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The fascinating story behind the Gates of Hell

The Darvaza gas crater, Turkmenistan's burning sensation, may finally be extinguished

The fascinating story behind the Gates of Hell
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© Getty Images

Paul Bernhardt
11/03/2025 11:00 ‧ 2 months ago | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE

Geography

Adventure tourists are holding their breath, eager to know whether Turkmenistan's new president will carry out his predecessor's threat of extinguishing the country's biggest tourist attraction, the Darvaza gas crater, better known by its devilish moniker, the "Gates of Hell." Burning since the early 1970s, this flaming cauldron of leaking methane is one of the world's weirdest man-made phenomena. Glowing like an inferno and belching sulfur, the crater's connotation with the devil is eerily tangible. But is Satan's sinkhole about to be exorcised from the map?

Click through and find out if you have the nerve to stand at the Gates of Hell.

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