It is in essence a chronicle of one centre of civilization engraved in rock. Gobustan, a geographical region in East Azerbaijan, is a vast area with ravines, cliffs and valleys between the south-eastern foothills of the Greater Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

From this landscape, the territory was named Gobustan – land ofravines. Sea of stones A considerable area of Gobustan is a chaotic jumble of rocks. Geologists theorize about their origin as follows: the huge enclosed body of water that emerged from the waters of the Tethys began to shrink about 800,000 years ago. Its bed, soft folds of loose loam, was subjected to the impact of wind and rain, and as a result, deep, broad combes were formed.

Areas of the former seabed, consisting of more durable shell limestone, are preserved in the form of low plateaus, the edges of which have been constantly eroding. Boulders and stones rolling down the slopes eventually