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Atashgah Fire Temple, Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo by لاله171.

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple

The Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple is also known as the Fire Temple of Baku. It is situated on the Abseron Peninsula, above a natural gas vent. It is specifically located in Surkhany town, a suburb of Baku, Azerbaijan. It is revered for its religious connections with both Hinduism and Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan.

 There are, however, contentions as to whether it was founded as a Zoroastrian or Hindu place of worship. The most dominant theory however connects the temple to Zoroastrian tradition.

 Fire rituals performed at the peninsula’s natural gas vents are believed to date back to as early as the 10^th century. Its structure features pentagonal walls surrounding a courtyard. There’s an altar at the center of the courtyard where fire rituals were done.

In the late 19^th century, the Fire Temple was abandoned. It is speculated that this was a result of the reduction in the Indian population in the region. The complex has now been turned into a museum. Many visit the site all year. The complex is open from 10 am to 7 pm daily.

We have put together some remarkable facts about the Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple below.

1. Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple was founded in the 17^th century

Old illustration of Atashgah by Moynet-

Historically, the Surakhany region is described as an area rich in oil, and gas, and where fire burns perpetually. Interestingly, fire worship was common in the region, and it has been asserted that even before the construction of the Fire Temple at the end of the 17^th century, locals worshipped at this site of ‘seven holes with burning flame’.

There are several inscriptions on the Atashgah, all in Sanskrit or Punjabi. There’s one inscription in Persian. The dates on the inscriptions range from 1668 CE to 1816 CE.

This coupled with the relatively new structure has led to the conclusion by scholars that the fire temple was constructed in the 17^th century.

The structure is speculated, according to local records, to have been built by the Baku Hindu traders around the time of the fall of the Shirvanshah dynasty.

2. Fire worship was practiced in the region from as early as the 10^th century

Historians indicate that there existed fire worshippers in the region and evidence of fire rituals dating back to the 10^th century. ‘Atash’ means fire in Persian. Surakhany is known as an area of rich oil and gas reserves, on the Absheron peninsula.

Abu Ishaq Estakhri, a 10^th-century travel author cited that not far from Baku, lived fire worshippers. German traveler Engelbert Kaempfer also mentions ‘seven holes with eternal fires’ in his accounts. He visited Surakhany in 1683.

3. The Fire altar is built next to a natural gas vent

Fire altar at Atashgah by Robot8A-

The peninsula has numerous natural gas reserves, although these have been heavily exploited over the years. Generally, fire altars were built on these gas vents, and fire rituals were being performed on the Peninsula from as early as the 10^th century. The natural gas kept the ‘eternal flame’ blazing day and night.

4. It has a castle-like structure

Atashgah Fire Temple by Robot8A.

The pavilion has pentagonal walls, surrounding a courtyard. The fire altar is then situated in the middle of the courtyard. A large flame was ignited at the middle and the four small corners on the rooftop corners of the pavilion.

There are several cells surrounding the altar, where the monks, ascetic worshippers, and pilgrims stayed.

5. The Fire Temple’s use as a Zoroastrian place of worship is contested

It has long been contested whether the fire temple was built as a place for Hindu or Zoroastrian place of worship. Both religions consider fire a sacred element of worship.

The inscriptions in the temple identify the site as a place of Hindu worship, stating that it was consecrated for Jwala Ji, a Hindu fire deity. ‘Jwala’ means flame in Sanskrit.

 In 1925, a Zoroastrian priest and academic, Jivanji Jamshedji, visited the site. He concluded that after examining the structure and its inscriptions, the place could not have been a Zoroastrian fire temple. It has not been completely ruled out, however, that the site may once have been a Zoroastrian place of worship.

6. The eternal flame at the Temple’s altar went out in 1969

Image by Diego Delso-

The fire altar was built on top of a natural gas vent which ignited and fueled it day and night. However, it went out in 1969. This has been attributed to the intense exploitation of the natural gas reserves on the Peninsula during Soviet rule in present-day Azerbaijan. The fire seen today at the site is fed by gas piped in from Baku city.

7. The Fire Temple was turned into a museum

People visiting Atashgah, Baku. Photo by ANAS Public Relations-

By the end of the 19^th century, the Atashgah Fire Temple had been largely abandoned by worshippers and pilgrims.  In 1975, the complex was turned into a museum.

It was later on associated with the ‘Shirvanshah Palace Complex State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve. In December 2007, the Fire Temple complex was declared a distinct state-historical reserve by the Azerbaijani government. Many visit the site all year.

In July 2009, President Ilham Aliyev announced a grant of 1 million manats (Azerbaijani currency) for the upkeep of the site.

8. It was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Atashgah Fire Temple by Ludvig14-

UNESCO is a specialized United Nations organization tasked with promoting international cooperation through education, arts, sciences and culture.

It also seeks to encourage the preservation of historic sites for the benefit of both present and future generations.

The World Heritage Committee lists several such sites as nominated, across the world, and urges the respective countries to enhance preservation and restoration efforts.

In 1998, the Fire Temple of Baku was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site by Gulnara Mehmandarova, an Azerbaijani researcher and head of the Azerbaijan Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites.

9. It is claimed  that Tsar Alexander III visited the site

Tsar Alexander II was the Emperor of Russia from 1881 to 1894. According to local reports made to  a visiting Zoroastrian priest, the Tsar visited Baku in 1888 and witnessed Hindu fire prayer rituals at the Atshagah Fire Temple. This claim has however, not been conclusively verified.

10. The Fire Temple is included on Azerbaijani postage stamps

Azerbaijani stamp by Kh. Mirzoyev./Azermarka-

The Fire Temple is undoubtedly a notable historic monument in the history of Azerbaijan. It has received recognition in several ways including depiction on the country’s postage stamps.

Two denominations of Azerbaijani’s first issue of postage stamps released in 1919 contain an illustration of the Fire Temple. Five oil derricks feature in the background.