RP319 Windows into the Underworld

 RP319 Windows into the Underworld

Near the small village of Derweze in the deserts of Turkmenistan, a gaping hole, 328 feet wide, burns red with a light that can be seen for miles around. It looks like Hell itself has opened up and is pouring its insides into the world above.
The ancient Greeks had many stories of heroes venturing into Hell to rescue lovers or question the dead, and the Italian poet Dante wrote of entering through an archway on which the words “ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE.” were inscribed.
This fascination with entering the underworld has resulted in many places being labeled “gates of Hell,” perhaps because of a strange natural phenomenon (often to do with fire, smoke, or darkness) or because of a legend or superstition attached to the place.
The most visually impressive of these gates is Derweze's Door to Hell in Turkmenistan, which has been burning constantly for over 40 years.
The Door to Hell is not an entirely natural phenomenon. Russians drilling at the site in 1971 accidentally pierced a massive underground deposit of natural gas. The ground collapsed beneath the drill, and the entire operation fell into the pit.
In order to prevent the poisonous gas escaping into the atmosphere, the Russians decided to set the deposit on fire. They thought the gas would burn out in a few days, but the fires are still alight to this day.
You don't need a giant pit of fire to create a good gates of Hell myth, though. Hellam Township, Pennsylvania, has not only an unusual name, but also a disturbing story attached to it, giving rise to the belief that Hell's gates may be found in the woods near the town.
Legend has it that there was once a mental asylum in the woods. Fearing the patients would escape, the residents built seven gates around the asylum. One day a fire broke out in the asylum, and many of the patients were burned alive, stopped from escaping by the seven gates. The story goes that if someone finds these gates and passes through all seven, they will go directly to Hell itself.