Shining of Karakum – Turkmenistan
The most popular known, “Door to Hell” or “Gates of Hell”, is a hole 230 feet wide and nearly 100 hundred feet deep, that has been on fire for more than half century. It is situated near the village of Darvaza, with few hundred inhabitants in the Vast KaraKum Desert of the Central Asian Country Turkmenistan.
Though technically this hole is called Darvaza Gas Crater, locals give it name as “The Gates of Hell”. It’s fiery glow can be seen for miles around. After the independence of Turkmenistan, it is officially named the shining of KaraKum by the Ex. President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. We know that Turkmenistan keeps huge reserves of oil and natural gas, and is one of the richest country in the World in these resources.
The early years history of this crater is not exactly known, relevant records are either absent from the archives, classified, or inaccessible. The most authentic information provided by some local geologists, reveal that the Collapse into a Crater happened in the 1960s, it was set on fire. Some assert that the site was drilled by Soveit engineers in 1971 as an oil field but collapsed within days, forming the crater, with the engineers choosing to flare the crater to prevent emissions of poisonous gases underestimating the volume of the gas.
The floor and especially rim of the crater are illumined by hundreds of natural gas fires. Because of its novelty and glowing beauty in post-Soveit Turkmenistan, the crater had become attractive for tourists, a crude road without signage runs out to the crater, and yurts have been set up near by. It is a matter of surprise that despite the craters’ foreboding fame and ever present flames, people trek into the desert to witness the site in all its blazing glory, the nearby became a most lovely place for wild camping. It is the charm and beauty of this spot that in 2018, this crater was used as an overnight stop in the Amul-Hazar automobile rally.
George kourounis was the first person who set foot at the bottom of the crater in 2013. He used all safety measures, used scientific apparatus to explore the glowing crater. On his successful return back he described it as a Coliseum of fire, just everywhere he looked it’s thousands of small fires.The sound of high pressure burning gas was like that of a jet engines’ roar. According to him, there was no smoke and burning was very clear, hence there was nothing to obscure to view every little lick of flame.
The fate of the burning crater is getting a new turn after the full attention of the Ex. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. He was the first visionary ruler who felt the need to extinguish the fiery crater for the safety of people health, the environment and the natural gas industry
He in 2010, recommended that measures be taken to limit the craters’ influence on the development of other natural gas fields in the area. In January 2022, the Ex.President felt the great loss is being faced by losing valuable natural resources in the shape of fiery craker. He insisted the need to cope this long lived damage to the national economy. Now serious efforts started to stop the burning fire and doing doughnuts around the Crater. Such serious efforts were never made before and no one realised the loss of valuable natural resources for which country could get significant profits, and use them for improving the well being of the people of Turkmenistan.
The ray of hope became more bright when the present President serdar Berdimuhamedov who is the son of Ex. President adopted the policy of his father with new zeal and enthusiasm, to extinguish the long fiery Craker, the efforts are being made by consulting the experts, scientists and those all who can be helpful.
The chain of consultants started with international organizations and persons who can solve the problem. Now, It is the duty of U.N. and all technological developed countries to appreciate the efforts of the President of Turkmenistan, to help him all kind of material and technical assistance meet this difficult task.
With the collective efforts of the World scientists and professionals can fulfill the goal of the President which he wants to be completed as soon as possible. The President Serdar Berdimuhamedov think to extinguish the craker is must for the betterment of his country, and also for world environment.
