10The Door to Hell, Turkmenistan: An Eternal Flame in the Desert
In the middle of the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, a fiery crater has been burning for decades. Known as the “Door to Hell,” this natural gas field collapsed into a large crater in 1971 during a Soviet drilling operation. Geologists set the crater on fire, hoping to burn off the gas in a few weeks. Instead, it has been burning continuously for over 50 years.
The crater, about 230 feet (70 meters) wide and 66 feet (20 meters) deep, glows with an eerie orange light, resembling a portal to another world. The sight of flames roaring from the ground in the middle of the desert is both mesmerizing and unsettling, earning the site its hellish nickname. Despite the dangers, the Door to Hell has become a bizarre and popular tourist attraction.
