Jabal al-Akrad, Latakia Mountains

A rural mountain region north-east of Latakia, at the northern end of Syria’s Coastal Mountain Range, the Jabal Ansariya. It lies close to the borders of Idlib province and Turkey. Red pine and oak forest, deep valleys and hill villages cover it, and its main summer town is Salma. After 2012 it was a front line for years and most of its people left. The first returns and public events came in 2025, but mines and remnants of war are still a serious obstacle.

Where does the region begin and end?

Arabic Wikipedia gives its area as about 400 km². Most of it lies in Latakia province, with parts reaching into Idlib (the village of al-Kindeh) and Hama (the villages of al-Sarmaniyah and Duwayr al-Akrad). To the west are al-Haffah and Jabal Sahyun, to the north Jabal al-Turkman. English Wikipedia notes that the Nahr al-Kabir al-Shamali separates it from Jabal al-Turkman, and that the river’s tributaries cut deep ravines into its chalk. Administratively it is split between the Salma and Kinsabba subdistricts; its villages include Duwayrkah, Tauma, al-Murayj, Marj al-Zawiya and al-Kabbanah.

How high is it?

The sources give different ranges. Arabic Wikipedia says 300 to 1500 m, English Wikipedia 400 to 1000 m. The town of Salma sits at 800–850 m, about 48 km from Latakia.

What is the landscape like?

The hills are covered in forests of red pine, juniper, cedar and oak. Streams run through the valleys in winter, and some springs dry up in summer. Arabic Wikipedia lists wild boar, hyenas and hares, and birds such as blackbirds, partridges and pigeons.

Where does the name come from?

Jabal al-Akrad means Mountain of the Kurds. Arabic Wikipedia links the name to Kurds settled here in the time of Saladin to guard the coast road. A study cited by English Wikipedia instead traces the settlement to the 13th century, when the Mamluk sultan Baybars and his successors placed Kurdish tribesmen here as a military presence to secure the route between Aleppo and the coast. Arabic is spoken in the region today.

What state is it in after the war?

In 2012 armed opposition groups took control of the region, and government forces retook it in 2015–2016. According to English Wikipedia, most of the population left during those years, and in 2017 the area was still largely empty. Most houses in Salma were destroyed. In July 2025 Salma held its first wedding in 14 years. On 7 November 2025 the town hosted a festival called Life Blooms from the Rubble. The governorate and the Ministry of Tourism are working to reopen the area’s tourism facilities to investment.

What to know before going

The most concrete danger here is mines and unexploded ordnance. Civil Defence reported that in September 2025 the Ayn Ghazal fire in Jabal al-Akrad was put out in two days among minefields, and that remnants of war kept crews from reaching the flames. In July 2026 the Civil Defence war remnants centre told SANA that mines in the eastern Latakia countryside were preventing people from returning to their villages. No current source on roads or visiting conditions in the region could be found. Stay on asphalt and marked roads, and keep out of fields, forest and abandoned buildings. The site’s page on safety and access in the coastal countryside has more detail.

How long it takes

Driving from Latakia to Salma and back, with stops to look over the valleys, takes half a day. Plan to be back before dark.