This anthropologically informed paper is focused on the transformation of meanings and practices related to traditional Shia sacred places — ziayarat gah, pirs — in Azerbaijan. The central issue is the one of power and authority, the interaction of a saint with pilgrims in the context of a modern secular city, in this case Baku. In doing so, the author discusses how a residential house in central Baku has been turned into a popular pilgrimage place since the 1940s and until today. The analysis of popular narratives, ethnographies and hagiographies clearly shows that the practice of pilgrimage can be seen, among other things, as part of political interests.