Ateshgah: The Fire Temple at Surakhani

Ateshgah is a walled temple in Surakhani, in the middle of the Absheron Peninsula. It stands on a spot where natural gas once came out of the ground and burned. Surakhani is now officially called Amirjan, but most signs and guides still use the old name.

We wrote this page from the reserve’s own site, ateshgahtemple.az, and from the Reserves Management Center at heritage.org.az. We also used the Azerbaijan Tourism Board’s site. We read all three on 30 September 2026.

Ateshgah at a glance

• What it is: a five-sided walled complex with an altar in the middle of an open courtyard.
• Where: Surakhani (Amirjan), Atamoglan Rzayev Street, Baku.
• Status: a State Historical-Architectural Reserve since a presidential decree of 19 December 2007.
• UNESCO: on the Tentative List since 1998, not inscribed.
• Who runs it: the State Tourism Agency.
• Getting there: city buses from three metro stations, or by car.

A long history in short

The reserve traces the site back to the Zoroastrian era. It cites a 3rd-century inscription on the “Kaaba of Zoroaster”, which records temples founded in the Transcaucasus region. It also cites the Arab geographer Estakhri. In 930 he wrote that Zoroastrian settlements existed near Baku.

When Islam became the main religion, local people stopped visiting the fire temples. The site fell into decay. Traders on the Silk Road later carried stories home about fire rising from the ground.

From the early 17th century, pilgrims began to arrive in Surakhani again. The German traveller E. Kaempfer visited in 1683. He wrote that pilgrims had started to rebuild the temple from the middle of that century.

Who built the temple you see

The Reserves Management Center says the temple you see today dates from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Hindu community of Baku, linked to the Sikhs, built it. Zoroastrians, Hindus and Sikhs all revered the place at different times.

By the early 19th century, the temple had its present form. The reserve says it has not changed since.

The Tourism Board adds that visitors from India still come today, with deep respect for the site. Alexandre Dumas wrote about the temple in his 1858 book on the Caucasus.

What you walk through

The plan is a pentagon. A wall with a toothed, battlement-like top runs around it, and you enter through a portal.

Inside is an open courtyard. In its centre stands the altar-shrine, a stone gazebo with a well at its heart. The reserve’s text says the “eternal” gas rose from that well.

The central shrine has a round, rotunda shape. The reserve’s page on the cells says only priests could enter it for rituals.

Small cells line the inner side of the wall. The reserve files its exhibition under these cells, so the walk around the courtyard is also the museum.

Was the fire natural?

The reserve is clear about one point. Natural gas came out of the ground here from ancient times until the 19th century. That is what drew worshippers.

It does not explain the flame that visitors see today. We will not guess, and we suggest you ask the guide at the site.

Getting there by bus

This is one of the few sites outside the centre that the reserve says you can reach by city bus. It lists these routes:

Metro station	Bus route
Kara Garayev	191, 113 or 213
Koroglu	184
Hazi Aslanov	104

The reserve does not give journey times. Ask the driver to tell you the Ateshgah stop if you are unsure.

Getting there by car

A car makes sense if you are pairing the temple with Yanardag. The reserve has its own car park, with a maximum stay of three hours.

Opening hours and tickets

The reserve’s site shows no current, dated opening hours. The only hours we found, 10:00 to 19:00, sit in an old news item. Treat that as a guide, not a promise.

We do not quote ticket prices. The reserve’s page and the Tourism Board’s page give different figures, so check the reserve’s own page before you go. What both agree on is that foreign and local visitors pay different rates.

Two points are clear from the reserve. A combined ticket covers Ateshgah and Yanardag, and it lasts 72 hours after the first use. Guided tours run in Azerbaijani and in other languages.

How long to stay

About an hour covers the courtyard, the altar and the cells, by our own estimate. Add time if you book a guided tour. The long history makes more sense when someone walks you through it.

Pairing it with Yanardag

Yanardag, the burning hill at Mammadli, is the obvious second stop. The reserves share a combined ticket. Visit the temple first, while there is light on the stone. Go to Yanardag later, as the day fades.

If you have more time, a second combined ticket adds the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex to the pair. That one is south-west of Baku, so give it its own morning.

Arranging it

Tell us your date, how many of you are travelling and whether you want a guide at the temple. We will fit Ateshgah and Yanardag into one afternoon, or split them if you prefer.