
Gates of Hell: Turkmenistan's President wants to close Darvaza gas crater
CNN
Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has reportedly ordered the closure of the site, whose official name is the Darvaza Crater, after the town where it is located.
(CNN) — Not everyone is impressed with the fact that Turkmenistan's most internationally-recognized site is known as the "Gates of Hell."
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has reportedly ordered the closure of the site, which is officially named the Darvaza Crater after the town where it is located.
The crater was formed in the early 1970s, when the ground collapsed during a Soviet gas drilling expedition. Scientists reportedly lit the massive hole on fire to prevent the spread of natural gas, and it's been burning ever since.

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