The plateau extends for 60 km (37 mi) with a width of about 30 km (19 mi) on the western side of Lake Jabboul from Safīrah in the north to Sabkhat Kharāyij (Arabic: سبخة الخرايج) and Sabkhat Ḥammām (Arabic: سبخة همام) in the south. To the east lie the Qinnasrīn plain (southern Aleppo plain) and the Maṭkh lowland. A lesser elevation called Mount Shabīth (Arabic: جبل شبيث) (highest point 360 m) is found in the southeast, beyond which lie Sabkhat Shabīth (Arabic: سبخة شبيث). The plain of Khunāṣir separates between Mount Ḥaṣṣ and Mount Shabīth.[1]
The area has more than 150 villages inhabited by Bedouins or people of Bedouinic ancestry. It is one of the poorest regions in Syria. A development project aims to improve living standards.[2]
An ancient fortress dating to classical antiquity has been recently uncovered on Mount Ḥaṣṣ.[3]