The Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan
Yesterday, I complained about the heat in Arizona. Today I get a note from my son who is backpacking through central Asia. He’s seen the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan. He was in Daravaza, in the Karakorum Desert and saw the fire pit.
In 1971, a drilling rig looking for oil found natural gas instead. The entire rig, drills, trucks and people suddenly sunk into a giant sink hole. The hole was part of a cavern that was bottomless and filled with gas. To prevent the entire area from destruction, the remaining crew set the pit on fire.
It’s been burning for 37 years, adding even more heat to the Turkmenistan desert. In the daytime, it’s a crater in the flat and seamless desert. At night, the fire in the pit can be seen for miles. The photo below is by John H. Bailey, who is a photographer, and not my son.
Gates of Hell
How fascinating and frightening at the very same time.
I had never heard about this phenomenon in the Tadj. desert and the accident in 1971.
What do we know about Tadjikistan anyway?
Your son is experiencing a very interesting journey!
–My son is having a good time. When he told me about this, I was fascinated. It’s amazing. -Q
Mariannetm
July 10, 2008
Tajikistan or Turkmenistan?
—–> The gates of hell is in Turkmenistan. One of the sites I checked out said Tajikistan, and I actually get them confused. Someone pointed out the mistake to me, and I corrected the post. –Q
Alanna Shaikh
July 11, 2008
Ok, I looked it up and Daravaza is in Turkmenistan and then Turkmenistan is not that far from Tadjikistan.
—> I get the names confused, as did one of the sites I used for research. I’m bad with people’s names, too. And to my everlasting embarrassment, I have to make sure I don’t get the states of Iowa and Idaho mixed up. I know where they are on the map, and I know the shapes, but the names just switch in my mind. The only comfort is that I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, so it’s not just creeping age.
-Q
Mariannetm
July 11, 2008
I’m terrible with people and their names.. very embarrasing too
—> Another thing to try to improve, I guess. -Q
Mariannetm
July 12, 2008
It reminds me of the pit of fire Frodo throws the ring into. A stunning photo!
—> It does look like that, doesn’t it?
Kerry
July 12, 2008
How very fascinating!! Thank you for sharing.
murcha
July 15, 2008
Years ago I heard an evangelist (with a straight face) tell his hearers that in Russia workers drilling for oil discovered Hell! They lowered a thermometer into the hole they had just drilled,and it registered off the charts. They also lowered a microphone down into it, and it picked up the screams of evidently damned souls. He didn’t bother to explain why they lowered a microphone into an oil hole in the first place. Sigh.
——> You meet the most interesting people, Michael. I hope it fuels your sense of humor and doesn’t squash your faith in humanity. -Q
Michael Noyes
July 16, 2008
There’s a Gates of Hell in New Jersey too (yeah, yeah, I know), but it’s nowhere near as fiery as this spot.
jodhiay
July 16, 2008
It is very frightening that the natural resource is being burnt for 38 years because of the mistake of people of science not politics. This is the most massive contribution in the global warming and I urge the government to act urgently to stop the fire. I appeal the people also to be active in this global problem.
Dileep Sathe
May 30, 2009
You are right. This terrible disaster has never been addressed in a constructive and palliative way.
quinncreative
May 30, 2009