Fire Worshippers and Eternal Fire Tour

General information

Destination
Baku, Azerbaijan

Program details

• Must-see places of Baku

• The castle-like Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian place of worship

• See one of only a few burning mountains in the world

• Discover the symbol of modern Baku: Heydar Aliyev Center

• Enjoy complimentary round-trip transportation from your hotel



The Baku Ateshgah was a pilgrimage and philosophical centre of Zoroastrians from Northwestern Indian Subcontinent, who were involved in trade with the Caspian area via the famous "Grand Trunk Road". The four holy elements of their belief were: ateshi (fire), badi (air), abi (water), and heki (earth). The temple ceased to be a place of worship after 1883 with the installation of petroleum plants (industry) at Surakhany. The complex was turned into a museum in 1975. The annual number of visitors to the museum is 15,000.



The Temple of Fire "Ateshgah" was nominated for List of World Heritage Sites, UNESCO in 1998. On December 19, 2007, it was declared a state historical-architectural reserve by decree of the President of Azerbaijan.



Yanar Dag flame burns fairly steadily, as it involves a steady seep of gas from the subsurface. Due to the large concentration of natural gas under the Absheron Peninsula, natural flames burned there throughout antiquity. Only a handful of fire mountains exist today in the world, and most are located in Azerbaijan.