Atəşgah | Suraxanı məbədi

The Baku Ateshgah often called the "Fire Temple of Baku", is a castle-like religious temple in Surakhany town, a suburb in Baku, Azerbaijan. Based on Persian and Indian inscriptions, the temple was used as a Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian place of worship. "Ātash" is the Persian word for fire. The pentagonal complex, which has a courtyard surrounded by cells for monks and a tetrapillar-altar in the middle, was built during the 17th and 18th centuries.There are 14 Sanskrit, two Punjabi and one Persian inscription in the Ateshgah.It was abandoned in the late 19th century, probably due to the dwindling of the Indian population in the area. After paying homage at the " Fire Temple" we were next given a tour of the various rooms built along the periphery of the enclosed Ateshgah now converted to museum exhibits. For the first time you see how people adored and prayed to fire as a real God, A place where you feel how humans worshiped the fire, really amazinz, It is quite obvious to understand it in Azerbaijan because this phenomenon of fire bursting out of the soil really exist. This temple is well preserved and there are a number of good exhibits to see there. It is a window on an interesting religious following.