Lucrezia Ciotti In the heart of the Turkmen desert lies a phenomenon unique in the world: a huge crater of natural gas, known as the “gate of hell”, which has been burning continuously for over fifty years. Born from a geological accident in the 70s, this fiery inferno has become a curious and disturbing attraction for tourists and scientists. Now, however, something is changing: the eternal fire seems to be heading towards its end.
Let's find out together how this natural spectacle was formed and what is happening today.
The “Door to Hell”: How an Expedition Set Fire to a Crater That’s Been Burning for 50 Years
The fire still active in the Darvaz crater originated from an expedition in the 70s. In 1971, during an oil exploration, Soviet scientists installed several instruments to locate underground deposits, but the unstable ground suddenly gave way, engulfing the equipment in a natural cavity that opened up with the subsidence.
No one was injured in the accident. Instead of oil, a huge deposit of methane, a flammable and toxic gas. To avoid poisoning, researchers lit the crater, expecting the flames to die down in a few days. After more than fifty years, however, the fire continues, fueled by constant gas leaks from several underground layers.
The “Gates of Hell” is Going Out: The Announcement on the Fire That Has Been Burning for 50 Years
In the Karakum Desert, in Turkmenistan, there is a fire and has been burning for over fifty years inside the Darvaz gas crater, also known as the “Door to Hell” or “Gates of the Underworld”. This natural formation is one of the country’s major tourist attractions.
The crater, about seventy meters wide and twenty meters deep, It was formed in the early 70s following a land collapse during Soviet oil exploration near the village of Derweze, which has about 350 inhabitants.
Il methane fuels the fire, in addition to being toxic, is a climate-altering gas with a greenhouse effect about thirty times greater than CO2, although it remains in the atmosphere for a shorter time. To reduce the environmental impact, the Turkmen authorities have launched a project to limit the gas leakage from the crater. The state company Turkmengaz has drilled new wells in the Chaljulba field, increasing extraction and decreasing the pressure inside the crater, thus reducing the gas that fuels the flames.
From December 2024, thanks to the drilling project of the Natural Gas Research Institute, two new high flow wells are operational, significantly increasing the monthly extraction rate. Another high-flow well was completed in February 2025, and the program has entered its next phase, which involves the reopening of additional wells, the government agency said.
The results translated into a reduction of flame visibility: if once they were visible from kilometers away, today it is necessary to get much closer. The combustion has reduced by 300% thanks to the interventions, and it is expected that the fire could be definitively extinguished in the near future.