Mud Volcanoes State Nature Reserve
Mud Volcanoes State Nature Reserve
Mud Volcanoes Group of Baku and Absheron Peninsula State Nature Reserve is a protected area in the Absheron region of Azerbaijan, near Baku. It covers about 12,323 hectares (roughly 30,450 acres) and protects 43 mud volcanoes, including the world’s largest, Toraghay.
Azerbaijan has the most mud volcanoes in the world: more than 400 have been recorded, about half of all known mud volcanoes.
The reserve was created by presidential decree No. 2315 on August 15, 2007, to reduce human impact and prevent risky construction around volcanoes on the Baku and Absheron peninsulas. In 2011, Cabinet Decree No. 294 officially designated 43 mud volcanoes in the area as a state nature reserve.
Two main goals guide the reserve: protect the natural landscape and its ecosystems; and support scientific research and environmental monitoring. Staff carry out regular observations of all 43 volcanoes, forecast ecological conditions, study volcanic processes, and protect the area from human interference.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:09 (CET).