The fortress is located to the right of the northern gate, and is reached from the roof of the northern entrance to the ancient virgin mary Church in Qantara. It was called (Old Palace) and dates back to the seventh century AD.
This fort consists of three floors: the ground floor was designated as food stores and has a water well.
The second floor, has the main entrance to the fortress, and contains rooms designated as monks’ cells.
As for the third floor, it contains the main church in this fortress, which is the church of Archangel Michael, and next to it is a room with a special cache for the sanctuaries of the monastery.
Egyptologist Evelyn White,says that the fortress is currently considered the oldest existing fort in Wadi El Natroun from an architectural point of view.
The fortress was restored by master Ibrahim Al-gohary in 1773 AD, and a second restoration was recently completed in 1996 AD.
