The leader of Turkmenistan would like to finally close the 'Gates of Hell' that have burned continuously in the nation's Karakum desert for five decades, according to recent televised remarks.
The leader of Turkmenistan would like to finally close the"Gates of Hell" that have burned continuously in the nation's Karakum desert for five decades, according to recent televised remarks.
Excavation of the hole began in 1971 during a Soviet drilling operation to extract gas, according to AFP. Disaster struck when the ground beneath the drill rig collapsed, and the rig plunged into a natural gas cavern. As noxious methane gas leaked into the air, geologists decided to set the crater on fire, estimating that the gas within would only burn for a few weeks.Fifty years later, the Gates of Hell are still blaze — and have even become one of Turkmenistan's top tourist destinations, according to AFP.
Why Berdymukhamedov has soured on this flaming photo-op in the desert is unclear, though his economic concerns may be a clue. According to, Turkmenistan sits atop the fourth-largest known reserve of natural gas in the world, and the country's economy is largely dependent on gas exports. President Berdymukhamedov previously ordered experts to quell the Gates of Hell in 2010, though those efforts were unsuccessful. Better luck this time.
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