09:30. Departure from Baku and transfer to the village of Mardakan (about 40 km.)

​

10:10 – 11:00 Excursion to the Gala Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum Complex.

On the territory of the reserve, covering 156 hectares, there are objects dating back to the period from the 3rd millennium BC. until the 20th century, burial mounds, crypts, houses, 4 water storage facilities, the ruins of an ancient castle, 5 mosques, 3 baths and more. To preserve these monuments, as well as further enrich the reserve due to the archaeological finds discovered in Absheron, in 2008, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the first open-air archaeological and ethnographic complex was created here. The museum complex occupies 2 hectares of territory.

 

11:30 - 13:00 Inspection of the fortifications of Mardakyan and ancient mosques.

​

The quadrangular fortress of Mardakyan (XII century)

The quadrangular castle in the village of Mardakan was built in the 11th century by order of Akhsitan I, the son of Shirvanshah Manuchehr III. The name of Akhsitan and the date 1187/8 are also inscribed on  quadrangular tower. The successor of the Kesranid dynasty thus wanted to perpetuate his victory over the enemy. The fortress is a hundred years younger than the famous Round Castle standing nearby, and 10 meters higher than it. Thus, the height of the Quadrangular Castle reaches 22 meters. The internal division of the fortress consists of 5 tiers connected by a spiral staircase.

 

Tuba-Shahi Mosque (XV century)

Tuba Shah Mosque - located in the village of Mardakan. It is an architectural monument of Azerbaijan and is a religious building that has become widespread in the construction of the northern regions of Azerbaijan. The mosque was built in the 15th century and got its name in honor of the woman who ordered its construction.

 

Round fortress (XIII century)

One of the famous fortresses of Mardakan village. On one of the stones there is an inscription dating the construction of the fortress in 1232. The authorship is attributed to the architect Abdulmajid ibn Maksud. The round castle is so named because of the round shape of its main tower, 12.5 meters high. The tower occupies a central position in the fortress, rising in the middle of a spacious square courtyard. From all sides, the yard is surrounded by reliable 7-meter walls.

 

13:20 – 14:00 Excursion to the temple of fire worshipers Ateshgah

​

Temple of Eternal Flame Ateshgah is a real Azerbaijani exotic. It is known almost all over the world. It is located 30 km from the center of Baku, on the outskirts of the village of Surakhany. This area is known for such a unique natural phenomenon as burning outflows of natural gas (gas, breaking out, comes into contact with oxygen and lights up). In its present form, the temple was built in the XVII-XVIII centuries. It was built by the Hindu community living in Baku, belonging to the Sikh caste. However, the history of Ateshgah temple is much more ancient. Since ancient times, the sanctuary of the Zoroastrians - fire worshipers (approximately the beginning of our era) was located on this territory. They attached mystical significance to the unquenchable fire and came here to bow to the shrine. After the adoption of Islam, the temple of the Zoroastrians was destroyed. Many Zoroastrians went to India and continued their faith there.

 

14:00 – 15:00 Lunch at a restaurant (extra charge)

 

15:30 - 16:10 Visit to the village of Ramana. Ramana fortress.

In the village of Ramany, not far from Baku, there is a 14th-century fortress. - Ramana. It was built of white stone. The height of the fortress is 15 meters. The Ramana Fortress was built by order of the Shirvanshahs for defensive purposes. There is written evidence that in the Middle Ages there was an underground road from the Ramana fortress to the Maiden's Tower.

 

16:30 - 17:00 Trip to the Yanardag reserve (burning mountain)

​

Yanardag- one of the most amazing natural attractions of the Absheron Peninsula. It is a mountainside engulfed in flames, which cannot be extinguished either by rain or covered with sand, burning for several millennia. The frightening and at the same time bewitching fiery landscape is actually explained very simply: natural gas is released from the upper layers of the soil, which turns into a flame when it comes into contact with oxygen.

 

On the territory of the reserve are also located -Gyrmeki mud volcano, oil wells in the Gyrmeki valley, Wolf Cave, Gavaldashi megalith complex and several cemeteries that are over 1000 years old.