Este sitio comprende tres zonas de una meseta rocosa emplazada en la región semidesértica que ocupa el centro del Azerbaiyán. Alberga un conjunto excepcional de más de seis mil petroglifos ejecutados a lo largo de un periodo de 40.000 años de arte rupestre. También posee vestigios de poblamientos, cuevas habitadas y sitios funerarios, que constituyen una prueba de su ocupación intensiva por el ser humano en el periodo húmedo subsiguiente a la última era glaciar, desde el Paleolítico Superior hasta la Edad Media. El sitio abarca una superficie total de 537 hectáreas, que forman parte del territorio protegido, mucho más extenso, de la Reserva de Gobustán.

Valor universal excepcional en inglés

Gobustan has outstanding universal value for the quality and density of its rock art engravings, for the substantial evidence the collection of rock art images presents for hunting, fauna, flora and lifestyles in pre-historic times and for the cultural continuity between prehistoric and mediaeval times that the site reflects. Criterion (iii): The rock engravings are an exceptional testimony to a way of life that has disappeared in the way they represent so graphically activities connected with hunting and fishing at a time when the climate and vegetation of the area were warmer and wetter than today. The most remote and undisturbed landscapes are the Jinghirdag Moutain-Yazylytepe hill and Kichikdash Mountain. These areas need to be fully protected in order to ensure they keep their authenticity. The most visited site, Boyukdash, has more disturbances in the form of installations such as a prison and stone quarry, which should be managed as part of the Management Plan. The knowledge of the site does not extend evenly across the whole rock art reservation. It would be desirable for a large-scale survey of the wider environment to be carried out to ensure the extent of protection needed to ensure the overall integrity of the rock art corpus. The legal protective measures for the property are adequate. There is a need to complete the documentation, put in place active conservation measures and improve the technical competence of staff to carry out necessary urgent conservation work.