It is one of the brilliant, unique monuments of Georgian building art. The village spread over the rock was at once a dwelling place and a fortress; for centuries it guarded Georgia's northern passes (it has now been restored). Along the village's edges runs a row of fortress-houses built wall to wall, forming a single impregnable defensive wall that reliably seals the village. Shatili's only link with the outside world is the single narrow road through the Arghuni gorge. Shatili's layout is terraced; the basic building types are the flat-roofed house and the tower dwelling. A narrow stone stair climbs the village's full height between the buildings, and here and there survive plank walkways — crossings — by which, in case of enemy attack, one could run the whole village round without stepping into the street.