Azerbaijan's Gobustan Petroglyphs

You may think that Azerbaijan didn't exist in your travel destination maps but it is. It has so much to offer and one of which is Gobustan State Reserve who happens to be one of UNESCO's heritage site. Established in 1966, it was declared a protected area since in the caves lies the ancient carvings and rock paintings that is believed to be more than 600,000 in number. The paintings are mostly images of what kind of life early settlers of Azerbaijan had as well as animals, primitive dances, bullfights and others dated from 5,000 to 20,000 years way back.



This nature wonder were only discovered through accident when a group of men go in there to quarry for stones in 1930. Since the area are abundant in boulders and rock formations, one quarry worker noticed the unusual carvings on the rocks. They also discovered these man-made caves where more of the drawings can be found. One of the scientist studied these paintings is the world-renowned anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl.



Apart from petroglyphs, there is also this musical stone known as Gaval Dash. It makes a tambourine-like sound when it is hit in different points. It is composed of big flat stones with 3 supporting stones. There are also cup-like hollows found there which is believed to be used to gather water, a vessel for preparing blood for sacrifice and others not to mention archaeological materials like hunting tools, utensils and animal bones. If you're into history mood, play like an archaeologist or geologist and plan your vacation here at Gobustan State Reserve particulary in it's caves and mud volcanoes. There's nothing like discovering the things we didn't know existed at that time.

Egypt's Ras Mohammed National Park

Egypt was known for its majestic pyramid structures, high and mighty pharaohs and it's amazing sand dunes. Who will ever thought that a diver's haven will emerge here in a land of full of sand and scarce water supply? Yes, Ras Mohammed or Cape Mohammed is one of Egypt's important protected area. With a variety of flora and fauna's best, Ras Mohammed showcase marine life in different forms.

This extra-ordinary setting lies in at the south extreme of Sinai Peninsula, facing Gulf Suez and Gulf of Aqaba and included in the tourist region of Red Sea Riviera. Declared as a park and protected area in 1983, this asian travel spot has a name that literally means Mohammed's head. The enormous wildlife is not only present in water but also in land as there are mountains and wadis, gravel and coastal mud plains and sand dunes that will satisfy your panoramic viewing.


This place is not only suitable for diving but also in other activities like snorkeling, bird-watching and nature-tripping. In fact, there is the Mangrove channel where you can view migratory and resident birds. There's also the Eel Garden where you can find it's large population of garden eels and the Shark Observatory where you can have a close encounter with sharks of different kinds.
This park provides excellent and calm experience to their visitors. With this and other nature's reserves around the world, it made us think twice to save this place called Earth since this is the only place and paradise we can live in.