There seems to be an issue in the use of Domus de Janas in this nomination as some components are strictly not rock-hewn tombs. What Italy seems to be gunning for in this nomination is to represent a larger picture of pre-Nuragic cultures of Sardegna, which includes a natural cave considered as "The Cradle of Sardinian Man", structural constructions like altars and dolmens, and even stone tool workshops. If anything, the Domus de Janas are only the most representative monuments from a vast period before the Nuraghes started appearing on the island. I managed to see the Necropoli a Domus de Janas di Brodu (ca. 3,200BC) in Oniferi. My friend and I drove from Barumini heading for Orgosolo, and the entrance to the necropolis was conveniently situated a few kilometers from the highway. I purposely chose to see this necropolis as it has been described as a site where artistic carvings can be seen blending with functional architectural features. In this case, the symbolic ox horns were decoratively placed above the doors, thus the doors became representations of the ox's head. The fusion of these two elements is considered as an artistic milestone, and is referred to in the draft dossier as Transitional Type XIX.

In visiting the site, we had to open three farm gates (these are private properties, but being with a charming local eased things out so we never had any problem with the cork farmers and shepherds we encountered), and walked some 20 minutes to the rocky slope of a hill that is capped by the largely unexcavated Nuraghe Brodu. Signages are scant and confusing so we had a little bit of detours and tracking to do. Several reviewers on Google Maps never even managed to find their way to the necropolis and even described the site as "dangerous" because of the dogs and unfriendly land owners. The close proximity of several multi-chambered Domus de Janas and a Nuraghe with one another is something that appealed to me very much as it only demonstrates the site's continuity of use in ancient times. My friend and I were the only ones on site, so we got to fully explore the necropolis undisturbed -- I can only see this as the reward for braving to go to a place that we may not have been really permitted to go to to begin with!

Despite being in a very poor state, the single-chambered Tomb I is supported by at least one recognizable pilar and has a "cup" dug into the floor in front of the portal. Tomb II, on the other hand, features what looks like collapsed antechamber and an intact raised main chamber containing one false door beside a portal that leads to what is now another collapsed chamber. Tombs III and IV are the best preserved and each of them sports stylized three and four rectilinear bovine horn carvings, respectively, inserted into each other. The two also have traces of red paints. Tomb III's antechamber features the iconic carvings and a small chamber (could just be a deep niche). There are three linear chambers further inside, which are inaccessible but visible -- the portal to the second chamber has an architrave. The main Tomb IV has an undecorated antechamber leading to five chambers. The first contains the carvings that harmoniously merge with the architrave of the door. There are shallow niches as well that might have been used for ceremonies and offerings. In the second larger chamber, there are two openings to two raised chambers, with one of them leading further to the fifth and last one. Each of the tombs has its own rock-cut dromos or vestibules, the longest is at four meters. No information board is available, so I'm largely describing the necropolis from my own observations. It can be the case that there are more details that I have missed here such as what looked like intentional incisions on the ceilings and the cut-rocks outside. Fortunately, this necropolis has never been vandalized (not really surprised with the access issue), and one can witness a beautiful sunset as we had on top of the hill. 

The day after, we went to Oliena to do some hike in Tiscali. Little did I know that we would encounter there the Sanctuary of Sa Sedda ’e Sos Carros, which also appears on the Tentative List as part of the "Nuragic Monuments of Sardegna" (I fully support this extension as it is well argued for, and this deserves a separate review here). To my surprise, two weeks after our visit, I came to realize furthermore that Corbeddu Cave nearby is also listed as a component of the "Art and Architecture in the Prehistory of Sardinia. The Domus de Janas." We visited the three-chambered cave for its archaeological and historical merits, being a productive site in retrieving extinct endemic animal bones, some of which still lie in situ, and pre-Neolithic human remains. It also became the hideaway of the notorious bandit Giovanni Corbeddu Salis who even left his only purported signature carved on the wall. As to why it is tagged as a Domus de Janas is a big question for me. Within the idyllic Valle di Lainattu, there is another massive natural cave which we also both enjoyed, the ruins of one Tumba de Gigantis, and other remains of Nuragic monuments. As this serial property is queued for nomination and hopeful inscription next year, our guide to Corbeddu Cave shared with us that a technical team from UNESCO, probably fellow ICOMOS members, visited the cave for assessment just a week before. They required the drawing of a stronger comprehensive management plan (CMP) from Coop Corrasi, the managing unit for the archaeological and natural sites within the valley, but the team appeared to have been optimistic. 

A name change is definitely needed to better reflect what the final nomination will be about, but there should be no doubt of its importance, as well as the clear necessity to have it inscribed even under Crit. III alone. A news update, however, did mention of a trimming down of the 35 components to a mere 26. Could this, perhaps, mean that they will only focus on the actual Domus de Janas sites? (Photos: Carved portal of Tomb IV, Tombs III and IV, and an excavation site in Corbeddu Cave)