Baba Gurgur (literally "Father of Fire") is a large oil field near the city of Kirkuk which was the first to be discovered in Northern Iraq in 1927. Considered to be the largest oil field in the world until the discovery of the Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia in 1948, Baba Gurgur is famous for its Eternal Fire located at the middle of its oil fields that is estimated to have been burning for over 4000 years.

The Baba Gurgur oil field was described as far back as Herodotus (c. 484–425 BC), the ancient Greek author, and some believe it to be the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel, of Old Testament, into which King Nebuchadnezzar (630-562 BC), King of Babylon, threw three Jews for refusing to worship his golden idol. The flames have a significant symbolic value for residents of Kirkuk. It is believed that the heat of the eternal flames was used by shepherds to warm their flocks during winter, and women would visit Baba Gurgur, asking to have a baby boy. This ancient practice probably goes back to the time of fire worshipping.

Photo credit