In Turkmenistan desert a pit has been Burning for over 45 years which looks like a gateway directly to hell. The flaming big hole that won’t stop burning is situated in the heart of the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. Over the years, the glow has become more intense and has lit up the area including the sky above.




The 226 feet wide crater which is Darvaza Gas Crater also known as the Door to Hell or Gates of Hell by the locals. Inside of it contains endless flames and boiling mud. Darvaza Gas Crater is a natural gas field that collapsed into an underground cave or pit which is 98 feet deep. The geologists have set this pit on fire so that the methane gas does not spread around. This is how it is burning since then. The place has become a popular tourist’s attraction. The surrounding area is popular for wild desert camping.

The gas reserve found in the Darvaza Gas Crater is one of the largest in the world. Every year this burning crater attracts thousands of eco tourists and researchers.




In 1971, the site was identified by Soviet engineers. The site was thought to be an oil field. The engineers set up a drilling rig and operations to assess the quantity of oil available at the site. Soon after the preliminary survey found a natural gas pocket, the ground beneath the drilling rig and camp collapsed into a wide crater and was buried. The engineers thought that the dangerous poisonous gases from the cave will affect the nearby town. So they decided to burn off the gas. The gas was estimated to get burn out within a few weeks but it is still burning since then. In 2013, he declared the part of the Karakum Desert with the crater a nature reserve.