Access to the chambers is difficult and the entrances are well hidden. This provided the needed isolation for the monks. Fresh water was close by; Lake Qarun at that time was merely an hour's walk away and many animals must have gathered on its shores in the early morning hours to drink. Monks had food, water and a safe refuge; they could stay in their caves for months without ever needing to see, and most importantly, be seen of other humans.

Deir Samweel or the monastery of St. Samuel is one of the largest operating monasteries in Egypt. It started in the early days of Christianity as a small chapel and a few cells for a handful of monks. It was abandoned and rebuilt several times and is now a well-organized, income generating unit. It was raided several times throughout history by marauders; on one instance the bandits killed all the monks save one blind old man who lay hidden in his cell; this monk, named father Andrawos and dead now for years, is revered almost as a saint.

The monastery of St Catherine in Sinai, built at the foot of Mt. Moses is an important tourist site; it houses the Burning Bush and contains scores of ancient icons, manuscripts and paintings. One of the documents displayed inside the monastery is a copy of a letter signed by Napoleon Bonaparte giving his blessings to the monks and guaranteeing their safety. Another letter to the same effect and signed by the famous Arab military leader Salah el Din (or Saladin) is also displayed.