For decades, a flaming pit in the Karakum Desert has drawn travelers who want to stand at the edge of what looks like the underworld. Now the Darvaza gas crater is losing its glow. Turkmenistan says it is doing it on purpose. A Fire That Wouldn't Quit The Darvaza gas crater, also called the Door to Hell or the Shining of the Karakum, sits in the desert about 260 … [Read more...] about Turkmenistan’s “Door to Hell” Has Burned for More Than 50 Years — Now Its Flames Are Fading, and Officials Want Them Out