As with any significant discovery, there was a legend. After all, there is a documented story, and there is a story that passes from mouth to mouth, and it is all the more fascinating.

We do not undertake to say whether this is true or fiction, but we will tell you how it was.

History
In ancient times, a caravan trade route ran through the territory of modern Azerbaijan. And many camel caravans stopped for a rest where the Naftalan resort is now located. In one of the caravans, a camel weakened. Having decided that the cause of its illness was the muddy water of the lakes at the rest stop, they left it and moved on. But on the way back, this same camel was found absolutely healthy and returned to the caravan.

But the question remained open: what happened?
Then it was decided to follow the camel, which, in turn, calmly bathed in the muddy water and began to bask in the sun. One way or another, people risked trying this method on their wounds - and were surprised by the result.

So naphthalan was endowed with magical properties.

In fact, the substance was named after the city located nearby - this is how naphthalan oil appeared.

Written sources
As we said, there are also written sources that talk about the beneficial properties of naphthalan as a unique source of medicinal oil. The first mentions can be found even in the works of Herodotus and Plutarch. It was already described in more detail in the treatise "On Greater Tartary" by the Italian traveler Marco Polo, who created his works in the 13th century.

How was naphthalan mined?
From archives and other written sources, it can be determined that until 1873, naphthalan was mined manually from shallow wells. And in 1890, the German engineer-concessionaire E.I. Eger laid boreholes here and even built a small factory, which made it possible not only to take baths from naphthalan, but also to produce medicinal products from it.

The use of naphthalan gradually spread to other countries. Thus, naphthalan products began to be exported from Germany to America, England, Japan, France, Holland and other countries.

The real treasure was discovered by founding medical resorts in Naftalan - no other sanatorium could compare with the wide range of beneficial effects and the final result. This is proven by the work of the resorts for more than a hundred years and thousands of satisfied people. These resorts can also be assessed in the Sanatoriums section.