Ateshgah - temple of fire on the Apsheron peninsula in the reports of eastern authors, Russian and western European travelers (before the middle of the 19 century)

Purpose. Azerbaijan has long been known as the «Land of Fire», as evidenced by various sources. In this regard, the article examines information about the historical and cultural object of Ateshgah on the Apsheron peninsula near the city of Baku. Results. The object is a Temple of Fire that has existed for a long time. His descriptions are contained in various historical sources, in particular, in notes, drawings by Russian and West European travelers and scholars of the late Middle Ages and New Times. The author analyzes the corpus of narrative sources about the object itself, showing great interest to it, manifested in various historical periods. Relying on the little-known but important works of everyday life and ritual is offered in this extraordinary place. Some interesting facts are revealed. For example, the Russian academician S. G. Gmelin (junior) in 1770 compared the rituals of fire worshipers and their physical immobility with some Hindu yoga postures. Another traveler, noting that the fire-worshiper had been sitting at the temple of fire in the same position for fifteen years, came to the conclusion that at that time the inhabitants of the temple were all Hindus. Another little-known element is the fascination of several well-known Russian artists of the XIX century with the state of Ateshgah Fire temple, which resulted in colorful illustrations of fans of fire. In particular, G. G. Gagarin made several watercolor paintings of such characters, which later became a source for some remarkable sculptures. The famous French writer A. Dumas visited Baku and Ateshgah during his trip to the Caucasus in 1858. From his own description it is clear that visiting the temple of Fire made a great impression on him. Conclusion. The Ateshgah Temple for fire-worshipers of Azerbaijan and neighboring lands has been a place of faith for centuries. The fire and its light were revered as a sacred blessing from the god of Fire. In general, the study established the history of the creation of individual elements of the temple, shows the origin and number of believers, identified sources of funding for the temple and its expansion. It was noted that there are serious disagreements between experts on some important issues and often inconsistent information is provided. Since this topic occupies a prominent place in the fund of cultural values of Azerbaijan, in further work it is necessary to supplement the results of the analysis of the corps of written sources with the appropriate archaeological and ethnographic materials.