Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan

The Gates to Hell also known as “Darvaza gas crater” and Door to Hell in Turkmenistan. This is a natural gas field that accidentally collapsed into a cavern in the Darvaza drilling rig to fall in. It is believed that the geologists of Russia may have purposely set it on fire to stop the spread of methane gas. The Gates to hell having punctured pockets of gas, poisonous fumes started fumes leaking at an alarming rate.

However, many geologists think it has been burning continuously since 1971 and is expected to keep on burning. The Gates to Hell situated in the middle of Karakum Desert, approximately 160 miles from Ashgabat, the Capital city of Turkmenistan. The engineers thought, to be a substantial oil field site to access the oil quantity in this site. The closer you get, the brighter it glows. The Gates to Hell was a dot of light moments ago and is now a giant crater with fire coming out of it.

The Gates to Hell crater has an area of 5,350 m2 with a 226ft diameter and its depth is about 98 ft). It’s a popular tourist attraction in Turkmenistan. The beautiful wild desert camping is my favorite surrounding area. The fiery glowing Darvaza Gas Crater can be seen from miles. The nearby village “Derweze” captured the public imagination as a mystery named it Door to Hell due to continuous fire, boiling mud, and orange flames of the crater.

Surprisingly, regardless of the crater’s menacing name and ever-present dangerous flames, tourists still trek into the wild desert to witness the burning site in all its blazing glory.  In 2010, Turk president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow ordered the closure of the hole, to save the nearby towns from the dangerous release of poisonous gases however couldn’t due to various reasons. The Gates to Hell history is uncertain until 1960,s. After reviewing the samples of Gates of Hell soil, a crusty bacteria species discovered active at the bottom of the crater has the ability to live in high temperatures.

The Buried Fortress Town of Gonur Tepe in Turkmenistan

During the first half of the 2nd millennium BC, a civilization was established in the ancient delta of the Murghab River, on the southeastern edge of a territory famous then as Turkestan. This Bronze Age site is recognized as Gonur Tepe, a civilization that flourished before being buried by time, and discovered later on in present day Turkmenistan. In the seventh millennium BC, Murgab River became the place where first agricultural settlements started to appear. The site was called “Margush” in Old Iranian texts and “Margiana” in Greek. The Margiana region has an area of 3000 square kilometers, housing 70 oasis and 150 settlements. Gonur Tepe (or Gonur Depe) became the capital, serving as the administrative and religious center, and also a trade hub of the Margiana region. Nothing much was recognized about the complex of Gonur Tepe until 1972 when the Margiana Archaeological Expedition directed by the Greek-Russian archaeologist Victor Sarianidi discovered the fortress town. In this expedition, it was revealed that “Gonur Tepe” was a rectangular fortress with defensive walls, semicircular bastions, and adobe buildings. 

A palace and temples with fire altars dedicated to the Zoroastrian religion were also discovered. Archeologist Sarianidi explained that Gonur Tepe is the 5th oldest civilization on Earth and was the birthplace of Zoroastrianism.Other discoveries included the extensive irrigation systems similar to the ones found in Egypt, models of two-wheeled carts, and silver and gold artifacts. 

The artifacts discovered on-site suggest that the town of Gonur Tepe had craftsmen who could mold metal and create materials for cult worship. Besides metal, the craftsmen also did bone and stone carvings.Sarianidi also found out what appears to be the boiler for the soma, a ritual drink known to give immortality mentioned in the Rigveda and also known as haoma in the Avesta. Dishes with traces of cannabis, poppy, and ephedrine were also found, which led to the theory that these were the ingredients of the immortality drink soma. 

Therefore; in 2009, a royal tomb was excavated in which remains of dogs, a cart with bronze-rimmed wheels, and a large bronze cauldron were discovered. Although getting to Gonur Tepe is not an easy task. You will have to need to hire a 4WD that will take you through a road that follows the Kara Kum Channel from Mary, Turkmenistan. The trip to “Gonur Tepe”  is a three hour drive from Mary.

The Door to Hell A burning natural gas field in Derweze Turkmenistan

The Door to Hell is a natural gas field in Derweze which is also called Darwaza, actual meaning is"gate", Ahal Province, Turkmenistan. The Door to Hell is noted for its natural gas firing which has been burning incessantly since 1971 as it was lit by Soviet petrochemical scientists, fed by the rich natural gas deposits in the area. The pungent smell of burning sulfur permeates the area for some distance. The field is located near the Derweze village in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 kilometers north from Ashgabat. The gas reserve found here is one of the largest in the world. The name, "Door to Hell", was given to the field by the locals, referring to the fire, boiling mud and orange flames in Derweze's large crater with a diameter of 230 ft. Source: Charismatic Planet