Ansaryia

(also, Jebel Ansaryia), a mountain massif in Syria. Length, approximately 130 km; width, up to 40 km; altitude, up to 1,562 m. It is composed chiefly of limestone and has a plateau-shaped crest. On the east, the Ansaryia is limited by faults and by the Al Ghab, a tectonic trough. Precipitation reaches 1,500 mm a year on the western slope. In winter there is snow above 1,200 m. There are oak, laurel, cypress, and Aleppo pine forests and maquis on the slopes of the Ansaryia.