Yanar Bulag

Yanar Bulag means burning spring, and the trick is straightforward once you see it: the groundwater here carries dissolved methane, and when a match is held to the stream running from the pipe the gas ignites and burns on the surface of the water. The flame sits on the water while the water keeps running underneath it, which is the part that does not look right. A small pavilion has been built over the spring, and local people come to drink the water, which is held to be good for the stomach.

What you actually see

• The burning water - a flame sitting on the surface of the stream from the pipe.
• The pavilion - a small structure built over the spring, with the tap inside.
• The drinking - locals filling bottles, the water being considered medicinal.
• The setting - the wet green Talysh lowlands close to the southern border.

When to go

Year-round; the spring runs and burns in any season. It is a five-minute stop on the road between Astara and Lankaran. Weekends bring local visitors.

Honest expectations

This is a genuinely brief stop and there is nothing else at the site. The flame is small and photographs make it look far more dramatic than it is. Drinking the water is a local practice rather than a recommendation.

Nearby

Astara and the southern border are ten kilometres south, and Lankaran is north up the coast.