Ateşgah Fire Temple « Azerbaijan Gallery

Ateşgah Fire Temple

17Jun08

You are unlikely to see anything else like this majestic temple outside of India. The temple is built on the site of a natural gas vent believed to have been sacred to the Zoroastrians since the 6th century AD. To get a sense of how the worshippers lived you can visit the inside museum and discover the ritual required to have your wishes granted.

The site of the Ateşgah Temple, also known as the Temple of the Fireworshippers, has been a centre of worship for thousands of years. The area was once so saturated with natural gas and oil that flames spontaneously erupted from the ground – hence the country’s other name, Odlar Yourdu, or ‘Land of Fires’, and the name of the temple, which means ‘home of fire’. Much of the existing structure was built after the 17th century by Indian Shivaite pilgrims. Flames still burn from flues at each corner of the roof, though the natural gas is nowadays piped from the mains!

Among the most interesting things to see at the temple are the ancient Sanskrit and Hindi inscriptions and the onion dome toped with the trident of Hindu god Shiva. The temple is surrounded by pilgrim cell-rooms, now used as a rather half-hearted museum.