The hole in the heart of the Karakum Desert was created in 1971 when a drilling rig used by Soviet geologists collapsed.
The team decided to burn off poisonous gases inside the crater but the fire, which they believed would be out within days, is still going.
At first glance, it could be a dramatic scene from a science-fiction movie.But this giant hole of fire in the heart of the Karakum Desert is not the aftermath of an attack on Earth, launched from outer space. It is a crater made by geologists more than 40 years ago, and the flames within have been burning ever since.
Welcome to Derweze in Turkmenistan - or, as the locals have called it, 'The Door to Hell'.
Take a look at the pictures...
