The land of fire that has burned for 4,000 years.

Located on the Absheron Peninsula near Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, Yanar Dag is often called the "burning mountain" due to its wall of fire that has been burning continuously for 4,000 years with no sign of stopping, regardless of changing weather conditions. This is because the country's abundant natural gas reserves sometimes leak to the surface.

Such fires were very common in Azerbaijan in the past. However, due to the increasing exploitation of natural gas for domestic and industrial use, most of the fires have been extinguished. The fire on Yanar Dag mountain is one of the few remaining, and perhaps the most impressive.

The custom of worshipping the fire god.

The name Azerbaijan in Persian means "fire". Since ancient times, the people there have had the custom of worshipping fire and building temples around eternal flames fueled by natural gas from the ground.

Many of the local people follow the ancient Zoroastrian religion, which originated in Iran and flourished in Azerbaijan during the first millennium BC. This religion believes that fire is the link between humans and the supernatural world, a means of understanding the spiritual world and achieving wisdom. Fire can purify, sustain life, and is an important part of the worship process.

Temple of the fire god Ateshgah

For a deeper insight into Azerbaijan's history of fire worship, visitors should visit the Ateshgah Temple in eastern Baku. The temple is a pentagonal complex built in the 17th-18th centuries by Indian settlers in Baku.

The name Ateshgah comes from Persian, meaning "house of fire." At the center of the area is a shrine built over a natural gas vent, which has a perpetually burning flame. In fact, this flame has been out since 1969. Today, it burns thanks to Baku's main gas supply and is only lit for tourists.

The temple has not been used as a place of worship since the late 19th century. Since 1975, it has been a museum and was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. It is estimated that the Ateshgah fire temple receives around 15,000 visitors annually.

Climb

Kieu Mai