Yanar Dağ ( burning mountain ) is a natural gas fire that has been burning on the slope of a hill in Azerbaijan since ancient times.
Although the cause of the origin of the fire is unknown, its geological source is in a large underground reservoir of gas that seeps cleanly through the porous rock. Here a bonfire burns almost eternally along about 200 meters, with flames up to 3 meters high.
Fires of natural origin have been burning there since ancient times, which historical writers such as Marco Polo have reported on.
The proximity of the site to Baku and its spectacular nature, especially at night, have made Yanar Dag become a tourist attraction and pilgrimage destination for the Azerbaijani population, as well as foreigners from India, in recent years. and Iran.
Access : Coordinates: 40.501861, 49.89125 / Yanar Dag or the Mountain of Fire – is a mountain, which is located on the Absheron Peninsula, north of Baku.
Highlights :
- Since Yanar Dag burns regardless of weather conditions, the local people consider the mountain to be sacred. Yanar Dag is not the only fire mountain in the country, but most of them were depleted due to the exploitation of these resources by people and as a result the underground pressure was reduced.
- The site is a protected area by the State and by the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.
- On the Absheron Peninsula by the Caspian Sea, numerous such campfires have been known since ancient times. The first descriptions of this location, Yanar Dag, date back to the 13th century, in the manuscripts of the explorer Marco Polo.The writer Alejandro Dumas also described the place during one of his visits to the area.
Go next : mud volcanoes of Lokbatan or Gobustan / Ateshgah – Fire Temple / Sumgait , the second-largest city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea / Xırdalan ,the capital of Absheron Rayon in Azerbaijan.
