foreign ministry list)

Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The Azerbaijani foreign ministry's protocol section publishes a diplomatic list of foreign missions and consulates in the country (July 2026).

Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.

Official website

Source · checked 2026-11-04

local government

Ministry of Emergency Situations (hotline 112)

Helps with: Azerbaijan's emergency situations ministry. Its site names 112 as its telephone service and gives an administration phone and email.

Who qualifies: Anyone in Azerbaijan facing an emergency or disaster.

Phone: 112

Email: info@fhn.gov.az

Official website

Source · checked 2026-11-04

See all information for Azerbaijan