The upper Proterozoic Damara Orogen which forms a part of the Pan-African belt system contains a well developed geosynclinal sequence deposited 900—650 Ma ago. In the absence of sufficient biological and radiometric age data, correlations of lithostratigraphic units across the orogen remain problematical. This paper is an attempt to establish a unifying geodynamic model for the geosynclinal development of the Damara Orogen. The model is based on the assumption that Damaran geosynclinal history began with formation of continental rift structures. The geosynclinal development started in the northern Damara Orogen with the formation of a continental rift, ∼ 900 Ma ago. At the same time a rift dome or rift field existed in the southern part of the orogen. The northern rift remained active for about 100 Ma with three phases in increased differential subsidence during deposition of the Nosib Group, the Ugab Subgroup and the Chuos Formation. Complex facies relationships including the Ugab Subgroup of the northern and the Nosib Group of the central orogen illustrate deposition in a shelf/basin environment which had established itself after marine invasion of the northern rift. Subsequently the northern rift fell inactive and the northern-to-central orogen was affected by a phase of regional subsidence, due to thermal relaxation of the stretched lithosphere. The slowly subsiding region was covered by a carbonate platform (Karibib Formation) which eventually submerged giving way to the development of a wide basin in which the Kuiseb Formation was laid down. The northern rift fell inactive, when the rate of crustal stretching accompanied by rifting and differential subsidence significantly increased in the southern Damara Orogen, ∼ 800 Ma ago. A trough (Khomas Trough) started to subside rapidly and was fed by turbidites from both the carbonate platform (Tinkas turbidites) and the southern foreland of the orogen (Chausib turbidites). Only 20-30 Ma later, lithospheric stretching and thinning had proceeded far enough to allow crustal rupture and opening of a limited ocean (Matchless Amphibolite). This led to thermal relaxation of the lithosphere and to regional subsidence in the southern Damara Orogen. The key for correlations across the orogen is the shift of the rifting activity from north to south. This stage is marked by the development of the carbonate platform from whose southern edge the calcareous Tinkas turbidites were transported into the subsiding Khomas Trough where pelites of the lower Kuiseb Formation were being laid down.