Baku · Surakhani · Land of Fire
A temple of eternal fire on the Absheron earth, where flame burst from the ground for centuries. Pilgrims came here from India and Persia — Hindus, Zoroastrians and Sikhs who revered fire as a holy thing.
What this place is
"Ateshgah" means "house of fire" in Persian. It is a pentagonal caravanserai courtyard with cells around its edge and, at the centre, a four-pillared domed altar over which an eternal flame once burned.
The fire here was not lit — it rose from the earth with the natural gas of Absheron. That is why the place was sacred long before the present temple was ever built.
Five faces of a shrine
"Where the earth itself breathes fire, people have always sought the divine."
On the fire temples of Absheron
Land of Fire
For centuries Absheron amazed travellers with flame rising straight from earth and stone. Ateshgah and the burning hill of Yanar Dag are living witnesses to why Azerbaijan is called the "Land of Fire".
About the fireCome and see
Today Ateshgah is a quiet museum in Surakhani, easy to reach from Baku. Here you can walk through the pilgrims' cells, read ancient inscriptions and stand by the flame.
