Never heard of them? Nor had I. I had visions and memories of boiling mud at Rotorua but this is different. The mud here is cold, not hot. It is not geothermal but rather methane gas percolating through the wet soil. Incredibly there are more than 400 mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan as a result of its unique geology.
Just out of Baku we visit the Bibiheybat mosque. Built in the 13th century it includes the tomb of Ukeyma Khanum a descendant of the prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him). It is a Shia mosque hence the green colour inside. Destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1939 this is a reconstruction.
We are taken to Gobustan a 2 hour drive out of Baku, the last 15 minutes on a rough 4 WD track driving rally car style in ancient Soviet era Lada cars.
Nearby quarry workers in the 1930s accidentally discovered petroglyphs. Initial archeological work started in 1939 but was interrupted by WW 2. It was not until 196 that it was decreed an historic national preserve. Here there are thousands of figures carved into rocks between 5000 and 20,000 years ago.
When the early Persians came here there were many areas where methane gas seeping through the ground caused spontaneous fires. The advent of drilling for oil has reduced subterranean pressure and now the only place where you can see a burning mountain is at Yanardagh.
The original religion of Azerbaijan was Zoroastrianism. This is an ancient monotheistic religion which, among another things worshipped fire. Our last stop is Ateshgah, the Fire Temple of Baku built around a natural gas vent that ignites flames.
