This unique site is a hole in the ground about 60–70 meters in diam­e­ter and up to 30 meters deep, where nat­ur­al gas burns con­tin­u­ous­ly. It was formed in the ear­ly 1970s when geol­o­gists drilling for gas hit an under­ground void, and the rig along with equip­ment col­lapsed inside. Methane began to escape from the crater, and to pre­vent its spread and pos­si­ble poi­son­ing of peo­ple and ani­mals, the gas was set on fire. It was expect­ed to burn out in a few days, but the flames have been burn­ing for over fifty years. The site earned the nick­name “Door to Hell” for its impres­sive and some­what fright­en­ing atmos­phere, espe­cial­ly at night when the fire illu­mi­nates the sur­round­ing dunes. The crater is locat­ed in the cen­ter of the Karakum Desert and can only be reached off-road. There are no per­ma­nent set­tle­ments near­by, but camp­sites and yurt camps are orga­nized for tourists. This place has become a sym­bol of Turk­menistan and one of the country’s most famous tourist attrac­tions, draw­ing trav­el­ers, pho­tog­ra­phers, and researchers from around the world.