Why is Azerbaijan known as the “Land of the Flames”?
Azerbaijan has been known as the “Land of the fire” or “Land of the flames” for centuries and it comes from its long tradition and religious background called Zoroastrianism. It is a fire based faith; very few practise the religion today as most in Azerbaijan are Muslim. Fire and flames are prominent in many customs and legends and even common greetings and sayings use fire as a symbol. For instance if you want to bless someone and wish them good fortune, one might say, “May you never lack fire” but if you were to condemn someone, “May your fire be quenched forever” may be said. Many ancient societies around the world regarded fire as both sacred and almost magical. Fire brought light to the dark, warmth to cold places and safety from the wild things that were a threat to early humans. One First Nations tradition in my part of Canada has as an important rite of passage for young men is to build a fire and maintain it for a long period of time, sometimes weeks or longer. Today, many of
