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.[1]
Derweze Derweze go, Дарваза (in Russian) | |
|---|---|
  Derweze Location in Turkmenistan | |
| Coordinates: 40°15′09.48″N 58°26′21.93″E / 40.2526333°N 58.4394250°E | |
| Country |  Turkmenistan |
| Province | Ahal Province |
| District | Ak bugdaý District |
| Population (1989 census) | |
| • Total | 1,683 |
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."[citation needed] The village was reestablished, by the renaming of "Aeroport" village to Derweze on 28 April 2016.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4][5] 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. The fire may have originated from a local Soviet decision to avoid poisonous gas discharge, by burning off the gas,[6][7] 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".[8]
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
External links
