Have you ever wondered what the actual gates of hell look like? You know, the one where Satan casually resides? It’s safe to say that one might get a very clear vision of it if they take a sneak peek into the deep heart of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Gates of hell right? We couldn’t resist…
Popularly known as “The Gates of Hell” or “Door to Hell”, the crater has now been glowing and burning without being doused for over 50 years now. Damn. Imagine telling someone to burn in hell…we might want to rethink that now, wouldn’t we?
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Discovery Magazine
In order to know how this giant ball of fire started out, you might want to look into Turkmenistan’s history. In 1971 the country was a part of the Soviet Union. The Soviet engineers were in search of fields in the desert. When they started drilling around looking for some good quality oil, they realized something. They weren’t really drilling into oil at all.
So what caused these gates of hell to open?
Smithsonian Magazine
What went down is that their heavy rig was actually situated on top of a large pocket of natural gas. This pocket couldn’t support its immense weight and eventually collapsed. This catastrophe caused the entire campsite to crumble into what we can see now – a giant bowl-shaped cavity called the Darvaza crater or “Gates of hell”.
203 Challenges
As a result, this event caused a big problem for scientists. The collapse had a ripple effect that instigated other multiple craters to open up. Due to this, natural gas was rapidly escaping. Natural gas is mainly comprised of methane. This gas started to suck up oxygen which made it difficult to breathe. The real concern was not just limited to wildlife, but also extended to people living in a nearby village – Derweze.
The Star
This led to scientists springing into action and deciding the best option would be to burn off the gas simply because natural gas can’t be trapped. They expected this process to take a few weeks, but well, they were obviously wrong—these flames have been burning for almost 50 years now. Surprisingly, scientists have been unable to comprehend how much natural gas is fueling the fire.
In 2013, Turkmenistan’s president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedowhe declared that part of the desert containing the fiery crater, as a natural reserve. As of today, the “Gates of Hell” burn as brightly as they did 50 years ago, so much so that at night its wicked glow can be seen for miles.
The crater continues to burn, and attract unsuspecting wildlife as well as international tourists.
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