The world's most spectacular sinkholes, from Turkmenistan's Gates of Hell to Oman's Tawi Atair

Many are marvels of nature, but some are man-made where development compromises the underlying rock it has been built on

Turkmenistan's Gates of Hell is a gas crater that has been burning since a Soviet drilling operation went awry in 1971. Getty Images

Aerial view of two giant holes in a road caused by the collapse of a drainage system due to heavy rains in Villa Nueva, 15 km south of Guatemala City. AFP

A huge sinkhole at a junction in Fukuoka, Japan. Workers managed to fill it up in a few days in 2016. Reuters

The Great Blue Hole in Belize was formed from an eroded limestone cave in the last ice age, and later flooded as the sea level rose. Getty Images

The Well of Barhout in Yemen is known for its pungent odours. AFP

A giant sinkhole caused by tropical storm Agatha appeared in Guatemala City in 2010. Reuters

Two cars fell in a sinkhole in Harbin, China, in 2018. Reuters

A cliff diver leaps 26 metres down into the Ik Kil cenote in Yucatan, Mexico. Getty Images

Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas is the world's second deepest sinkhole, at 202 metres. Photo: Wikimedia

The Dead Sea is home to many sinkholes, such as this one that formed in a car park in Israel in 2020.

Geology Professor Fetullah Arik takes measurements next to a large sinkhole in Karapinar, Turkey. Getty Images

One of the rare blue holes located in the waters of Al Dhafra region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. About 12 metres deep, the underwater sinkhole is home to grouper, jackfish and corals. The perimeter of the Al Dhafra Blue Hole is approximately 300 meters long and 200 meters wide, encompassing a total area of around 45,000 square metres. Photo: Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD)

A tennis court-sized depression at a copper mine in Copiapo, Chile. Reuters

The Sheeheet sinkhole in Oman's Dhofar region near the city of Taqah on July 25, 2025. AFP

An enormous sinkhole, about 32 metres wide and twice as deep, appeared near a copper mine in Chile, leading experts to investigate what caused it.

So what leads to these great holes in the earth?

Many are marvels of nature. According to National Geographic, natural sinkholes appear when soft underground rock under land is easily dissolved — usually by running water or rain.

Man-made sinkholes are typically found in urban centres, where development including buildings and roads compromises the underlying rock it had been built on.

According to the US Geological Survey, trapped rainwater plays its part. Sinkholes cased by rain are common in East Asia and can be deadly.

Geologists say it is hard to predict when the top layer of rock will collapse. The USGS estimates that sinkholes caused $300 million of damage a year in the US, but that figure could be higher.

UAE finds a sinkhole

In 2021, a blue hole was discovered off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the Arabian Gulf which measured around 12 metres deep and 2,000 metres wide.

The rare underwater sinkhole was found just off Al Dhafra but it pales in size to the deepest blue hole, Dragon Hole, which lies in the South China Sea and reaches around 300 metres beneath the seabed.

Oman's lush green sinkholes

Shrouded in fog, the enormous Tawi Atair sinkhole is one of four that dot Dhofar governorate in southern Oman

Tawi Atair means “Well of Birds” in Dhofar's regional language, a reference to the avian twittering, distorted by echoes, that reverberates off the rock.

Now the sinkholes are marketed as a tourist attraction in Dhofar.

Yemen's 'Well of Hell'

The Oman sinkholes are not to be confused with the “Well of Hell”, or Well of Barhout, the foul-smelling, pitch-black Barhout pit across the border in eastern Yemen that is reputed as a prison for demons.

The giant hole in the desert of Al Mahra province is 30 metres wide and thought to be anywhere between 100 and 250 metres deep.

Take a look at some of the most spectacular sinkholes in the photo gallery above by clicking on the arrows. If using a mobile device, simply swipe. Learn more about some of the sinkholes mentioned in The National stories below.

The world's most spectacular sinkholes

• Gates of Hell - Turkmenistan
• Fukoaka - Japan
• The Great Blue Hole - Belize
• The Well of Barhout - Yemen
• 2010 Guatemala City sinkhole - Guatemala
• Harbin - China
• Ik Kil cenote - Mexico
• Deep Blue Hole - Bahamas
• 2020 Dead Sea sinkhole - Israel
• Copiapo sinkhole - Chile
• Sheehet sinkhole - Oman

Further reading

• Oman's giant sinkholes attract tourists but visitors should heed warning signs
• 'Well of Hell': Omani cave team discover what lurks in Yemen’s strange sinkhole
• Giant sinkholes dot the landscape in Turkey's Karapinar — in pictures
• Now you see it, now you don’t: Massive sinkhole fixed in days

A version of this story was first published in August 2022