Ateshgah of Baku

Former Hindu/Zoroastrian fire temple (17th-18th c.), eternal gas flame, Surakhany, Baku.

The Ateshgah (House of Fire) in Surakhany near Baku is a former fire temple where Hindu, Zoroastrian, and Sikh pilgrims performed rituals until the 19th century. Built in the 17th and 18th centuries around an eternally burning natural gas flame, it was an important pilgrimage site for Indian merchants active on the Silk Road. When oil fields nearby were opened in 1883, falling gas pressure extinguished the flame. Currently a UNESCO World Heritage candidate.