Maeshowe is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. The monuments around Maeshowe, including Skara Brae, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. It gives its name to the Maeshowe type of chambered cairn, which bears no similarities to any other known chambered cairn design, either in Orkney or elsewhere. Built of 30 tons of sandstone, Maeshowe is one of the largest tombs in Orkney. It is aligned so that its central chamber is illuminated on the winter solstice.
