"Gateway to Hell" appears on earth in the Turkmenistan desert

A burning crater in the Turkmenistan desert for more than 40 years could become a tourist attraction in the country.

Derweze crater attracts many tourists (Source: AFP)

The crater, named Derweze or Darvaza, is locally known as the “Gateway to Hell” or “Fire Mountain” and is located in the Karakum Desert.

The pit is always filled with fires like those in hell. These are actually flames caused by gases rising from underground. No one knows when the fire in this 60 meter wide, 20 meter deep crater will go out. People only know that the fire started after a drilling accident in 1971.

At that time, Soviet scientists were exploring a natural gas well, which is common in this gas-rich country. However, the land where they were surveying suddenly collapsed. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident.

However, fearing that the toxic gas would endanger the lives of local residents and animals living in the area, geologists set fire to the gas. They thought the fire would soon go out. However, they miscalculated and to this day the fire still burns in the crater above, creating a surreal scene.

In 2010, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov decided that Derweze had burned enough and ordered the crater to be filled with earth.

Many tourists came close to the edge of the hole to observe (Source: AFP)

But four years later, Turkmen officials appear to have found a better solution for the crater: tourism.

"Every year this crater attracts more and more interest, especially from foreign tourists," an official from Turkmenistan's national tourism board told AFP.

They also hope the fiery crater will help attract tourists and researchers to the nearby 90,000-hectare nature reserve in the Karakum Desert.

Currently, reaching the crater, located 270km from the capital Ashgabat, is not easy. However, thrill seekers are still willing to pay for a guide to get there.

According to VNA