“FAIRIES HOUSES”, THE “DOMUS DE JANAS”

These communal burial grounds from the Neolithic period derive their curious name from the vivid imagination of the Sardinian people, who, observing the small spaces within the funeral chambers, thought that they were the abode of tiny mythical beings, known as “Janas”.
In reality, they were ossuaries where skeletons of the dead were laid after the flesh had been stripped off. The chambers were excavated from the rock directly using stone picks (clearly harder stone). In Dorgali, there are 54 Domus, the majority excavated in basalt, though examples in granite and limestone can also be found.

Most easily accessible are the domus of Ispotana, Pirischè and Paskedda.