ANTI-LEBANON MOUNTAINS

Arabic Al-jabal Ash-sharqi, or Lubnan Ash-sharqi, French Anti-liban, mountain range that runs northeast-southwest along the Syrian-Lebanese border parallel to the Lebanon Mountains, from which they are separated by the al-Biqa' Valley. The range averages 6,500 feet (2,000 m) above sea level, with several peaks exceeding 8,000 feet (2,400 m). As it runs south, the Anti-Lebanon range is interrupted by a broad shoulder (the Zabadani Saddle) of Mount Hermon, 9,232 feet (2,814 m) high, which is sometimes considered to be the southernmost extension of the range. Because of thin soils, limestone sinks, steep slopes, and aridity, the Anti-Lebanon range is sparsely populated and economically useful only for nomadic herding.