Playing with fire: 4 experiences to have in Azerbaijan

Fire, as an element, runs right through the heart of Azerbaijan’s very being. The name itself comes from the Persian words, azer, which means “fire” and baygan, which means “protector’’ and tongues of flame in the form of a shield are prominently displayed at the centre of the national emblem. How did fire come to be so important to the Azeris?

The answer lies in the rich deposits of natural gas and oil resting close to the surface of the Absheron peninsula which led to a fascinating natural phenomenon of flames actually bursting from the ground. In ancient times, people were naturally in awe of this spectacle and as the new religion of Zoroastrianism emerged in the 6th Century and gained ground the importance of fire only grew since it was thought to represent God’s light or wisdom. Today, this element of nature lends Azerbaijan some of its most exciting adventures:

Gobustan mud volcanoes

The setting could have been out of a Western–the barren badlands of Gobustan just west of Baku in Azerbaijan and my Indian(a) Jones doppelganger was hot on the Fire Trail in search of mud volcanoes! The day had started on an exciting note as our local taxis raced each other up the dirt tracks to where the volcanoes were with the beat-up old Russian Lada just nosing out the sleeker Nissan SUV, a true case of horses for courses!

Finally, we were able to gaze upon the muddy concentric circles and observe the bubbles of methane gas that spluttered from deep within the earth to the surface. These tiny cold volcanoes looked innocuous enough compared to their fiery lava-spewing cousins found throughout the Pacific Ocean, more like ugly pustules on the skin of the earth. And then it happened in an instant. One second I was treading along the outer edge of the circle leaning in for a photo. The next I had crashed through the brittle crust and sunk waist-deep into cold clammy mud. I was too shocked to be scared but had the presence of mind to extend my arms skywards and the drivers quickly pulled me to safety! And there I stood foolishly looking like the Swamp Thing, caked in mud from the waist downwards. After I had hosed myself down in the backyard of one of the driver’s homes (and been charged an extortionate Rs1,500 for a pair of worn shorts and slippers) I was able to reflect on my narrow escape. I hadn’t suffered any actual injury other than to my ego but had I been alone out there it could have been a very different story. There are no warning signs of any kind so it is best to go with a guide. Do tread very carefully, and most certainly do not walk on the dried crust! Getting there: 72km from Baku

Ateshgah–the fire temple with Sanskrit and Gurmukhi inscriptions

One of the world’s oldest religions, Zoroastrianism emerged in Central Asia before moving down to Iran through the Caucasus. A central tenet of this religion is the importance of fire as the purest element and as representing God’s light or wisdom. Not surprisingly, many fire temples were built around the natural fires that sprung up in the Azeri landscape. But today only one remains called Ateshgah (translates as Bed of Fire), which is a 30-minute drive from Yanar Dag and can be seen on the same tour. This temple was discovered and built up from a rudimentary structure to its present form by Hindu and Sikh traders who travelled the Silk Route in the late 16^th Century.

You enter through a small portal into an open pentagonal courtyard with a small square covered altar with four pillars right in front of you where the Holy Fire burns continuously. The castellated walls of the courtyard are lined with small cells where the visiting traders would stay–now they house clay models of the pilgrims in acts of fasting, self-flagellation and other forms of penance. I was stunned by the religious inscriptions in Sanskrit and in Gurmukhi carved above the doorways and delighted to see the small bronze Vishnu and Shiva figurines in one of the cells. In such a strange place so far away these reminders of our homeland really caught me by surprise. As the silk trade died out the pilgrims stopped coming and the exploitation of the underground gas led to the natural flame going out in 1969. Today, the flame is sustained by a gas pipeline and Ateshgah continues its life as a fascinating little insight into Azerbaijan’s multi-cultural history. Getting there: 18km from Baku

Yanar Dag–the Fire Mountain

You can see this amazing phenomenon of flames bursting from the ground for yourself at a site called Yanar Dag which translates as Burning Mountain, a short drive from Baku. Flames continuously leap into the air through holes in the porous sandstone layer at the bottom of a tectonic scarp. While they have diminished in size from a “Wall of Fire’’ as the underlying gas flow has reduced, they are still a unique and impressive sight. Legend has it that the hillside was set aflame by a shepherd who carelessly threw away a lit match but who actually knows when and how they began, which adds to their mystery. You can view the flames from the comfort of a new amphitheatre and also walk through the small gallery which has a fun projection where your shadow strolls or dances through the flames! Getting there: 15km from Baku

Gobustan rock art

Gobustan, the barren semi-desert hinterland of Baku (literally: ravine land), also hides other mysteries from the past. When the last Ice Age ended about 12,000 years ago and the waters of the Caspian Sea receded from the Absheron Peninsula, the climate and vegetation were warmer and wetter than today supporting human settlement. Evidence of this can be found in over 6,000 rock engravings dating as far back as 40,000 years scattered over a plateau of giant rocky boulders. They depict primitive men and women, domestic animals, ritual dances and warriors with lances, camel caravans and images of the sun and stars, all spread over the ruins of caves, settlements and burial sites. Particularly intriguing are the petroglyphs showing longships rowed by oarsmen similar to Viking ships, evidence perhaps of a link between Gobustan and Northern Europe according to renowned Norwegian explorer and ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl.

Visitors wanting to see the rock art should first stop at the new museum located a short distance from the main Boyukdash site where a series of audio-visual exhibits and animations displayed in circular rooms takes you through the discovery, the history and the explanations for these ancient petroglyphs. Indian visitors will be interested by the comparison of Gobustan with the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters just outside Bhopal in India where the rock paintings date back 30,000 years. Your ticket price includes an English-speaking guide who will also walk you around the numbered engravings at the actual site. Getting there: 67km from Baku