n 1971, Soviet engineers headed to the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan to look for natural resources. Little did they know that they would create an area that would become one of the most interesting tourist attractions in the world and a topic for conspiracy theories.
That same year, Soviet engineers set up a drilling rig in the hope of finding oil. However, preliminary works revealed that the site was a huge gas reserve. Soon the ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, creating an enormous crater that is 69 metres wide and 30 metres deep. Fearing that the crater could release gases, which may poison nearby towns, they decided to set the area alight. They thought that the whole process of burning off the dangerous gases would take no more than a few weeks.
But 50 years after its discovery the Darvaza crater, which has since earned the nickname the Gates of Hell or Door to Hell, is still burning, though the flames have somewhat decreased.
That same year, Soviet engineers set up a drilling rig in the hope of finding oil. However, preliminary works revealed that the site was a huge gas reserve. Soon the ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, creating an enormous crater that is 69 metres wide and 30 metres deep. Fearing that the crater could release gases, which may poison nearby towns, they decided to set the area alight. They thought that the whole process of burning off the dangerous gases would take no more than a few weeks.
But 50 years after its discovery the Darvaza crater, which has since earned the nickname the Gates of Hell or Door to Hell, is still burning, though the flames have somewhat decreased.
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