Syrian Desert

Syrian Desert, desert in the northern Arabian Peninsula, including northern Saudi Arabia, north-eastern Jordan, south-eastern Syria, and western Iraq. In area, the desert covers about 518,000 sq km (200,000 sq mi). The south-central part of the desert is called al-Hamad, a name sometimes applied to all of the Syrian Desert. In the north it is bounded by the region known as the Fertile Crescent. Arable agriculture is not possible as the desert has only about 127 mm (5 in) of rainfall annually, but cattle and camels are raised by Arab nomads. Pipelines cross the desert connecting the oil fields of Saudi Arabia and Iraq with Mediterranean ports.