These hauntingly beautiful images reveal what remains of sand-filled family homes in a once-thriving mining town in the heart of an African desert.

Abandoned for more than half a century, the ghost town of Kolmanskop in the Namib Desert in southern Namibia would serve as the perfect setting for a horror film or an apocalyptic thriller.

The German-style village flourished after the discovery of diamonds in 1908, but its decaying houses were left to rot after the mining field was exhausted.

It was completely abandoned in 1954 and is now said to be haunted.

The sand seeped into windowless and, in some cases, roofless houses, leaving small dunes inside the rooms, hallways and kitchens where families resided during the mining town’s heyday.

Kolmanskop was once home to a hospital, school, ballroom, theatre, casino and Africa’s first tram, providing the best things in life for German miners and their families.

But it’s now a popular destination for curious tourists and explorers, including photographer Enrique Lopez-Tapia, who took photos of the surviving wooden houses.

Nature takes over: sand has seeped into windowless and sometimes roofless houses

Abandoned: The German town in the Namib Desert has been abandoned since 1954

Attraction: The unusual sight has attracted tourists eager to see the inland sand dunes for themselves

Photoshoot: Photographer Enrique Lopez-Tapia was one of those drawn to the remote site to capture it on camera

Spooky: The abandoned village would now be haunted

Prosperous: The town came into being after the discovery of diamonds in 1908, but mining died out after less than half a century

Surreal: the eerie sight is a photographer’s dream

Like fiction: the city could serve as the perfect setting for a horror movie or an apocalyptic thriller