Domus de Janas, the thousand-year-old “fairy houses”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
2 minutes
There are about 3,500 "fairy houses"in Sardinia. The legend, also narrated by Grazia Deledda, wanted them to be the home of tiny Janas who wove gold threads.
In reality, they are hypogean (rock-cut) tombs from the Neolithic period (5th–3rd millennium BC), carved into the rock to faithfully reproduce the "houses of the living". This gesture served to symbolically perpetuate life after death, in a regenerative return to the womb of Mother Earth.
In July 2025, 17 of these extraordinary sites were officially recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, consecrating their universal value.
This article is an inspiration to discover a unique heritage, where archaeology is inextricably intertwined with myth and landscape.
What are the Domus de Janas: architecture for eternity
Visiting a domus de janas means entering a real pre-Nuragic house. They are not simple tombs, but reproductions of houses, carefully excavated to accommodate the deceased in a familiar space, even in the afterlife.
Inside, the rock is shaped to imitate double-pitched roofs, columns, hearths and even stone beds. The most recurring and powerful symbol is the "false door", the sculpted representation of the passage to the realm of darkness.
The walls are often decorated with red ochre, a symbol of blood and life, and taurine protomes, images of the deity who was to protect the eternal sleep.
The 17 UNESCO sites: a treasure spread from north to south
UNESCO recognition does not concern a single area, but 17 emblematic sites scattered throughout the island, creating a map of universal value. In the North West, the Alghero area is home to the vast necropolis of Anghelu Ruju, the largest in northern Sardinia with 38 tombs, and S'Incantu in Putifigari, famous for its rich interior decorations. In Bonorva, Sant'Andrea Priu impresses with its monumentality, with a 'Tomb of the Chief' comprising 18 rooms, so much so that it was later reused as a rock-cut church with Byzantine frescoes. In Castelsardo, the Roccia dell'Elefante combines the work of man with that of wind erosion. The journey continues to Oristano (Ispiluncas), Nuoro (Istevene), to the south of Sardinia, with the spectacular necropolis of Montessu in Villaperuccio, arranged in an amphitheatre, and Pranu Mutteddu in Goni.
Beyond archaeology: experience the magic of the 'Fairy Houses'
Today, visiting these places means taking a double journey: one into archaeology and one into myth. These are the "fairy houses" that Grazia Deledda described in Canne al vento, where the Janas, tiny female figures, wove on golden looms.
These tombs, traditionally perceived as border points between the world of the living and that of the dead, are often immersed in breathtaking landscapes, hidden in the hills or overlooking "the infinite breath of the sea".
They are places of silence and reflection, which tell of an ancient spirituality and the deep bond of the prenuragic communities with the earth and the mystery of life.
