Sabkhat al-Jabbul

Not to be confused with Al-Sabkhah.

Sabkhat al-Jabbūl or Mamlahat al-Jabbūl^[2] or Lake Jabbūl (Arabic: سبخة الجبول) is a large, traditionally seasonal, saline lake and concurrent salt flats (sabkha) 30 km southeast of Aleppo, Syria, in the Bāb District of Aleppo Governorate. It is the largest natural lake in Syria and the second largest lake after the artificial Lake Assad. In 2009 the lake covered about 100 km² (39 sq mi) and was relatively stable.^[3] The salt flats are extensive. The area includes the Sabkhat al-Jabbul Nature Reserve, a protected waterfowl site.^[4]

Shallow parts of the lake go dry in August leaving salt crystals on the floor

Sabkhat al-Jabbul
سبخة الجبول (Arabic)
Sentinel-2 image (2022)
Sabkhat al-Jabbul
Location	Aleppo Governorate
Coordinates	36°04′N 037°30′E
Type	Salt lake
Basin countries	Syria
Surface area	100 km2 (39 sq mi)
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Sabkhat al-Jabbul Nature Reserve
Designated	5 March 1998
Reference no.	935[1]

Today the Sabkhat al-Jabbul exists within a closed basin, but during the Pleistocene the basin filled, overflowed and formed a tributary of the Euphrates. The lake traditionally flooded in the spring, shrinking back during the summer and autumn. However, starting in 1988, irrigation projects on adjacent lands started discharging significant amounts of partially saline water into the basin, stabilizing the water table and creating a lake of 100 km² (39 sq mi).^[3]

Resource use

Primary uses of the area include waterfowl hunting, livestock grazing on the surrounding steppe and salt extraction.^[3] Al-Jubbul is the major source of salt in Syria, other sources include Lake Jayrud, Rif Dimashq Governorate, to the northeast of Damascus and Lake Khatuniyah (Khatunia), Al-Hasakah Governorate, to the northeast of Al-Hasakah, near the village of Al Hawi and the Iraqi border.

Use of salt

Rock salt from Sabkhat al-Jabbul was used in the "salt rooms" at Sednaya Prison. The rooms were used as mortuaries to preserve dead bodies of inames in the absence of refrigerated morgues.^[5]