Among the rocks in the Gobustan reserve is a large flat stone known locally as the gaval dash — the tambourine stone. Struck with a smaller rock, it produces a resonant, bell-like tone that carries clearly across the site. The stone is believed to have been used in ritual ceremonies for thousands of years; the petroglyph carvings nearby depict dancing figures that may represent the ceremonies it accompanied.
The gaval dash is one of those details that transforms a visit from an archaeological survey into something more alive: standing on the same ground where people have made music since the Stone Age, making the same sound with the same stone, is unexpectedly affecting. Ask your guide to show you where it is — it is easy to walk past without noticing it.