The Tambourine Stone of Gobustan
Among rocks carved with ancient pictures in Azerbaijan lies a flat stone that rings like a tambourine when you strike it.
What was reported
Gobustan, south of Baku, is famous for thousands of rock carvings left by people over many thousands of years: hunters, boats, dancers and animals. Among the boulders is a large flat stone called Gaval Dash, the 'tambourine stone'.
When struck with a small stone, it gives out a clear, ringing, metallic sound, very different from the dull knock of ordinary rock. Different spots make different notes, and musicians have played it in performances of Azerbaijani folk music.
Explanations offered
The stone rings because of the way it rests on smaller rocks, with air underneath, and because of its hard, fine-grained limestone, which makes it vibrate like a bell. Some think the ancient people who made the carvings used it in ceremonies, but that can't be proven.
- When
- Played for thousands of years
- Where
- Gobustan, Azerbaijan
- Witnesses
- Visitors and musicians at Gobustan
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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