Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Desert horses and ghost towns in the Southern African

Desert horses and ghost towns in the Southern African country of Namibia.

The Namib Desert of Southern Africa is one of the worlds oldest and largest deserts, the origins of the desert wild horses of the Namib Desert is a secret the desert ghost towns and desert horses keeps to herself.

Kolmanskop was a rich German diamond-mining town but presently is a ghost town in the Namib Desert visited only by Namib wild horses and the occasional tourist. Origins of the wild horses of the Namib Desert remains a mystery fueled by theories and urban legends because originally there were no horses in southern Africa. There have been a number of theories proposed over the years as to the origin of the wild horses in the Southern African country of Namibia.

One theory is around 1914 during WWI the Union of South African troops were stationed at the small town of Garub. The German forces set up a stronghold in the hills at the town of Aus, which bombed the Union camp sporadically. It is believed the Union forces might not have had enough time to round up all the horses before advancing on the retreating Germans and thus horses were left behind.

Another theory is Emil Kreplin, who was the mayor of the town of Lüderitz from 1909 to 1914, had a horse farm near the town of Aus. Kreplin bred 2,000 workhorses for the mines and racehorses, however; he was drafted into the Union of South Africa Army and while fighting in the war he lost his fortune.

Ghost towns and wild horses of the African Namib Desert
African Ghost Towns and Wild Horses 

Kreplin’s horses were ownerless began to scatter throughout the area. Whatever their origin is, for nearly a century the Namib Desert horses developed generation after generation becoming a wild breed. The wild horses maybe regarded as a breed in their own right, the Namibs.

The desert horses gather in the area around the town of Aus, finding water at the springs and at the Garub borehole or well. Namibs gather-around the permanent water source Garub’s well which is a water drinking trough currently maintained by Namib Naukluft Park.

The Garub well was originally created for topping off locomotives on the nearby railway line but today a scenic photo opportunity area and shelter was erected at the drinking trough at Garub to give visitors the opportunity to watch and study the Namib wild horses. The Namib desert of Africa is one of the world’s oldest and largest deserts, the origins of the wild horses of the Namib desert is a secret the desert keeps to herself.

African Ghost Towns three facts

In Central African Republic towns of Goroumo, Beogombo Deux, and Paoua are among the many deserted villages created by the actions of government forces and killings by armed gangs from the years 2005 to 2008.

Western Sahara, La Güera is a ghost town on the Atlantic coast at the southern tip of Western Sahara. It is Western Sahara's southernmost town. It has been uninhabited and partly buried by drifting sand since 2002.

In South Sudan, Lukangol was destroyed during the 2011 South Sudan war but before its destruction, it had a population of 20,000.

Origins of wild desert horses of Namib Desert remains a mystery because no horses were in southern Africa. There have been a number of theories proposed over the years as to the origin of desert horses in Namibia Africa.


Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

  1. Historical African Country Name
  2. Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa
  3. How many countries does Africa have?
  4. Roots of Africanized Christianity Spiritual Songs
  5. Chocolate Processing Facts History and Recipes
  6. Awesome Kenyan Woman
  7. Land is Not For Women in Sierra Leone
  8. African Kente Cloth Facts
  9. Accra the Ghanaian Capital Ultimate Mall Experience


Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Wise African Proverb

Wise African Proverb

More Articles to Read from Chic African Culture

Show more

Week’s Best Posts and Pages

Three Easy to Make South African Recipes

What is the difference between ugali and fufu

The Serenity Prayer translated into the 10 most popular African languages

Eat With Your Fingers to Reduce Plastic Waste