The Fire Temple of Baku, Azerbaijan by Ceri Bladen
(Ateshgah)
depicted as the most important symbol of purity. They believe fire represents the symbol of Ahura Mazda, which is why they appear to worship fire.
The Temple of Eternal Fire (Ateshgah) is located around 15kms from the centre of Buku in the suburb of Surakhany. The area of Surakhany is known for its unique natural phenomenon of burning gas outlets.
For a long time, Zoroastrians were the primary worshippers at the site (the region was, at the time, a part of the Persian Empire under Sasanian dynasty) before the area fell to Islamic invasion in the 7th century.
These ‘burning’ lands are the reason fire rituals date back to ancient times when it became the holy place of Zoroastrians. They built a place of sacrifice near these inextinguishable fires.
When the region came under the influence of Islam, although some Zoroastrian fled to other countries, they did not disappear completely from the area.
Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest continuously practiced religions, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. Zoroastrians believe in one God, called Ahura Masda. In the Avesta, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism, fire is
In the 17th and 18th century, Hindus and Sikhs started arriving into the area in larger numbers, due to trade along the Silk Road (Ipek Yolu) which connected trade routes from the Indian sub-continent
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