Spanning approximately 518,000 sq km (200,000 sq miles) it covers parts of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and western Iraq. Its borders extend from the Orontes Valley in the west to the Euphrates in the east. It connects in the south with the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. The Syrian Desert is a combination of desert and steppe, covered in large part by basalt rocks from lava flows. Total rainfall is 127mm.
The highest peaks are Jabal al Lawz at 2580m in Saudi Arabia and Jabal Rum at 1754m in Jordan. There are several oases in the desert, most notably al Ghuta of Damascus, and Palmyra.
The desert inhabitants are Bedouin tribes who raise cattle and camels.
Oil pipelines cross the desert to connect the oil fields of Saudi Arabia and Iraq with Mediterranean ports.
References:http://www.pef.org.uk/EarlySyriaPages/SyrianDes.htm;
http://damascus-online.com/se/geo/syrian_desert.htm