Syrian Desert

A combination of steppe and true desert, the Syrian Desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula covers northern Saudi Arabia, northeastern Jordan, southeastern Syria, and western Iraq. It borders the Orontes Valley to the west and the Euphrates River to the east. Referred to as the Syro-Arabian desert, it is the northwestern part of the Arabian Desert. The south-central part of the desert is called Al-Hamad. The deserts unique landscape is composed of volcanic lava and basalt to the north, and sandstone and granite to the south. The desert is the historic home to the Bedouin tribes, desert-dwelling Arab nomadic or previously nomadic pastoralist. There are oil pipelines located there that connect the oil fields of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.