This is Yanardag, the Everlasting Fire. Near Baku, in the Caucasian republic of Azerbaijan, it's a methane seep which just burns and burns, like a natural, earthy version of those pipes they stick in landfills. Also, Azerbaijan sits atop nearly half the world's active mud volcanoes Posted in today's New York Times, in their science section slide show, was this tidbit: somewhere in the middle of the Eurasian landmass there is a pit of burning rock called Yanar Dağ the Everlasting Fire. "Yanar Dağ" means "Fire Mountain," which makes a kind of literal, call-it-as-you-see-it sense, I guess.
I had a number of questions about this, and other similar spots around the world. How long have they burned? Were they burning before humans found them? Can't you imagine some hairy ape smoking an ancient cigarette, watching the sunset with his lemur buddy, tossing away the butt and *poof-kaBOOM!* it's goddamned Prometheus come to Earth?
Finally, I wonder how cool it was for ancient people to have this resource, an everlasting fire. I don't know how many of you have ever been stuck in the woods eating snails and grass, but fire makes a HUGE difference. I bet these types of land features could have rivaled rivers in their benefit to developing societies, by incentivizing people to gather in a specific place over a long span of time, sharing ideas and resources.
Also for the spa effect. Mud volcanoes are SO good for your complexion.
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