To learn more about Azerbaijan's ancient fire worshippers we head east of Baku to the Fire Temple of Ateshgah,a castle-like religious complex that has drawn pilgrims to its eternal flame since the 10th century."To Zoroastrians,fire is the symbol of purity and link to the supernatural world,"says Bagirov."No ritual can be performed without its presence."
While the Zoroastrians worshipped the flame as it came straight from the ground from a natural gas vent,it was the Hindu and Sikh pilgrims from India who built the temple in the 17th century.
Shaped like a caravanserai (travellers'inn) the complex has a walled courtyard surrounded by cells for worshippers. In the middle stands the burning altar,a four-pillared dome positioned over a natural gas vent,with pyres blazing from each of temple's four chimneys. Having burned for centuries,the fire is now fed from Baku's main gas supply.
We hear the flames before we see them,roaring,clawing demons,whipped into a frenzy by a windstorm that has blown in from the Caspian Sea. Stepping through the archway feels like entering a different realm,one that is raw and elemental on the outside,yet distinctly calming inside.
Back on the road to Baku we pass an extensive oil field,where"nodding donkeys"pump Azerbaijan's black gold to the surface. Nicknamed the James Bond oil field after it was featured in the movieThe World Is Not Enough,it represents the Azerbaijan of today as it races towards a prosperous,resource-driven future.
FLY
Qatar Airways flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Baku,Azerbaijan,via Dohar. Seeqatarairways.com
TOUR
Intrepid Travel's 10-day Highlights of Azerbaijan and Georgia,starting in Baku,costs from $2338 a person,twin share. Seeintrepidtravel.com
Kerry van der Jagt was a guest of Intrepid Travel.