# Ateshgah Fire Temple, Baku > Ateshgah is a 17th–18th-century fire temple in Surakhani, about 30 km from central Baku: a five-sided walled courtyard of pilgrim cells around a stone altar with a flame inside. Foreign visitors pay **15 AZN**, or 25 AZN combined with [Yanar Dag](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/yanar-dag). Open daily, 10:00–19:00. Allow an hour on site plus 30–40 minutes each way. Web page: https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/ateshgah-fire-temple - City: [Baku](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku), Azerbaijan - YesGo score: 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - Entry: 15 AZN for foreign visitors - With kids: Fine with kids - Foreign visitors: 15 AZN - Azerbaijani citizens: 2 AZN; students at Azerbaijani universities 1 AZN - Foreign children under 12: Free - Ateshgah + Yanar Dag: 25 AZN per person, valid 72 hours from first entry - Ateshgah + Yanar Dag + Mud Volcanoes: 35 AZN per person, 72 hours - Guide on site: 10 AZN in English and other languages (3 AZN in Azerbaijani); the Russian page says 5 AZN - Open: Every day, including weekends and holidays - Hours: 10:00–19:00, per the official ticket seller - Where to buy: Ticket desk at the gate or a QR ticket on iTicket.AZ - Parking: Car 1 AZN, bus 2 AZN, up to 3 hours - Address: Atamoghlan Rzayev Street, Surakhani, Baku AZ1049 - Getting there: Metro to Koroğlu, then bus 184 to the last stop, ≈ 35 min; taxi from the centre 30–40 min - Coordinates: 40.41556, 50.00861 - Facts checked: 02.11.2026 ## Key facts - **17th–18th century** — when Indian pilgrims built the present temple; it took its final shape by the early 1800s (source: Ateshgah Temple Reserve; English Wikipedia, Ateshgah of Baku) - **Piped gas** — feeds the flame today — the natural vents died out in 1902 or 1969, depending on the source (source: Russian Wikipedia, Atashgah; English Wikipedia, Ateshgah of Baku) - **17 inscriptions** — over the cells: 14 Hindu, 2 Sikh and 1 Persian (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Pentagon** — the plan — a courtyard behind a crenellated wall with an entrance portal and cells around the edge (source: Ateshgah Temple Reserve; reserve description on iTicket.AZ; Russian Wikipedia) - **Chahartaq** — the central altar: a dome on four pillars, open on all sides, over a fire pit (source: Russian Wikipedia; reserve description on iTicket.AZ) - **“Home of fire”** — the meaning of the name Ateshgah (source: Ateshgah Temple Reserve; English Wikipedia) - **1683** — German traveller Engelbert Kaempfer described the “eternal fires” here (source: Ateshgah Temple Reserve; English Wikipedia) - **1858** — Alexandre Dumas visited and met Indian ascetics living in the cells (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **≈ 30 km** — from central Baku, on the edge of Surakhani, inside the city limits (source: Reserve description on iTicket.AZ; Russian Wikipedia) - **1998** — nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List (source: Reserve description on iTicket.AZ; English Wikipedia) - **19 Dec 2007** — declared a State Historical-Architectural Reserve by presidential decree (source: Ateshgah Temple Reserve; English Wikipedia) ## Ateshgah tickets and opening hours Foreign visitors pay **15 AZN**; Azerbaijani citizens pay 2 AZN. Children of foreign visitors under 12 get in free. The reserve is open **every day, including weekends and holidays**, and the official ticket seller lists entry from 10:00 to 19:00. The foreign rate rose from 9 AZN in January 2026, so older blogs quote less. Going to Yanar Dag as well? The **combined ticket is 25 AZN**, covers one person and stays valid for 72 hours after the first scan, so the second site can wait until another day. A 35 AZN version adds the Mud Volcanoes complex near [Gobustan](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/gobustan). Pay at the gate or buy a QR ticket on iTicket.AZ, which activates on the day you visit. Entry is priced in manat; bring some cash in case the card terminal is down. A guide on site costs 10 AZN in English. > **The flame is not natural any more** The gas that drew pilgrims here ran out long ago — oil and gas extraction around Surakhani drained it. The altar flame now runs on mains gas. Come for the history, not a natural wonder; for fire coming straight out of the ground, add Yanar Dag on the same trip. ## How to get to Ateshgah Fire Temple 1. From the Old City, walk out through the Double Gates (Qoşa Qala) to İçərişəhər metro and ride the red line to Koroğlu. 2. Outside Koroğlu, take bus 184 to the last stop by Suraxanı station — about 35 minutes. The reserve also lists buses 191, 113 and 213 from Qara Qarayev metro and 104 from Həzi Aslanov. 3. Walk about 5 minutes to the gate on Atamoghlan Rzayev Street. 4. By Bolt or Uber from the centre it is 30–40 minutes without traffic; ask the driver to wait if Yanar Dag is next. 5. Coming from Heydar Aliyev Airport, take the Aeroexpress H1 bus to 28 May or a taxi into town first — about 30 minutes. ## Paying for transport Since April 2026 Baku and Absheron buses and the metro are reported to take foreign contactless bank cards and phone wallets at the reader; we are still checking that every route does. A rechargeable BakıKart from any metro machine is the safe backup. ## Is Ateshgah Fire Temple worth visiting? Yes, if religious history or the Silk Road interests you: a Hindu-built fire temple on the Caspian is unique, and the inscriptions, altar and cells tell a coherent story in under an hour. With a guide, it comes alive; without one, the courtyard can feel small. Be honest with yourself about the trade-off: the journey takes longer than the visit, and the flame is piped gas. On a one-day stopover, stay in the [Old City](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-old-town). On a second or third day, Ateshgah plus Yanar Dag make a good half-day out of town, and kids tend to like the fire and the figures in the cells. ## Zoroastrian or Hindu? What the temple really is The short answer: the building you see was raised by **Hindu and Sikh traders and pilgrims from northern India**, with Parsi Zoroastrians visiting too. Of the 17 surviving inscriptions, 14 are Hindu, 2 are Sikh and only 1 is Persian, and a trident — a Shiva symbol — tops the altar. The site's fire-worship roots may be older. The reserve links the first fire temples of Absheron to the era when Zoroastrianism was the main faith, and the 10th-century Arab geographer Istakhri wrote of Zoroastrian villages near Baku. Kaempfer saw the eternal fires in 1683; Alexandre Dumas found an old hermit and two young Indians here in 1858. Pilgrims stopped coming in the late 19th century, the Soviets made it a museum, and since 2007 it has been a state reserve. ## What to see inside - **The central altar** — a domed chahartaq on four pillars with the flame burning in a pit. Reserve rules keep you at least a metre from the fire. - **Pilgrims' cells** around the walls, several fitted out as a museum with figures of ascetics and scenes of temple life. - **Inscriptions over the cell doors** in Sanskrit (Devanagari), Punjabi (Gurmukhi) and one in Persian. - **The entrance portal and balakhana** — the guest room above the gate. - **Small fire vents** at the corners of the altar, around the main flame. - **The reserve's exhibition hall**, with exhibits on the pilgrims and the temple's history. ## Ateshgah and Yanar Dag: one half-day trip The two sites tell one story: the temple shows how people worshipped fire, and Yanar Dag, a hillside that burns on its own, shows the fire itself. Do the temple in daylight and reach Yanar Dag at dusk, when the flames look best. Gobustan's rock art and the mud volcanoes lie the other way, south of Baku. A taxi or tour can link all four in a day, but it is a long one; most travellers split it into two half-days. ## Ateshgah vs Yanar Dag | | Ateshgah | Yanar Dag | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | 17th–18th-century temple, museum | Natural fire on a hillside | | The flame | Piped gas, in the altar | From the ground, always burning | | Foreign visitor ticket | 15 AZN | 15 AZN | | Combined | 25 AZN, 72 hours | 25 AZN, 72 hours | | Hours | Daily 10:00–19:00 | Daily 10:00–19:00 | | Best time | Daytime | Dusk | Prices and hours from the Ateshgah and Yanar Dag reserve websites; Ateshgah's hours are still being verified. If you pick one, choose Ateshgah for history and Yanar Dag for the spectacle — the combined ticket makes both easy. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] 15 AZN for entry, or 25 AZN for the Yanar Dag combo - [ ] Contactless card or BakıKart for the metro and bus - [ ] Bolt or Uber on my phone for the onward hop - [ ] Reaching the gate before 18:00 - [ ] An hour on site plus 30–40 minutes each way - [ ] A hat in summer — the courtyard has little shade ## Baku's historic sights compared Every historic place in Baku rated by YesGo. - [Maiden Tower](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-maiden-tower) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 19 AZN for foreign visitors - [Old City (Icherisheher)](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-old-town) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · Free entry, museums from 10 ₼ - [Palace of the Shirvanshahs](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/shirvanshahs-palace) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 24 AZN for foreign visitors - [Flame Towers and Highland Park](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/flame-towers) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free; funicular 1 AZN - [Baku Boulevard](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-boulevard) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Heydar Aliyev Center](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/heydar-aliyev-center) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 15 AZN; classic cars +10 AZN - [Azerbaijan Carpet Museum](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-carpet-museum) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 10 AZN for foreigners, students 3 AZN - [Ateshgah Fire Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/ateshgah-fire-temple) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 15 AZN for foreign visitors - [Gobustan rock art and mud volcanoes](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/gobustan) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ 10–15 AZN, volcanoes extra ## Absheron's two fires in half a day The fire temple by day, the burning hillside at dusk, then the Heydar Aliyev Center and an evening on the boulevard on the way back. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Ateshgah Fire Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/ateshgah-fire-temple) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 15 AZN for foreign visitors 2. [Yanar Dag](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/yanar-dag) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 15 AZN foreigners, under-12s free 3. [Heydar Aliyev Center](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/heydar-aliyev-center) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 15 AZN; classic cars +10 AZN 4. [Baku Boulevard](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-boulevard) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free ## Not to be confused with “Atashgah” — home of fire — is a name shared by other fire temples, notably the Zoroastrian ones in Isfahan and Yazd, Iran. The Baku Ateshgah is a separate temple in Surakhani, built by Indian rather than Iranian pilgrims. ## Tips - Buy the combined ticket with Yanar Dag: cheaper than two singles and valid for three days. - Read the dates over the cell doors — they use the Indian Samvat calendar, the earliest from the 17th century. - Take the bus in the morning, see the temple, then a taxi to Yanar Dag for dusk. - A guide is worth the few manat: without the stories you will be done in 15 minutes. - Visit the [Maiden Tower](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-maiden-tower) first — one theory links it to fire worship too. - In summer come at opening time: the stone courtyard heats up fast. ## Questions ### How much is the Ateshgah Fire Temple entrance fee? 15 AZN for foreign visitors, 2 AZN for Azerbaijani citizens; foreign children under 12 are free. The combined ticket with Yanar Dag is 25 AZN, valid 72 hours. ### What are Ateshgah Fire Temple opening hours? The reserve is open every day, weekends and holidays included. The official ticket seller lists entry from 10:00 to 19:00. ### How do I get to Ateshgah Fire Temple from central Baku? Metro to Koroğlu, then bus 184 to the last stop by Suraxanı station (about 35 minutes) and a 5-minute walk. A taxi from the centre takes 30–40 minutes. ### How long do you need at Ateshgah? About an hour for the courtyard, altar and cells, plus 30–40 minutes each way from the centre. ### Is Ateshgah Fire Temple worth visiting? Yes for history lovers — there is no other Indian fire temple like it. On a one-day stopover, the Old City is a better use of time. ### Is the fire at Ateshgah real? It is a real flame, but piped mains gas feeds it; the natural vents ran dry long ago. For fire from the ground, go to Yanar Dag. ### Is Ateshgah a Zoroastrian temple? Mostly Hindu and Sikh: 14 of its 17 inscriptions are Hindu and 2 are Sikh. Zoroastrian Parsi pilgrims visited too, and the site's fire worship may be older. ### Can I visit Ateshgah and Yanar Dag together? Yes — it is the classic half-day. Use the 25 AZN combined ticket, see the temple by day and Yanar Dag at dusk. ### Can you pay by card at Ateshgah? You can buy a QR ticket online on iTicket.AZ; at the gate, carry some manat in cash in case the terminal is down. ## How we checked Prices, free categories, combined tickets, parking, rules and daily opening come from the official Ateshgah Temple Reserve website (price list updated 12.05.2026) and are marked official. The temple's own site gives no clock hours, so 10:00–19:00 comes from the official iTicket.AZ sessions and the sister Yanar Dag reserve site, marked “verifying”. The guide fee differs between the reserve's English page (10 AZN) and Russian page (5 AZN); we show both. The two Wikipedias disagree on when the natural gas ran out (1902 vs 1969) and when the museum opened (1964 vs 1975): we show the first as disputed and leave the second out. Sources give different numbers of cells, so we do not state one. Bus routes come from the reserve's How to go? page and WeProject (April 2026); travel and taxi times are marked “verifying”. ## Sources - Ateshgah Temple State Historical-Architectural Reserve: Tours and prices (12.05.2026), Rules, How to go?, About, 02.11.2026 - iTicket.AZ — official ticket sales of the Reserves Management Center: sessions and reserve description, 02.11.2026 - Yanardag State Reserve: Plan your visit — hours, prices, combined tickets, 02.11.2026 - Report.az, 18.12.2025 — new foreign visitor prices at state reserves from 1 January 2026 - English and Russian Wikipedia: Ateshgah of Baku, Атешгях; Wikidata Q754560 - Azertag and Birbank, April 2026 — foreign contactless cards on Baku public transport --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.