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Door to Hell
In 1971, Soviet engineers set a gas crater on fire expecting it to burn out in days. It's been burning for over 50 years. A 230-foot wide pit of endless flame in the desert. They literally created a gate to hell. It still burns.
1971 - Present
Darvaza, Turkmenistan
50000+ witnesses
The Door to Hell has burned continuously since 1971.
The Origin
1971:
- Soviet drilling
- Natural gas field
- Ground collapsed
- Massive crater formed
- Gas leaking
The Decision
What they did:
- Set it on fire
- Thought it would burn out
- Days at most
- Prevent gas spread
- It never stopped
The Crater
Current state:
- 230 feet diameter
- 65 feet deep
- Constantly burning
- Visible for miles
- Tourist attraction
The Impact
What it means:
- Massive gas waste
- Environmental damage
- Carbon emissions
- Engineering failure
- Unintended monument
The Plans
Attempts to close:
- Turkmenistan wants to seal it
- Technical challenges
- Multiple plans failed
- Still burning
- May never stop
The Tourism
Modern significance:
- Major attraction
- Camping permitted
- Night views spectacular
- Desert location
- Surreal experience