The Ghost Town: Haunting Photos by Sarfraz Durrani

The Ghost Town is an evocative series by Virginia-based photographer Sarfraz Durrani. Captured in Kolmanskop, an abandoned mining town in the Namib Desert, Sarfraz’s images aim to document the eerie beauty and fascinating history of the place.

Once a thriving settlement sparked by a diamond rush in 1908, Kolmanskop was a place of extravagant luxury. Grand homes, a bustling tram system, and even an ice factory rose from the arid desert, all led by German settlers eager to harvest the wealth beneath the sand. But by the 1920s, richer diamond deposits elsewhere drained the town’s resources and its people. By the 1950s, Kolmanskop was left to the forces of time and nature.

Sarfraz’s photographs highlight the ways Kolmanskop has transformed since being abandoned. The images show homes half-buried in golden dunes and interiors where sunlight filters through cracks, illuminating sand-filled rooms. His use of light and shadow amplifies the eerie silence of this place, where traces of human dreams now coexist with the raw power of nature. It’s haunting, yes, but undeniably beautiful.

To discover more of Sarfraz Durrani’s work, check out his portfolio on Behance or pay a visit to his website.

More photography Sarfraz Durrani’s website