A steep-sided valley running along the Jordan-Syria border. There are remnants of Pinus woodland on the slopes, and lush reedbeds Phragmites and oleander Nerium thickets along the Yarmuk river, which is the least polluted of Jordan's main rivers. There is a small, spring-fed pool at Birket al Rais. The riverine area is currently a military zone; the main human use of the river is as a water supply to irrigate farmland in the Jordan Valley; local activities include cultivation, fishing, forestry, reed-cutting and mushroom collection.