CULTURE
Participants of U.S.-Azerbaijan Convention: “Vision for the Future” visit Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve
Baku, May 26 (AZERTAC). Participants of the U.S.-Azerbaijan Convention: “Vision for the Future” have today visited the Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve.
They were informed that settled since the 8th millennium BC, the area contains more than 600,000 distinct paintings, going as far back as 20,000 years to as recent as 5,000 years ago. The rock paintings in the Gobustan State Reserve depict a wide range of figures and scenes, including various hunting scenes, war scenes, trading scenes, and individual animals, and people. The Gobustan State Reserve covers more than 1300 acres (530 hectares), and encompasses many distinct sites.
The site is about 40 miles (65km) away from Baku. The Gobustan State Reserve is also home to a number of so-called Singing Stones, most notably the Gaval Dash. These stones create musical tones when touched, and can be essentially played to create a haunting music.
The participants were also informed that the Gobustan State Reserve is a nearby rock which is the site of the easternmost Roman inscription. This appears to be “graffiti” left by the 12th Legion of the Roman Empire, traveling in the area around 75AD and commemorating the eastern point of the Roman Empire.
The Gobustan Reserve was included into the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2007. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an executive order on construction of a new building of Gobustan State Reserve museum.