Highlights: Qobustan reserve, Mud Volcano, Ateshgah (The temple of fire), Yanardağ (Burning mountain), and etc.

The Absheron

Washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea, the Absheron Peninsula is characterised by its sandy beaches and numerous suburban settlements, as well as its increasing number of hotels, water parks, cafés and restaurants. A number of historical monuments have been preserved here: the “Ateshgah” fire temple (17th-18th centuries), the 14th-century Nardaran Castle, the Round Castle (1232) and Quadrangular Castle (12th century) in the settlement of Mardakan, the 14th-century castle in Ramana and others.

Gobustan 

Sixty km south of Baku, in an area covering ​​537 hectares, you will find the fascinating Gobustan National Park, also called the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape. This contains one of the world's largest collections of ancient petroglyphs - there are over 6,000 rock carvings here which is why the area was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007.

The Gobustan region

Another area called Gobustan is situated along the Baku to Shamakhi highway, 90 km from Baku. The administrative center of the district is the ancient city of Maraza. The area is rich with monuments dating back to the ancient state of Shirvan which existed between the 8th-16th centuries and was ruled by the Shirvanshahs whose capital was Shamakhi.