Not everyone is impressed that Turkmenistan’s most internationally famous site is known as the “Gates of Hell”.
The country’s President, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, allegedly ordered the closure of the site, which is officially called Darvaza Crater, after the city in which it is located.
The crater was formed in the early 1970s when the ground caved in during a Soviet gas drilling expedition. Scientists allegedly lit the huge burning hole to stop the propagation of natural gas, and it has been burning ever since.
Although the crater has become a tourist attraction, President Berdymukhamedov reportedly asked his cabinet to find a way to close the proverbial doors, according to the state-run newspaper Neytralny Turkmenistan.
There were several reasons given for the extinction of the famous fire: negative effects on the health of people who live nearby, waste of valuable natural gas resources, and environmental damage.
According to the newspaper, the deputy prime minister of Turkmenistan “was instructed to gather scientists and, if necessary, attract foreign consultants and find a solution to extinguish the flames.”
Natural gas is one of the main sources of revenue for the Central Asian country.
Currently, there is no deadline to close the Darvaza Crater or put out the fire.
President since 2006, Berdymukhamedov is famous for his love of gold and marble architecture. The autocratic leader has gone through a construction frenzy, focusing mainly on the capital Ashgabat, with giant new government buildings, monuments and other architectural achievements.
One of the most notorious is the gigantic golden statue of a Turkoman sheepdog, Berdymukhamedov’s favorite breed and one of the country’s official symbols.
The president loves these dogs so much that he wrote a book about them, gave one as a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and established a national holiday in their honor.
Tourism is still a relatively small industry in Turkmenistan. The annual number of foreign visitors before the pandemic was estimated to be in the tens of thousands.
A new, modern airport in Ashgabat, with a giant bird-shaped terminal, opened in 2006. The project cost $2.3 billion and was intended to raise Turkmenistan’s international profile.
According to the World Press Freedom Index compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders, Turkmenistan ranks 178th out of 180 countries in the world for press censorship.
This content was originally created in English.
original version
Reference: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
