Ateshgah Fire Temple

At Surakhany a natural gas seep burned continuously on the surface, and around it a pentagonal walled complex was built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: an open court with cells around the walls and a domed altar in the middle, where the flame burned through four corner vents and a central one. The inscriptions on the cells are in Sanskrit, Punjabi and Persian, left by Indian traders and ascetics who worshipped here. The natural seep failed in the 1960s after gas extraction nearby, and the flame is now supplied by pipe.

What you actually see

• The central altar - a domed pavilion with flames at the four corners and the centre.
• The cell inscriptions - carved panels in Sanskrit, Punjabi and Persian above the doorways.
• The pentagonal court - the walled enclosure with cells built into all sides.
• The displays - reconstructions of ascetic practice in some of the cells, with period accounts.

When to go

April to June and September to November are comfortable. The flames read far better after dark or in overcast weather than in bright sun. Summer in Absheron is very hot and the courtyard has no shade.

Honest expectations

The fire is piped gas now, not the natural seep that made the site what it was, and knowing that changes the visit. The mannequin displays in the cells are dated and clumsy. It is small and an hour covers it, so it is usually combined with Yanar Dag.

Nearby

Yanar Dag is a short drive north, and central Baku is half an hour west.