Along the side of the cliff are caves that were used by Christian hermits in the Byzantine period. The idea of monks living a life of prayer and contemplation far from civilization, began in Egypt and Syria in the fourth century, and a few decades later the movement spread to this area. Often, the holy men lived in small communities, removed from the vices of the city. Some of the soft limestone cliffs contain caves, prepared by the monks, who cut into the stone. In several are rooms and shelves for personal belongings. Inscriptions craved in the walls include prayer for salvation to Jesus and Theodore (the patron saint of Avdat). Above the cliff are remaindings of a guard post from the Byzantine times.