Half-Day Absheron Tour – Gala, Fire Temple & Fire Mountain

Overview

After meeting at the arranged meeting point we drive to Gala State Historical Ethnographic Reserve. It is 50 minutes driving distance from the meeting point to the Reserve.  After reaching, guests first visit Bronze Age and a medieval town in an amazing open-air Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, Castle Museum (partly open-air), and the Museum of Antiques and Waste to Art Museum.

The Gala State Historical and Ethnographic Reserve, established in 2008 by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, is located in the Gala settlement, approximately 40 km from Baku on the Absheron Peninsula. This expansive open-air museum complex spans 1.5 hectares and offers a comprehensive exploration of Azerbaijan’s rich history and culture.​ This Complex consist of followings.

Castle Museum: Features a restored medieval castle dating back to the 10th–12th centuries. Excavations have revealed bread ovens, ceramic remains, iron tools, and underground passages, some of which are believed to lead to the seaside and the city center. ​

Gala Antiques Museum: It IS was founded in 2011 on the initiative and with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation based on a personal collection of engineers, restorers, Karabakh war veterans and Shahid Khabibullaev. The rich collection, which has been going for many years, now features about 3,000 exhibits. Antiques created by Azerbaijani masters, which formed its basis, have been repeatedly exhibited at international exhibitions, including in Paris, London, Washington, Berlin, Moscow, Cairo, Rabat, Bishkek, Tashkent and other cities. This museum has a total of 800 exhibits of a unique collection.

From Waste to Art Museum: Established in 2015, this unique museum displays approximately 180 artworks created from recycled household items, highlighting the potential for creative reuse and promoting environmental awareness.

Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography: Showcases over 2,000 artifacts, including ancient rock paintings, pottery, jewelry, weapons, and coins. Notable exhibits include an 18th-century tandoor, two underground passages from the 10th to 15th centuries, and various traditional dwellings such as portable animal skin tents and stone and straw houses with domes. ​

Guests will spend here approximately 90 minutes with the explanation by their private guide.

Then heading to Ateshgah-Fire Worshippers’ Temple. Driving Distance from the Gala Reserve to this point is 20 minutes. The Fire Temple of Ateshgah—located in Surakhani, a suburb of Baku, Azerbaijan—is a unique and historically rich monument that stands as a testament to the ancient worship of fire and the cultural crossroads between Persian, Indian, and Caucasian civilizations. The temple complex is pentagonal in shape and built from local limestone. The main structure consists of a central altar—square in plan with an opening on each side—surrounded by a courtyard and multiple monastic cells or rooms along the walls, which were used by pilgrims and resident ascetics. The central altar is where the “eternal flame” once burned. In ancient times, natural gas seeped from the earth and fed the fire, which burned continuously without human intervention—a phenomenon that deeply inspired spiritual reverence. The flame was a central element of rituals and ceremonies. The Fire Temple is extraordinary because it represents the confluence of Zoroastrian, Hindu, and Sikh religious traditions, each of which revered fire as a sacred element.

Total tour duration here is 40 hour with explanation by their private guide.

The last stop the tour itinerary is Yanardag-Burning Mountain. It is 25 minutes driving distance from the Temple to this place. Yanardag-Burning Mountain is a natural gas fire that has been burning continuously for centuries. Flames up to 3 meters (10 feet) high emerge from a thin, porous sandstone hillside, creating a wall of fire that stretches about 10 meters wide. Unlike volcanoes or geysers, Yanardag does not erupt or smoke—it simply burns silently, even under rain and snow. This is not due to any human-made installation. The fire is completely natural, caused by underground gas pockets that leak to the surface and ignite upon contact with air. The fire at Yanar Dağ has likely been burning for centuries, but it was first documented in the 20th century. These flames had deep spiritual significance in Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion that revered fire as a symbol of divine presence and purity. It is believed that places like Yanar Dağ, Ateshgah Temple, and others were once sites of fire worship and pilgrimage. The burning at Yanardag is caused by natural gas—mostly methane—seeping through cracks and faults in the earth’s crust. The Absheron Peninsula lies atop vast reserves of oil and gas, and its porous sandstone formations allow the gas to rise easily to the surface. When the gas comes in contact with oxygen, it ignites spontaneously or with the slightest spark, leading to self-sustaining fires that can burn for years or even centuries.

Travelers will spend here at least 30 minutes with explanation by their private guide.

We complete the tour in Yanardag and return back to Baku. The tour ends up here and we take the guests to dropping point which is 30 minutes far from the City Center.