cairns

A cairn is a human-made pile or heap of stones. The word comes from the Gaelic càrn, meaning a heap of stones, and cairns have appeared in many cultures and periods. They are used for a variety of purposes, from practical to ceremonial.

Cairns function as navigational aids and markers in open landscapes such as mountains, moorlands, deserts, and coastlines. They can indicate routes, trail junctions, or summits, helping travelers find their way in poor visibility. Cairns also serve as boundary markers, memorials, and sometimes as ritual or burial monuments. In archaeology, cairns are valued as features that can signal past activity; simple burial mounds and more complex chambered cairns are found in parts of Europe and Asia, revealing funerary or ceremonial practices.

Construction methods vary by region and purpose. They are typically built from locally available stones and may be stacked with or without mortar. Dry-stone techniques are common, producing stable, weather-resistant piles. Cairns range from small, inconspicuous markers to tall, prominent structures; some are maintained, while others are left to weather and change naturally.

Today, cairns intersect with conservation and land-use issues. In protected areas, cairn-building may be regulated to protect archaeological integrity and landscape character. On popular trails, new cairns can lead to clutter or misdirection, so many land managers advise minimizing additional constructions and preserving existing markers.

Cairns also appear as place names. Cairns is a city in Queensland, Australia, named after Sir William W. Cairns, and serves as a regional hub near the Great Barrier Reef and tropical forests. The term cairns, in ordinary usage, most often refers to stone piles rather than the city itself.