Awah (Hindi: अवध, Urdu: اودھ pronunciation (help·info)), also known in various British historical texts as Oudh, Oundh, or Oude, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before Independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. The traditional capital of Awadh has been Lucknow, still the capital of the modern Uttar Pradesh. The modern definition of Awadh geographically includes the districts of Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Balrampur, Barabanki, Faizabad, Gonda, Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Pratapgarh, Raebareli, Shravasti, Sitapur, Sultanpur, and Unnao. The region is home to a distinct dialect, Awadhi.