Today a ghost town, Kolmanskop was once a booming diamond rush settlement in the unforgiving Namib desert, present-day Namibia.
Ghosts of the Namib —
Today a ghost town, Kolmanskop was once a booming diamond rush settlement in the unforgiving Namib desert, present-day Namibia.
During its peak in the 1920s, it was home to about 300 European adults, 40 of their children and 800 local workers.
Ghosts of the Namib —
During its peak in the 1920s, it was home to about 300 European adults, 40 of their children and 800 local workers.
Diamonds were found in less extreme conditions further south, and the population began to drift away. The last residents left in the 1950s, leaving the town to be reclaimed by the desert sands.
Ghosts of the Namib —
Diamonds were found in less extreme conditions further south, and the population began to drift away. The last residents left in the 1950s, leaving the town to be reclaimed by the desert sands.
Overrun by the wilderness, and home to the likes of this antelope, it is a popular tourist attraction as a relic of a distant age.
Ghosts of the Namib —
Overrun by the wilderness, and home to the likes of this antelope, it is a popular tourist attraction as a relic of a distant age.
Another major attraction in the area are the wild horses, believed to be the feral descendents of military horses. Over the generations, the horses of the Namib have adapted to be able to survive for long periods without water.
Ghosts of the Namib —
Another major attraction in the area are the wild horses, believed to be the feral descendents of military horses. Over the generations, the horses of the Namib have adapted to be able to survive for long periods without water.
The horses survived the guns of hunters for generations as they existed on restricted-access land used for diamond mining. Waterholes like the one in this picture help keep the population at a sustainable level.
Ghosts of the Namib —
The horses survived the guns of hunters for generations as they existed on restricted-access land used for diamond mining. Waterholes like the one in this picture help keep the population at a sustainable level.
They were once known as "ghost horses" as they were rarely seen and kept their distance from humans, but in recent years have become more accustomed to human contact.
Ghosts of the Namib —
They were once known as "ghost horses" as they were rarely seen and kept their distance from humans, but in recent years have become more accustomed to human contact.
Dry for an estimated 55 million years, the Namib is considered the world's oldest desert. It stretches along Namibia's coastline and into Angola and South Africa.
Ghosts of the Namib —
Dry for an estimated 55 million years, the Namib is considered the world's oldest desert. It stretches along Namibia's coastline and into Angola and South Africa.