The nuraghe takes its name from the former owners of the land where it is located: the friars. In Sardinian, Is Paras means “the friars.” The property was donated as a token of gratitude by the Isili community to the Piarist Fathers, who established the town’s first school in the 17th century. This is a trilobed nuraghe, meaning it features three towers connected to a central one. It is believed that a village once surrounded the structure, although no archaeological excavations have yet been conducted.
The structure is incredibly ancient, with its initial construction dating back to the 15th century BCE, making it approximately 3,500 years old. Originally built as a single-tower nuraghe, it underwent modifications and expansions during the Nuragic era, ultimately becoming the trilobed structure we see today.
One of the features that makes Nuraghe Is Paras particularly significant is its tholos, the dome-like structure inside the tower. It is the tallest tholos in Sardinia, reaching a height of 11.8 meters. Furthermore, it is one of the best-preserved examples, as noted by Giovanni Lilliu:
«…the most spacious and harmonious of Sardinian thòloi (the dome vault that covered nuraghes, which in most cases has collapsed), closely resembling the grand, magnificent thòloi of Mycenaean Greece in the Peloponnese during the latter half of the 2nd millennium BCE.»
(Seui – Isili, p. 354, Touring Club Italiano, 1988, ISBN 88-365-0352-7)
According to local legends passed down by elders, anyone approaching Nuraghe Is Paras at night might hear the sound of a loom emanating from deep within the ancient structure. It is said to be operated by the mythical Janas, magical creatures of Sardinian folklore who are best left undisturbed to avoid unpleasant consequences.
(photo by AD Drone)
