Hell’s Gate is located in the Karakum Desert, 250 kilometers from Ashgabat, the Capital of Turkmenistan. This place has been burning with a temperature of over 400 degrees for about 50 years. Hell’s Gate is a huge hole in the desert, which makes up 70 percent of the country’s surface, both astonishing and terrifying those who see it. The place, also known as Darvaza Pit, welcomes many local and foreign tourists.
In 1971, when the Cold War took place, the Soviet Union started to look for oil and natural gas, thinking that there would be a conflict with the western powers over oil. It is estimated that the pit collapsed during the natural gas drilling works.
In the research carried out by geologists, it is stated that the crater collapsed as a result of the contact of limestone-like materials under the ground with water during drilling. Some geologists argue that the drilling was done on an underground cave. It is said that this pit was formed with the collapse of the cave ceiling.
Working team, in order to eliminate the effect of the gas in a short way, decided to ignite it by saying that it will run out anyway. The flames in the pit set on fire have been burning for many years. The flames of the constantly burning pit are more clearly visible at night. The hum of the crater as it burns can be heard even from far away. Many documentaries have been made about the pit. With the release of these documentaries, this place became famous to the world as the Gate of Hell. The first people to enter the pit of hell were the famous explorer George Kourounis and his team.
Experts doing research on this subject argue that this place, which leaks natural gas, cannot be closed, and even if it is closed, the natural gas that will accumulate inside may explode over time. Scientists have not been able to clearly reveal how to close it and the damage it causes.
However, recently, the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguli Berdimuhamedov, requested that the pit be closed with an instruction. The head of state is of the opinion that the pit that has been burning since 1971 adversely affects the environment and human health. By meeting with scientists, what needs to be done to close the pit will be investigated.
