The once-booming holiday resort loved by celebrities is now a derelict ghost town

A luxury holiday resort loved by Hollywood stars and which included the world's first seven-star hotel is now a derelict wasteland having been eerily deserted for over half a century.

Varosha in Cyprus was known as one of Europe's most sophisticated destinations, being frequented by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor. It included the Golden Sands hotel, which was a byword for luxury and was so vast it boasted its own mini railway to ferry guests around.

But the fate of Varosha changed forever when on July 20, 1974, the Turkish army invaded the northern part of Cyprus in response to an attempted coup sponsored by the Greek junta five days earlier.

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The military invasion led to the exodus of 180,000 Greek Cypriots from the northern third of Cyprus, including 15,000 residents of Varosha who were forced to abandon their belongings and properties. Since then, Varosha has remained a ghost town, frozen in time and cordoned off by the military, the Mirror reports.

Chilling images now reveal the once stunning seaside resort left to decay, with its buildings crumbling into disrepair. The once bustling streets have been devoid of life for decades, with forgotten churches, vacant shops and the sea washing up on abandoned shores.

An old school and a Toyota dealership are decaying, while several former hotel tower blocks stand empty - a stark reminder of the area's past as a popular beach resort. At its zenith, Varosha could accommodate around 10,000 tourists and had a population of approximately 25,000 people in 1973. The Golden Sands opened in 1974 on the south side of Varosha/Maras

The ruins can be seen from a specially