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Does hell exist? - Hell is part of the imagery and beliefs of many cultures and religions around the world.

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The Devil -

Judeo-Christian-Islamic culture, for example, references the devil, who, according to biblical accounts, is a fallen angel and leader of a legion of evil.

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Portrayal -

The belief in this evil figure has often been represented in movies, for example in films like 'The Exorcist' and 'The Devil's Advocate.'

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Portrayal - The devil has also been associated with people with very difficult personalities, such as Meryl Streep's character in 'The Devil Wears Prada.'

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Welcome to hell - We now take you through the door of hell. But rest assured that you will not find the devil or any other evil creatures there.

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Where is it located? - But before you step in, we have to tell you where it is, right? Have you ever heard of Turkmenistan?

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Context - Turkmenistan is an Muslim country located beside Afghanistan, Iran, and Kazakhstan.

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Speaking of beliefs... - The predominant religion in the country is Sunni Islam.

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Tourism - If you wish to pay a visit to the country, it is helpful to know that the capital is called Ashkhabad and the local currency is the Turkmenistan manat.

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Territory - Most of Turkmenistan's territory consists of deserts.

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Largest desert in the country - Let's explore the largest of them: the Karakum Desert, where the gate of hell is located.

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Door to hell -

The gate of hell is a fiery crater 20 meters deep in the middle of the desert.

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Eternal fire? -

The fire has not gone out for more than 40 years. Do you know why?

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The history -

Let us tell you this story! Like other neighboring countries, Turkmenistan was part of the now-defunct Soviet Union.

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Wealth opened the gate of hell? - The land in this region is rich in oil and natural gas.

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Wealth opened the gate of hell? - In 1971, two Soviet geologists drilled the site to extract gas, but the ground gave way and formed the crater.

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Created by men? - In an attempt to stop poisonous gas from escaping, the Soviets set fire to the crater.

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Eternal fire? - The result is that, since then, the fire has never gone out.

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Crater - This is the explanation for the formation of the Darvaza crater, which became known as the gate of hell.

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Name - According to the American photographer John Bradley, who has taken numerous images of the area, the name "gate of hell" was given by local desert residents.

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Sulfur smell - That's because, with the flames, the crater releases a smell of sulfur that can be detected from afar.

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Force of nature - At night, the flames can be seen from kilometers away.

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Satellite - Incredible images are easily captured by satellites.

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The end of hell? - In 2010, Turkmenistan's president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow first ordered its closure.

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Reasons - The idea was to increase the production and export of natural gas to other countries.

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Tourist attraction - But at the time, the gate of hell attracted many tourists and represented an important source of income for the local economy.

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Verdict - The ruler decided to keep the crater running until the fire extinguishes naturally. In 2022, however, Berdimuhamedow has changed his mind and re-ordered the closure of the gate and the extinguishing of the fire. 

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Forecast - Due to the rich presence of gas in the soil of Turkmenistan, it is not known when it would actually extinguish naturally.

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Invitation -

How about you? Would you like to visit the gate of hell?

See also: Amazing natural arches from around the world

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