Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The exterior of STRAAT.
STRAAT
The front of the St. Charles’ Church
St. Charles’ Church
The miniature theatre’s 200-seat capacity is slowly being filled with tiny figurines of beloved film characters, from classic movie stars to Muppets. Statler and Waldorf are perched in their usual spot at the front-right balcony. There’s even an ongoing call for visitors and locals to add their own favorite characters to the growing crowd.
East Van Vodville Cinema
Gombe mountains seen from Lake Tanganyika.
Gombe National Park
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The rocky Revere Beach coast in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.
Which Places With Bad Raps Are Actually Worth Visiting?
about 10 hours ago
A dugong displays the telltale “smile.”
Saving the Sea Cows of Vanuatu
about 10 hours ago
The first photo of the “woolly devil” made a stir among botanists when Deb Manley uploaded it to iNaturalist in March 2024.
How the Woolly Devil, Member of a New Plant Genus, Was Discovered on a Hike in Big Bend
1 day ago
You don’t need to go to Turkey to see hundreds of hot air balloons rising.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Find the Most Unusual Festivals in the U.S.?
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Azerbaijan Qobustan Sofi Hamid

Sofi Hamid

A colorful and enigmatic cemetery in the middle of nowhere.

Qobustan, Azerbaijan

Added By
Eltaj Muradli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
camels and a horse   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
camels and a horse   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
naive art   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
snakes and samovar   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
mafia?   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
cloths of prayers   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
  eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
  eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
  eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
  eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
camel of Sofi Hamid   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the shrine   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
Aftafa (ablution jar) and prayer beads   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
tractor depicted on a grave   eltaj / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Camels, samovars, sewing machines, prayer beads, guns, cars, snakes, camels and fruits. What do these have in common? Fifty kilometers from Baku, hidden from the public eye, lies a mysterious place called Sofi Hamid. And this is the place where you will see all kinds of images from nature and daily life. If you would land there by helicopter, you would wonder: who was buried here? What do those symbols, images, and bright colors mean? Adding to this confusion, you would soon discover that the writings on the graves are in Arabic, Latin, and Cyrillic scripts. 

That's why Sofi Hamid Cemetery will tell you more about the history of Azerbaijan than any museum or history book. Functioning as a cemetery since the 18th century, the stylistic approach and writings on the graves will narrate the story of this land’s inhabitants and their beliefs. Islam, Communism, and then Islam again.

Locals know only a little about the life of Sofi Hamid, whose shrine is located at this spot. Sofi Hamid had a big camel herd, but his main reputation among the locals came from his Sufi teachings. At his deathbed, he asked his followers to bury him wherever his camel would rest. His will was granted and this spot became his tomb and shrine. 

One of the pictures found on one of the graves depicts a woman dressed in black feeding a snake. According to locals, if you are a person of integrity, the snakes won't harm you. And the snake carvings on tombstones symbolize that this person buried was so kind and pure that even snakes wouldn't harm them.

As time elapsed, Sofi Hamid’s shrine gained a sacral significance and people started visiting his tomb for good luck and with the hope that their wishes will come true. These kinds of sanctuaries are known as “pirs” among the locals and are very widespread across the country. Women who are unable to conceive visit this shrine and crawl under the camel three times, a practice that is supposed to help them to get pregnant.

The unique colors, images, and scripts craved on wind-swept graves make it a must-see gem that will leave an impression on anyone visiting this mysterious place.

Related Tags

Shrines History & Culture Graveyards Color Cemeteries
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

eltaj

Published

July 5, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://americaninbaku.wordpress.com/tag/sofi-hamid-cemetery/
  • http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai131_folder/131_articles/131_sofi_hamid.html
  • https://baku-tours.com/sofi-hamid-shrine-and-cemetery/
Sofi Hamid
Kum
Qobustan
Azerbaijan
40.218201, 49.418862
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan

Qobustan, Azerbaijan

miles away

Musical Stone of Gobustan

Qobustan, Azerbaijan

miles away

Gobustan Rock Art

Qobustan, Azerbaijan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Qobustan

Qobustan

Azerbaijan

Places 3

Nearby Places

Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan

Qobustan, Azerbaijan

miles away

Musical Stone of Gobustan

Qobustan, Azerbaijan

miles away

Gobustan Rock Art

Qobustan, Azerbaijan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Qobustan

Qobustan

Azerbaijan

Places 3

Related Places

  • Grave in An Bang Cemetery

    Vinh An, Vietnam

    An Bang Cemetery

    A cityscape of burial tombs that you can easily lose yourself in.

  • The tombstone of Beauford Delaney at the Parisian Cemetery of Thiais in Thiais, France.

    Thiais, France

    Grave of Beauford Delaney

    The formerly unmarked grave of the noted Black American painter, who was a friend to James Baldwin.

  • Brimley, Michigan

    Bay Mills Old Indian Burial Ground

    This Native American cemetery features decades-old spirit house hidden behind pine trees and moss.

  • The British graves of Lothian Cemetery.

    New Delhi, India

    Lothian Cemetery

    Delhi's oldest Christian cemetery is also said to be one of the most haunted in the region.

  • Thomas Thetcher’s Headstone

    Winchester, England

    The Grave of Thomas Thetcher

    This gravestone and its inscription inspired a movement that has spanned generations and saved countless lives.

  • Shrine to Hachikō.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Hachikō's Grave

    People from around the world visit the shrine of Japan’s legendarily loyal dog.

  • The shrine is a small, tranquil location.

    Taipei, Taiwan

    Yuanshan Water Shrine

    A Japanese-era Shinto shrine next to Taipei's most famous night market.

  • “ANDREAS MORGENRØDT – Time Traveller – 1996–2064”

    Copenhagen, Denmark

    The Time Traveler's Grave

    Hidden in plain sight, a gravestone seemingly inscribed from the future stands among the cemetery’s historic tombs.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.