Darvaza Gas crater

Darvaza.

Darvaza is a gas crater in Turkmenistan. But many call it the “Door to the Underworld” or the “Gates of Hell.” It is located 90 km from the village of Erbent. The diameter of the crater is approximately 60 meters, the depth is about 20 meters.

In 1971, in the Karakum desert, not far from the small village of Darvaza, whose name means “gate” in Turkmen, they began to drill an exploration well for gas. During drilling, an incident occurred: geologists accidentally opened an underground cavity from which natural gas escaped. In order not to cause problems to local residents from the same village of Darvaza, geologists decided to set fire to the gas, hoping that it would completely burn out in a few days. Weeks, months and years passed, and the fire continued to burn without dying down.

And it remains to be seen when the flames will stop burning, whether gas supplies will finally run out, or whether the fire pit will eventually be filled in. But the flame still burns to this day.

If you explore this attraction in the early evening, you can fully enjoy the mesmerizing spectacle of the crater slowly plunging into darkness and the orange flames - all against the backdrop of the setting sun. There are several more holes around the crater, one of them is filled with turquoise liquid. It is better to inspect the sinkholes before dark and very carefully: at the edges they are crumbling a lot, and besides, the increased air temperature and the smell of natural gas are too well felt nearby.