- Mud Volcanos visit and Soviet Lada Car Experience
- After breakfast we transfer to Gobustan. Azerbaijan is home to some stunning and unique natural wonders like Mud Volcanos. On arrival we will transfer to a Soviet Lada car and visit Mud Volcanos. There are over 350 mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan, both onshore and offshore. Mud volcanoes appeared on the territory of the present Azerbaijan Republic 25 million years ago. Mud volcanoes are one of the key points for the discovery of oil and gas Fields. Geologists consider that mud volcanoes are formed as a result of extreme pressure of hydrocarbon gases accumulated in oil fields. NASA geologists studying Mars concluded that mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan are similar to uplands of the planet for their structure. Volcanic water is widely used in the treatment of a number of diseases - nervous system, skin diseases, urology, gynaecology, etc. Clays of mud volcanoes are considered to be minerals. Fluid of mud volcanoes is used as raw materials in the chemical and construction industry, as well as in pharmacology.
- Visit Gobustan UNESCO world Heritage site
- Later proceed to the Peninsula Tour in Gobustan. Gobustan, the UNESCO World Heritage site is considered as the national historical landmark of Azerbaijan with the ancient rock art and Gobustan Petroglyphs. Gobustan is an archaeological reserve in Azerbaijan, located on an area of 537 hectares between the south-eastern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range and the Caspian Sea. It houses one of the world’s largest collections of ancient rock paintings. Gobustan State Reserve is very rich in archaeological monuments, the reserve has more than 6,000 rock carvings, which depict primitive people, animals, battle-pieces, ritual dances, bullfi- ghts, boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances in their hands, camel caravans, pictures of sun and stars, on the average dating back to 5,000-20,000 years.
- Visit Fire Temple
- After lunch, drive to Surakhany town, a suburb in Baku to visit Ateshgah “Fire Temple of Baku”. This castle-style temple was nominated for World Heritage Site status in 1998. The inscriptions in either Sanskrit or Punjabi state that the place was a Hindu place of worship, unlike claims indicating it was a Zoroastrian Fire Temple. Fire is sacred for Hindu, Sikhs and Zoroastrian and there has been debate on whether it was originally a Hindu temple, Sikh one or Zoroastrian. Although the site was originally a place of worship for Zoroastrians, the fortified complex you see today was built by 18th-century Indian Shiva devotees. However, today it houses a museum and is no longer used as a temple.
- Splendid view of Fire Mountain
- Later we proceeded to Absheron Peninsula to see ‘Fire Mountain’ in Yanar Dag. Burning Mountain is considered as “eternal fi re” and fulfills the trip with unique and interesting experiences. It is called ‘Fire Mountain’ because from the hill there is fire that comes out of the ground. Flames jet out into the air 3 meters from a thin, porous sandstone layer. Around this open fi replace the atmosphere is filled with the smell of gas. The naturally occurring fire burns in colorful flames most impressively at dusk, when both tourists and locals can view it. In the 13th century Marco Polo mentioned numerous natural-gas flames spurting spontaneously from the Absheron Peninsula. Azerbaijan has vast reserves of oil and subterranean natural gas. Roman records dating back 2500 years ago suggest oil extraction took place on Azerbaijan’s Absheron Peninsula. On the way we can see the typical Baku countryside: oil pipelines lying across the land with many oil pumps and old equipment as far as the eye can see. Later transfer to a local restaurant for a wonderful evening of our tour to enjoy the Gala Dinner with oriental Dance Show. After dinner, transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay at hotel in Baku.
- HOTEL: Badamdar Hotel & Residence or similar (4*)
- MEALS: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner at the Restaurant.
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