Ateshgah (Fire Temple of Baku)

Ateshgah of Baku, also cited as Atashgah or the Fire Temple of Baku and in inscriptions as Jvālā-Jī-kā-Maṅdir (Mahājvājā Jī Temple of Eternal Fire), is a temple complex near Surakhany in the Baku region historically associated with fire worship and visits by Hindu and Sikh pilgrims. Archaeological and architectural descriptions indicate the extant hermitage-like complex was constructed over an earlier place of fire worship and features a pentagonal courtyard with a central tetra pillar-altar (a rotunda-like altar-sanctuary), a four-sided open sanctuary with columns and cupola, and twenty-four cells that historically housed images, ascetic worshippers, and pilgrims. Modern listings and guidebooks identify the site as preserved and presented as a museum and heritage attraction in Baku.