Yanar Dagh, the Burning Hillside
On a hillside near Baku, flames dance across the ground without stopping, even in rain and snow.
What was reported
Yanar Dagh, 'burning mountain', is a hillside near Baku where natural gas seeps through porous sandstone and burns in a wall of flame several metres long. It's said to have been lit by accident by a shepherd in the 1950s.
Azerbaijan is called the 'Land of Fire', and travellers since ancient times, including Marco Polo, described the burning ground of the Absheron Peninsula. Nearby, the Ateshgah temple was used by fire worshippers.
Explanations offered
The fire is fed by natural gas from the region's rich oil and gas deposits. Most of the peninsula's natural fires went out as extraction lowered gas pressure, but Yanar Dagh still burns and is protected as a reserve.
- When
- Burning since at least the 1950s
- Where
- Absheron Peninsula, near Baku, Azerbaijan
- Witnesses
- Travellers to the 'Land of Fire'
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.