This ominous place is located in the Karakum Desert. Darvaza (Persian for “gate”) is a gas crater in Turkmenistan. Locals and travelers call it the “Door to Hell” or “Gates of Hell”. Anyone who accidentally falls into the crater will surely die, as its entire bottom is covered in tongues of flame, some of which reach a height of 15 meters.
Berdimuhamedov had some sad news for those wishing to visit Turkmenistan. The entrance to hell. According to him, the world-famous “Gateway to Hell” – a giant fiery crater that has been burning in the Karakum Desert for more than half a century – will finally be extinguished. There are various theories about how the crater came into being. Some attribute its origin to an engineering accident in the 1970s, while others believe that the crater formed on its own and was set on fire to keep the gases from escaping in the 1980s. Either way, the mesmerizing spectacle attracts the few foreign tourists who manage to get into the country.
“In this way, raw materials are lost, from the export of which one could receive significant profits and use them to improve the well-being of our people,” Berdimuhamedov said at a meeting of the cabinet of ministers, without specifying how the crater would be extinguished.
