Ateshgah of Baku (Fire Temple of Baku), Baku

The Ateshgah of Baku, also known as the "Fire Temple of Baku," is a historical religious site in Surakhany, a suburb of Baku. This temple complex is shaped like a castle and built in a pentagonal form with a courtyard at the center, encircled by cells once used by monks. The heart of the complex features a tetrapillar-altar. Predominantly built during the 17th and 18th centuries, the temple bears inscriptions in Persian and Indian scripts, highlighting its significance to Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian worshippers.

Historically, the Fire Temple was a center of pilgrimage and philosophical discourse for Zoroastrians, particularly those from the Northwestern Indian subcontinent who traveled to the Caspian area along the Grand Trunk Road for trade. The temple embodied the Zoroastrian reverence for the four sacred elements: ateshi (fire), badi (air), abi (water), and heki (earth).

The use of the Fire Temple of Baku as a place of worship declined after 1883 following the rise of petroleum plants in the vicinity, which fundamentally altered the local landscape and economy. The natural eternal flame, for which the temple was famed, was extinguished in 1969 due to extensive oil and gas extraction in the region; however, it has since been re-lit using gas piped from nearby sources.

Converted into a museum in 1975, the Fire Temple of Baku continues to attract visitors, with an annual attendance of approximately 15,000. It stands as a testament to the region's diverse religious and cultural history. On December 19, 2007, it was officially recognized as a state historical-architectural reserve by the President of Azerbaijan and was nominated for inclusion in UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites in 1998 by Gulnara Mehmandarova.