Main buildings

The monastery as it exists today consists of a perimeter wall with an elongated plan, within which there are a number of ancient buildings, apart from the structures that have been constructed since the second half of the 20th century. The most important buildings are the defensive tower (qasr), the church of Sitt Miriam (also known as the 'church of the cave’), and the church of the Holy Virgin.

The main buildings as depicted on the plan published by Evelyn White in 1932