The Gates of Hell

In the hot, expansive Karakum desert in Turkmenistan, near the 350-person village of Darvaza, is a hole 230 feet wide that has been on fire for more than 50 years. Though technically called the Darvaza gas crater, locals know the crater as the “Gates of Hell” or the “Door to Hell.” Its fiery glow can be seen for miles around.

Although it’s difficult to substantiate, the Gates of Hell crater is said to have been created in 1971 when a Soviet patrol set out in search of natural gas. The drilling rig accidentally punched into a massive underground natural gas cavern, causing the ground to collapse and the entire drilling rig to fall in. Having punctured a pocket of gas, poisonous fumes began leaking at an alarming rate.

To head off a potential environmental catastrophe, the Soviets set the hole alight, figuring it would stop burning within a few weeks. Decades later, and the fiery pit is still going strong. The Soviet drilling rig is believed to still be down there somewhere, on the other side of the Gates of Hell.

The Gates of Hell’s name comes from the nearby desert village called Darvaza, which translates to “gates.” With the addition of a giant burning hole, the “Gates of Hell” was born.

Amazingly, despite the crater’s foreboding name and ever-present flames, people still trek into the desert to witness the site in all its blazing glory. The nearby desert has become a popular place for wild camping.

The fiery pit is said to hiss and have a strange smell. There’s even a legend that desert spiders are attracted to the light and heat, flinging themselves into it to meet a tragic end.

Despite health and safety worries about the gas released from the Gates of Hell, the pit has had a positive effect on the nation’s tourism. Turkmenistan has an autocratic government and harsh visa policies, resulting in relative isolation from the outside. In fact, it’s one of the least visited countries in the world. The Gates of Hell, however, has attracted more and more visitors every year, especially foreign tourists. In a country where many locals aren’t even aware of the Gates of Hell, this is quite a feat.

But the fate of the burning crater may be in limbo. In January 2022, former president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered the government of Turkmenistan to begin researching how to put the fire out. Although the government has yet to successfully extinguish the fire, it has been dwindling in recent years.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast is a short, daily celebration of all the world's strange and wondrous places. Check out this episode about the Gates of Hell.