Image via YouTube
If you enjoy bonfires, Turkmenistan has what you crave.
Atlas Obscura drums up one of the more terrifying locations on the planet. And if you don't believe us, consider the monikers for the attraction, which include the Gates of Hell and the Door to Hell.
It's not exactly the kind of place that you would imagine bringing the family on a relaxing holiday.
Yet there it sits, purportedly attracting tourists to see a giant hole that is engulfed in flames. A hole, by the way, that also attracts spiders from the area that absolutely adore leaping into the blaze.
Now while we deal with the fact that we may never sleep again, you can enjoy the video:
The host explains that a drilling fiasco led to a gaping hole that began spewing methane out into the area, which is "near the village of Deweze," via The Huffington Post. Officials, who may or may not have been acting on a dare, then decided to light the place on fire.
That was more than 40 years ago.
Despite past calls for the location to be closed, it enjoys various visitors flocking to see the peculiar landmark.
Our knowledgeable host continues: "In fact, the Gates of Hell have become a kind of tourist site. Even the minister of tourism now cites it as one of their major attractions. And for a country that only sees between 10 to 15 thousand tourists a year, it's a big deal that people are excited to go to the Gates of Hell."
The most troubling aspect, aside from an unrelenting blaze that seems to now be fueled on nightmares and fear, is that spiders are known to fall into the hole.
That's essentially like choosing to watch "The Shining" while also staying in an abandoned hotel.
Really, the pit of fire was enough to grab our attention.
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