TRUTH ABOUT ATASGAH

The background and history of a nation or territory can be judged by historical monuments. Azerbaijan is no exception. Zoroastrian sanctuary Atasgah in the Suraxani settlement 25 km from Baku is one such historical monument. This religious site was for many centuries a worshipping place for thousands of people. Historians and travelers visited Atasgah with great interest. The sanctuary was described in detail in various well-known works. However, although Atasgah is located in the vicinity of Baku, many people know almost nothing about its history. As a result, this historical monument is surrounded by inaccurate and contradictory information.

How Atasgah appeared

Before the 7th century A.D., when the Azerbaijan population was mainly made up of fire worshippers, the territory currently occupied by Atasgah was a worshipping ground. After the advent of Islam, most local residents changed their religion to become Muslims, but some did not want to adopt Islam and migrated to Iran and northern India.

The history of Atasgah dates back to the early 18th century. In those days, a large number of merchants would come to Baku through the Silk Way, which was already being used very actively. Some of them were descendants of fire worshippers who had once migrated from Azerbaijan. On seeing places where natural gas was continuously coming from under the ground, the merchants believed that the places were holy and decided to establish worshipping centers in several villages near Baku. Atasgah was the main of them.

Its construction was started by Azerbaijani architects on a request from the Indians in 1713. Although a large area was allocated for Atasgah, initially only an altar and several "rest cells" were built. In the subsequent two centuries the number of "cells" increased due to additionally built structures for visitors. The sanctuary was fenced, while to the right of the entrance a tower was built to survey the area. It was called Bala Xana. The construction of Atasgah was fully completed in the late 19th century.

Atasgah represents a square structure. At the center of the yard there is a place of sacrifice which is elevated by four columns with burning fire. There are 26 cells around the altar, as well as a room for visitors and a surveillance tower. The cells are built of stone and are 2m tall. Above each door there is an inscription, 25 in Sanskrit and one in Farsi. Similar sanctuaries can be found in northern India and in the Iranian town of Yezd.

Sanctuary visitors 

After the establishment of the sanctuary, it was visited by hundreds of people every year. Those were fire worshippers from Iran, India and even some parts of Azerbaijan. Fire worshippers visited Atasgah mainly in the summer and spring. Religious rituals consisted of placing different fruit and berries at the altar, praying, crossing legs and singing. Fire worshippers were supposed to bring people, not animals, as a sacrifice.

Whoever volunteered to be offered as a sacrifice was publicly burnt by the main attendant. It is curious that even today there are people who think that workers of Atasgah are religious clerics and offer themselves as sacrifice. According to pilgrims, they had prepared themselves for the sacrifice procedure at Atasgah from the time of their birth and believed that they would join eternity afterwards.

In the Soviet times, Atasgah was turned into a museum. Therefore, the sanctuary was closed for worshipping. The authorities started paying a lot of attention to protecting Atasgah as an important monument of historical heritage, which helped preserve the sanctuary to the present day. Talented sculptors Alimirza and Mirza Mirzayev have played an important part in turning the cold walls of Atasgah into an interesting museum. The models of old residents of Atasgah are attractive and natural. In some cells, there are figures of ancient fire worshippers ready for being offered as a sacrifice. Sculptors have managed to show true suffering of people Zoroastrians offered as a sacrifice.

For many years Atasgah functioned only as a museum. The status of a "sanctuary" was awarded to it only after a visit to Baku by Indian president Jawaharlal Nehru, when the issue of a parallel use of it as a religious center was being discussed. In 1970, the prohibition for pilgrimage to Atasgah was lifted.

Along with pilgrims Atasgah was also visited by well-known people, including Dumas Sr., Vereshchagin, Bogolyubov, Dorin, etc., which was subsequently reflected in their works. They speak of a "wonderful Zoroastrian sanctuary" near Baku and describe fire worshippers' rituals. One graphic example of that is a book by Dumas Sr. about the Caucasus.

Famous scientist Dmitriy Mendeleyev established a laboratory on the territory of Atasgah in 1851, and it functioned for many years. The structure in which the lab was located is still there and is referred to by local people as the "Kokurev factory". It is expected to undergo renovation in the near future.

Incident 

Mahbuba Mammadova, who has worked at Atasgah for more than 20 years, remembers not only interesting visitors. She also recalls quite vividly an incident which occurred in the last 1980s. At the time, Atasgah was being restored and renovated, and she was in charge of the process. Most of the people doing the renovation were of Armenian origin. Mammadova says they were trying to cut corners under any pretext. Moreover, she noticed that the Armenians tried to make holes in the walls and to destroy them. Mammadova immediately informed relevant institutions of that and the group of people was distanced from the museum. A new team was established to eliminate the damage caused. A subsequent inspection revealed that some Sanskrit inscriptions above cell doors had been changed to Armenian, while an Armenian cross was buried 2 meters underneath the altar.

The sanctuary in Suraxani is still an attractive tourist destination. It has not lost its importance and relevance as one of Zoroastrian worshipping centers. Interest and faith are among factors which have always guided people.