Aul

'village') is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Central Asia.

[1] They are generally built out of stone, on faces of ridges or against cliffs in order to provide protection against surprise attacks.

The houses usually have a southern aspect to take advantage of the sun in the winter and to be sheltered from the northern winds.

In the 19th century, as Russia fought to conquer the Caucasus, auls were very formidable defences and could be taken for the most part only by storming.

The auls of Svaneti, Georgia, with their distinctive medieval towers, have been recognized as a World Heritage Site.