Aul 1119743 223593798 2008-07-04T20:03:20Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other {{unreferenced|date=November 2007}} [[Image:PG - Dagestan. Shamil's village (colour).jpg|thumb|250px|[[Gunib]], [[Shamil]]'s native aul in Dagestan, as photographed by [[Prokudin-Gorsky]] at some point between 1905 and 1915.]] An '''aul''' ([[Turkic]]: ''awıl'') is a type of fortified [[village]] found throughout the [[Caucasus]] mountains, especially in [[Dagestan]]. The auls of [[Svanetia]] (in the [[Republic of Georgia]]), with their distinctive medieval towers, have been recognized as a [[World Heritage Site]]. Comparable towers may be found elsewhere in the Caucasus, specifically in [[Ingushetia]]. The auls are generally built out of [[stone]], on faces of [[ridges]] or against [[cliff]]s in order to guard themselves against surprise attacks. Houses are usually two stories high, and they were staggered to make it virtually impossible for enemies to get anywhere on the roads. The houses usually have a southern aspect to take advantage of the [[sun]] in the winter and to be sheltered from the northern winds. Often, they are not located near good farmland or water sources, so it is necessary to bring water into the settlement. In the 19th century, as [[Russia]] fought to [[Caucasian War|conquer the Caucasus]], auls were very formidable defences and could be taken for the most part only by storming. [[Category:Villages]] [[Category:Caucasus]] [[Category:Russian words and phrases]] [[Category:History of Georgia (country)]] {{topography-stub}} [[ca:Aul]] [[es:Aul]] [[fr:Aoul]] [[nl:Aoel]] [[pt:Aul]] [[ru:Аул]]