page_title: Darvaza
section_title: Darvaza gas crater
hierarchical_section_title: Darvaza / Darvaza gas crater
caption_attribution_description: Turquoise Lake Crater / Turkmenistan, Darvaza
context_page_description: Derweze is a village in Turkmenistan of about 350 inhabitants, located in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 km north of Ashgabat.
  Darvaza inhabitants are mostly Turkmen of the Teke tribe, preserving a semi-nomadic lifestyle.
  In 2004 the village was disbanded following the order of the President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, because "it was an unpleasant sight for tourists."
context_section_description: The Derweze area is rich in natural gas. While drilling in 1971, Soviet geologists tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole with a diameter of 70 metres (230 ft) at 40°15′10″N 58°26′22″E. To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided to burn off the gas, and while geologists had hoped the fire would consume the fuel in a few days, the gas is still burning nearly fifty years later.  
  Locals have named the crater the "Door to Hell".
caption: Turquoise Lake Crater, 2010
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