Our final full day in the Baku region involved a visit to the Absheron Peninsula. This prominent section of Azerbaijan is eastwards of Baku and extends as a finger of land out into the Caspian Sea.
This region is a rich oil field as suggested by the numerous ‘pump-jacks’ that are visible beside the road as we headed out of Baku.
Pump-jacks
Our first stop was at Ateshgah (‘House of Fire’) which is a 18th century temple within the confines of a fortified wall. In the centre is a four pillared stone dome with side flues above a flaming raised hearth. The flame has been burning continuously since the building of the temple over two hundred years ago.
Atashgah Temple
Markazi Ibadalgah (The Central altar), Atashgah Temple
The intriguing release of hydrocarbon gases and other compounds from these subterranean vents was of great interest to the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev who visited the region in the late 1800s. Other prominent visitors included the Nobel brothers (Alfred as in the prize donor) with their interest in using carbon based fuels as explosives for infrastructure and tunnel building and other heavy rock based excavation.
The Ateshgah fire temple is centred within a triangular courtyard of sides 50 to 60m. Around the perimeter are simple small stone rooms originally built for Indian Shivaite devotees. The rooms have now been converted to interpretation areas serving as a continuum of mini museums.
Jak emerging through doorway, Atashgah Temple
Natural gas seeps through the rocky ground and this so called “burning earth” was presumably the origin of ancient fire worshippers.
Zoroastrianism is probably the oldest of such worshipping and their religion has its history extending from around 1500 years BCE.
Zarathustra (or Zoroaster) experienced revelations called ‘gathas’ that used fire as a conduit between himself and god. These gathas comprise the core of the text ‘Avesta’, a collection of Zoroastrian holy texts. The symbol for Zoroastrianism is called the ‘Faravahar’ and it depicts a bearded man with one hand reaching forward as he sits above a pair of wings that are outstretched from a circle representing eternity. Apparently it’s incorrect to suggest that Zoroastrians worshipped fire but more appropriate to say it was fire that provided a means of communication with god!
Faravahar, Atashgah Temple
Mardakan Tuba Mosque
After winding our way through a series of old village back streets we then visited Mardakan where our first and very brief visit was to the Tuba Shahi Mosque. Nearby was the Great Mardakan Castle fortress.
Mardakan Tuba Mosque
It is claimed that this castle was built in the 12th century for Shirvanshah Ahistan I. There has been a good deal of restoration work in more recent times enhancing its grandeur. The tower is 22m high and quadrangular in section.
Our visit was enriched by having Vividad, a local and elderly local historian provide information on the castle and the interesting artefacts uncovered by archaeologists and are now on display around the base of the castle. This courtyard around the castle had several open and deep holes that provided a potentially dangerous walking area. In 2001 the Mardakan Castle Fortress was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Reserve list.
Mardakan Fortress
Vivida (Historian), Mardakan Fortress
Our final tourist treat for the day was to experience the wonders of Yanar Dag where a 10m long strip of ‘eternal’ fire burns gently out of the base of a stony embankment.
Yanar Dag means ‘Fire Mountain’ although it’s little more than a very modest hillock. Some say that the flames have gone unquenched for millennia and others say the escaping natural gas was accidentally ignited by a shepherd’s discarded cigarette back in the 1950s. In addition to the 10m of smallish flames there is an amphitheatre, a covered interpretation centre and a courtyard exhibiting ancient stone structures together with associated explanations.
Fire Mountain, Yanardag
We then headed back into Baku and on the way passed numerous architectural splendours including the comparatively new and highly impressive National Stadium that featured as the venue for the opening ceremony of the European Games in 2015.
National stadium
We had our final evening meal in Baku at a nearby caravanserai where we had a most enjoyable dinner from an upper deck whilst observing a large group celebrate a birthday party below. Music, dancing and much merriment ensued in the large dining area as we watched from above.
We have been awestruck by this city and its surrounding region and it will be with heavy hearts that we say farewell to Baku tomorrow as we continue our wonderful visit into western Azerbaijan.