Mental Floss

What It’s Like at the Real-Life ‘Gates of Hell’ in Turkmenistan

Watch an explorer share what it's like to descend into the Darvaza Gas Crater, also known as the “Gates of Hell.”

Now, here's a landmark to remember.
Now, here's a landmark to remember. | Dale Johnson/500px/Getty Images

The closest thing to hell on Earth lies in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert. There, a fire pit known as the Darvaza Crater earned the name “Gates of Hell”—or “Door to Hell”—because it burns bright day and night. It’s hard to imagine such a thing, but in 2013, a daring adventurer stepped foot in the crater for the first time. You can watch him recount his experience in the video below from BBC Global.

To venture to the bottom of the 250-foot wide hole, explorer George Kourounis wore heat-resistant gear, including an astronaut-like suit, a climbing harness, and ropes. The proper gear was essential: The crater’s edge was about 100° C, while temperatures at its base never reached over 50° C. At the bottom of the crater, the walls and ground were vibrant orange—very much like hell.

Kourounis didn’t risk his life for fun. He and National Geographic traveled to the Darvaza Gas Crater to take soil samples, hoping to find bacteria that can live in methane-rich environments. The team found some, indicating that planets with similar atmospheres could have life on them. 

Although the Darvaza Gas Crater has been burning methane gas for decades, the landmark’s formation is shrouded in mystery. Some sources say it was formed in 1971 and was set alight immediately by Soviet geologists, but Turkmenistan geologists claim it formed in the ’60s and wasn’t ignited until the 1980s.

In the above video, historian Dr. Jeronim Perovic suggests why information regarding the crater is so obscure. One possibility is that everything related to gas, oil, and natural resources during the Soviet Union was kept secret, meaning many official documents were inaccessible because they were classified. Perovic also states that if the crater were formed by mistake, it likely would have remained under wraps because errors were often concealed at the time; this would have been easy to do so because of its secluded location.

It’s also unclear if the crater was accidentally lit, as if by lightning, or intentionally set ablaze. Some believe it was formed to practice flaring, the burning of natural gas that’s common in oil and gas exploration. The method usually consists of a system that makes the process easier to control; however, there isn’t any control over the Darvaza Gas Crater. Turkmen authorities have talked about extinguishing the hole, but now it’s used for tourism.

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