| Derweze Derwezego, Дарваза (in Russian) | |
|---|---|
  DerwezeLocation in Turkmenistan | |
| Coordinates: 40°15′09.48″N 58°26′21.93″E / 40.2526333°N 58.4394250°E / 40.2526333; 58.4394250 | |
| Country |  Turkmenistan |
| Province | Ahal Province |
| District | Ak bugdaý District |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,683 |
Darvaza (from Persian: دروازه, Turkmen: Derweze) is a rural council (village council) in Ak bugdaý District, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan of about 2 thousand inhabitants, located in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 km north of Ashgabat. The rural council consists of three separate villages: Derweze (formerly Aeroport) (the administrative center), Ataguýy, and Böri.
Darvaza's 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." The village was reestablished, by the renaming of "Aeroport" village to Derweze on 28 April 2016.
Transportation
The Darvaza area is served by the Ashgabat-Dashoguz Automobile Highway and the Içoguz station on the Trans-Karakum Railway. A landing strip for small cargo aircraft is located at the village of Derweze.
Darvaza gas crater
Main article: Darvaza gas crater
The Darvaza 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 / 40.25264°N 58.43941°E / 40.25264; 58.43941 (The Gates of Hell). The fire may have originated from a local Soviet decision to avoid poisonous gas discharge, by burning off the gas, and while geologists had hoped the fire would consume the fuel in a few days, the gas is still burning fifty years later.
Locals have named the crater the "Door to Hell".
See also
- Darvaza gas crater, the main tourist attraction in the area.
- Energy policy of the Soviet Union
- Eternal Flame Falls
- List of cities, towns and villages in Turkmenistan
- Mine fire
- Sidoarjo mud flow
- Erbent, a nearby town that is also in the Karakum Desert.
References
- "Districts in Turkmenistan / Ahal welaýaty". Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- "TÜRKMENISTANYŇ MEJLISINIŇ KARARY № 391-V" (PDF) (in Turkmen). Parliament of Turkmenistan. 28 April 2016. p. 177.
- Landing strip at Aeroport village on OpenStreetMap
- Kressmann, Jeremy (2008-03-25). "Turkmenistan's "Door to Hell"". Gadling.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- "Turkmenistan's "Gate to Hell" is Keeping a Destitute Village Afloat". 8 April 2014.
- "Darvaz: The Door to Hell". English Russia. 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- "How the Soviets accidentally discovered the 'Gates of Hell'". BBC. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
- "The Burning Gas Door to Hell in Darvaza, Turkmenistan". Yourenotfromaroundhere.com. 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
External links
- Photos from the Darvaza Gas Crater or "Gates of Hell"
- Tourist information for Darvaza
- Pictures and YouTube link
- Au bord du cratère de Darvaza
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