Hell's Door - Turkmenistan

In one of the Tom and Jerry episodes “Heavenly Puss”, Tom is given a certificate of forgiveness and one hour to get it signed from Jerry. If he manages to do so, he will be headed to heaven. Else he would be banished to Hell, where Spike waits eagerly amidst a hot cauldron and lots of glowing coal. You would be lying if you say you did not feel sorry for Tom there. That place looked quite scary even though it was just a cartoon.

We need to be more scared now, for a place very similar to it exists on our planet Earth. Oh Yes, Hell’s door has opened in Turkmenistan. Located in the Kara-Kum desert, in the village of Derweze (Or Darwaza, i.e. door) this place has been burning for about 40 years now and bears the look of a humongous cauldron.

Spike awaits you

So, how did this Door to Hell open up? Turkmenistan has a fair share of oil fields. The Soviet Union scientists discovered substantial oil reserves in this particular site and started with the drilling. The scientists did find the natural gas they were looking for, and hence started storing it. However, Nature decided to troll the humankind and the ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, opening up a huge crater. Though no lives were lost in this accident, Methane gas was released. This gas had the potential to be an environmental threat as well as a threat for the people in the nearby village.

Fearing the obvious, the Scientists decided to burn the gas off. This was done because extraction of the gas from deep down would have been an expensive and not the most feasible option. It was expected that the gas would burn off in a few days, but it is still burning. The reason could possibly be natural gas from nearby deposits finding its way to this reserve and fueling the fire constantly.

The sight is pretty spectacular during the nights. The glow from the fire and ember can be seen from miles away. Though It is possible to go till the edge of the of The Hell’s door, the heat from the burning carbon is so intense that one can’t stay near it for more than a couple of minutes. 

So, who’s in for a trip to Turkmenistan?