Aug 27, 2026 – 5.00amThe Gates of Hell are the perfect place for a drink. The darkness of the desert behind and the gentle hiss of burning flames cast an eerie calm after a long day of frantic driving and dodging desert potholes. Of course, we’re not actually in hell. We’re in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 kilometres from Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.Before us lies a 60-metre wide Soviet mistake known as the Darvaza Crater. It’s believed to have been formed in 1971 when a ruptured natural gas cavern collapsed during oil drilling, releasing large quantities of gas into the atmosphere. Engineers set it alight to burn out the problem, and it is still ablaze today, though the flames are ever dwindling – rather like the influence of the former USSR.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Ryan StuartPhotographerRyan Stuart is a former staff photographer.Fetching latest articles