Turkmenistan's 1,000C pit of fire which has not stopped burning since 1971


The Door to Hell is situated in Derweze area which is a village in Turkmenistan in the middle of the Karakum Desert.



Derweze is rich in natural gas and the Door to Hell Gas crater was a product of miscalculation and mistake made by the Soviet geologists in 1971 when they accidentally tapped on a cavern filled with natural gas while drilling. The ground collapsed leaving a large hole 70 meters in diameter. As a safety precaution, geologists decided to burn the gas off and to prevent poisonous gas discharge. Much to their surprise, the fuel that they hoped to burn in one day continued burning up to this day. The gas crater was then called the Door to Hell and has attracted thousands of brave souls every year. It's been burning for more than 40 years now...