Towns abndoned in the Namib by diamond prospectors battle to hold off the encroaching desert sands. To visit Namibia's ghost towns is to walk into the history of a fascinating country. Story and pictures by Amy Schoeman.

To many people diamonds are the stuff of dreams. To a diamond hunter, they can turn dreams into reality. Redolent of the realisation of some of these dreams are four ghost towns, Kolmanskop, Pomona, Bogenfels and Elizabeth Bay, former diamond settlements which today lie forsaken and decaying in the northern Sperrgebiet between Bogenfels and Luderitz on Namibia's southern Atlantic coast.

In the early years of the 20th century when these diamond towns sprang up in the desert, they pulsed with excitement and activity, as well as with violence, betrayal and greed. In some areas diamonds lay scattered freely on the desert surface and were picked up by miners crawling across the sand on their hands and knees. It was a time in which fortunes were made, lost and made again.

Today the wind echoes through the battered windows and doors of the empty buildings as they gradually succumb to the encroaching sands of the Namib. Building up in enormous piles against the crumbling walls, the sand is slowly but inexorably pushing them over and burying them, together with the shattered glass, rusting roofs, abandoned machinery and other paraphernalia of the past.

The forlorn streets still whisper of the dreams, hopes, secrets and intrigues of the people who once lived there. This impression is difficult to reconcile with one early visitor's remarks, describing the Sunday afternoon strolls of inhabitants of Kolmanskop in its heyday: "Fashionably attired in well-cut outfits, the better halves of the diamond kings walked through the deep sand, their left hands mostly in cotton gloves, holding their long trains very stiffly, while their right hands held their feathered and flowered hats in place against the pressure of the wind."

Development of German South West Africa was pioneered by the construction of a railway line from Luderitz to Keetmanshoop. In 1906 the line was completed from Luderitz as far as Aus, and in 1907 a German employee of the Geutsche Kalonial Geselischaft, August Stauch, was appointed railway supervisor at Aus. His responsibilities included keeping the railway line clear of sand.

It was here, in 1908, that one of his workers, Zacharia Lewala, found the "pretty" stone which was subsequently confirmed to be a diamond. While rumours of the discovery were spreading, Stauch quietly pegged off claims for himself. Official confirmation of the find caused diamond fever to spread like wild fire. Soon the entire area was swarming with prospectors and fortune-seekers.

Early in 1909, Stauch struck it lucky again. Alerted by a worker who had stumbled on a laager of diamonds lying as thick as "plums under a plum tree", he and a Dr Scheibe established that there were even richer diamond deposits in the Pomona area, about 150 km south of Luderitz. The discovery is said to have occurred shortly before dark. Diamonds were lying around so abundantly that Stauch and Scheibe went on picking them up by moonlight.

Stauch named this place ldatal (Ida's Valley) after his wife. Other valleys in this astounding area were pegged and given romantic names such as Maerchental (fairy-tale valley) and Hexenkessel (witches' kettle). In October that year a prospector named Georg Klinghardt, while leading a camel expedition, found diamonds near Bogenfels, the gigantic rock arch that juts into the Atlantic Ocean approximately 100 km south of Pomona.

These discoveries exceeded the wildest expectations of the Territory's mineral wealth. In 1908 the German Government hastily proclaimed the area as Sperrgebiet (forbidden territory). It extended from the Orange River for 360 km northwards to the latitude 260S and 100 km into the interior. A wide buffer zone between the coastal diamond fields and the interior had been created, reinforcing the natural isolation that characterises the region.

The diamond rush led to the establishment of a mining town at Kolmanskop, 10 km east of Luderitz. Three more settlements were subsequently established further south at Elizabeth Bay, Pomona and Bogenfels.

Although the methods of recovery were often simple, the deposits were so rich that by the outbreak of World War I over five million carats (1 000 kg) of diamonds had been found, amounting to 20% of world production. Mining was done manually, using shovels to excavate the gravel, which was then screened by various sieving techniques. Expansive fields of the resulting gravel heaps can still be seen in the northern coastal area of the Sperrgebiet.

The focal point of the diamond business was at Kolmanskop. The strong winds and the fact that water had to be transported from the Garub pan, 44 kilometres to the west, made life in the small town arduous. Nevertheless it flourished, and soon had its own general dealer, school, post office, police station, bakery and butchery. The large and modern hospital was the first in Southern Africa to be equipped with an X-ray machine. Stylish residences were built from stone, reflecting German architectural styles.

Development of Kolmanskop reached its zenith in the twenties. The lifestyles, modes of dress and social attitudes of its inhabitants reflected those of Europeans of that era. At this time approximately 300 German adults, 40 children and 800 Owambo contract workers lived in the town.

One of the intriguing and fascinating aspects of these ghost towns, especially Kolmanskop, is the refined nature of the culture that evolved, in spite of, or more likely because of, the isolation and bleakness of the surrounding desert. The settlements developed into lively little havens of German culture, offering entertainment and recreation to suit the requirements and desires of the affluent colonialists.

In Kolmanskop, for instance, the focus of entertainment was an elaborate recreation hall, resplendent with gambling saloons, a skittle alley, a bar and an acoustically perfect auditorium where balls were held and plays, music concerts and operettas were staged. A lemonade and soda-water factory provided each of the residences with a free block of ice daily.

The diamond industry in the Sperrgebiet thrived until World War I, which virtually brought all mining in the area to a halt, as well as ending Germany's occupation of South West Africa. South Africa was appointed administrator of the territory, thus gaining control of the diamond interests. The company Consolidated Diamond Mines of SWA Ltd (CDM) was established in 1920.

The death sentence to the four mining towns came in 1928 when extensive diamond deposits were found in ancient marine terraces north of the Orange river mouth. The worldwide depression of the twenties and thirties slowed down development of these resources, but by the 1940's mining had started in earnest and CDM moved its head office to Oranjemund.

While the other three settlements were soon deserted, Kolmanskop was used as a transport depot until the fifties. In 1956 the hospital was closed down and the last inhabitants left, leaving the once flourishing town to the mercy of the elements. In 1980 CDM partially restored some of the buildings, established a museum and tea-room in the old railway station, and opened the complex for tourist viewing.

For the past 20 years Amy Schoeman has specialised in taking photographs in the Namib desert and the remote north-western regions of Namibia. She has five books to her name and currently lives in Windhoek, where she works as a freelance writer and photographer.

Getting to know the Ghost Towns

The Kolmanskop Tour Company (KTC) offers one-hour guided tours of Kolmanskop twice daily from Mondays to Fridays, and once on Saturdays and Sundays. Permits for these tours must be obtained from Luderitz Safaris & Tours in Bismarck Street, Luderitz. Special tours for visitors outside the usual tour times can be arranged, as well as photo permits allowing access from sunrise until sunset. Visitors can also drive themselves to Kolmanskop.

KTC also offer four-hour tours to Elizabeth Bay on weekdays for small groups (minimum four people), and for commercial tour buses with larger groups. This is a round trip of 90 km and includes the seals at Atlas Bay, if requested. The 4x4 280 km Bogenfels Adventure Safari offered by KTC visits the ghost towns of Pomona and Bogenfels, the fabulous valley of ldatal, a huge cave near Bogenfels, and the massive 55 m high Bogenfels rock arch.

Access to the restricted Sperrgebiet (Diamond Area), where the Elizabeth Bay and Bogenfels safaris take place, is controlled by the Namibian Police through NAMDEB. Children under 14 years of age are not allowed in the restricted area. Tours need to be booked well in advance, as four working days are required to process a permit application, for which the full names, nationalities and passports of the visitors are required.

Published in Travel Africa Edition One: Autumn 1997.Text is subject to Worldwide Copyright (c)