FIRE TEMPLE

Surakhany Temple is one of the main tourist attractions of the peninsula. The first traces of a fire temple discovered at this place are before our age, as evidenced by two Sanskrit inscriptions on the temple portal: These scriptures date back to the 1728 th century and the reconstruction of the temple, surrounded by a caravanserai, by rich Indian merchants in, but refers to Indian pilgrims from the st century BC, which went to the place until the th century, the date on which Islam was imposed by the Arab occupants of the initial temple. and eleven others across the country. The temple of Surakhany is one of the only two temples of fire remaining in Azerbaijan, the second in Khinalig, in the Caucasus Mountains.

The architecture of the current temple is similar to that of a caravanserai. Indian merchants can thus make both a pilgrimage and a commercial step on the silk road. Inscriptions at the top of the altar refer to Shiva and Ganesh, evidence of the strong Indian attendance of the place. The temple itself is located in the center of the courtyard, and a flame burns in its surroundings. Originally, it was a natural flame, resulting from pockets of underground methane. But these have been depleted since 1890, due to the oil exploitation of the surrounding area, and the fire is now artificially maintained. Beside the temple, one can see a well where the remains of the faithful were burned. On the sides are the prayer rooms. These are devoid of windows and surrounded by thick walls, such as the alcoves of the Caravanserais. In the largest of them, on the right, there is an opening about 80 cm from the ground: the pilgrim, kneeling for his prayers, could thus see the burning flame in the heart of the temple.

The rooms today houses small museums or scenes reconstructions. In the absence of explanatory panels in English, it is preferable, in order to understand life inside the temple, to take the services of an English guide (5 AZN) or to purchase the small explanatory booklet for sale at the counter (8 AZN).

Models and models revive the religious practices that had taken place in the temple: flogging and "rest" on a gravel bed, among others. At the bottom of the courtyard are the stables, recognizable by their stone rings intended to attach the camels.