Credit foto: Gianni Careddu · CC BY-SA 4.0
Place · Alghero
Anghelu Ruju Necropolis
The Anghelu Ruju Necropolis, near Alghero, is the largest complex of domus de janas rock-cut tombs yet discovered in Sardinia. Its 38 tombs, carved into sandstone, document funerary practices and beliefs from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.
A major prehistoric necropolis
The necropolis lies on the plain north of Alghero, in the I Piani area. It consists of 38 underground tombs arranged in two groups and used over a long period, broadly from around 4200 to 1600 BC.
The domus de janas
The tombs are cut into the rock and often have complex layouts with corridors, chambers and connecting rooms. Some reproduce architectural elements from homes, turning the burial space into a symbolic house for the dead.
Symbols and decorations
Inside the tombs are symbolic motifs, false doors, horn-shaped elements and imagery linked to the beliefs of prehistoric communities. Tomb XXVIII is particularly known for its bull protomes and concentric motifs carved into the rock.
Anghelu Ruju and Alghero
The site fits easily into an itinerary around Alghero and the Nurra. Capo Caccia, Porto Conte and Alghero's historic centre can be combined with the necropolis for a day mixing prehistory, scenery and sea.
