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Suraxanı raion

Baku geography stubsDistricts of BakuVillages in Azerbaijan
Suraxanı RİH
Suraxanı RİH

Suraxanı (Surakhany) is a settlement and raion of Baku, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 210,500. The region is best known for the Fire Temple of Baku on the northern edge of town, a castle-like temple and monastery complex known locally as the Ateşgah or Ateshgyakh. It was a Zoroastrian temple. The complex was built on a pocket of natural gas that once produced a flame from natural gas seepage. The local Tat name of the raion is said to related to "the Persian words 'Surakh' (hole) or Surkh/ Sorkh (red) and 'khani' (source or fountain). According to historical sources, before the construction of the Parsi Temple Of Fire (Atashgah) in Surakhany at the end of the 18th century, the local people also worshipped at this site because of the 'seven holes with burning flame'. And thus the name 'Surakhany' - holes with burning fountains."The township itself is poor and surrounded by the petrochemical industry facilities that are endemic to the Absheron Peninsula.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Suraxanı raion (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Suraxanı raion
Xanlar Ələkbərov, Surakhany Raion

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Latitude Longitude
N 40.420277777778 ° E 50.004722222222 °
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Xanlar Ələkbərov

Xanlar Ələkbərov
1042 Surakhany Raion
Baku Ekonomic Zone, Azerbaijan
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Suraxanı RİH
Suraxanı RİH
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Ateshgah of Baku
Ateshgah of Baku

The Ateshgah of Baku (from Persian: آتشگاه, Ātashgāh, Azerbaijani: Atəşgah), often called the "Fire Temple of Baku", is a castle-like religious temple in Surakhany town (in Surakhany raion), a suburb in Baku, Azerbaijan. Based on Iranian and Indian inscriptions, the temple was used as a Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian place of worship. "Ātash" (آتش) is the Persian word for fire. The pentagonal complex, which has a courtyard surrounded by cells for monks and a tetrapillar-altar in the middle, was built during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was abandoned in the late 19th century, probably due to the dwindling of the Indian population in the area. The natural eternal flame went out in 1969, after nearly a century of usage of the petroleum and gas in the area, but is now lit by gas piped from the nearby city.The Baku Ateshgah was a pilgrimage and philosophical centre of Zoroastrians from Northwestern Indian subcontinent, who were involved in trade with the Caspian area via the famous "Grand Trunk Road". The four holy elements of their belief were: ateshi (fire), badi (air), abi (water), and heki (earth). The temple ceased to be a place of worship after 1883 with the installation of petroleum plants (industry) at Surakhany. The complex was turned into a museum in 1975. The annual number of visitors to the museum is 15,000.The Temple of Fire "Ateshgah" was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage Sites, UNESCO in 1998 by Gulnara Mehmandarova. On December 19, 2007, it was declared a state historical-architectural reserve by decree of the President of Azerbaijan.