[1] Nearby localities include Qarqur 7 kilometers to the north, Sirmaniyah to the northwest, Qastun to the east and Farikah, Khirbet al-Arus and al-Amqiyah Tahta to the south.

It is also the center of the Al-Ziyarah Nahiyah ("subdistrict"), part of the Al-Suqaylabiyah District, consisting of 25 localities and with a combined population of 38,872 in 2004.

[2] Al-Ziyarah has been identified as the ancient Aramaean city of "Ziara", which was part of the Hamath kingdom.

Five towns, including al-Ziyarah, saw hundreds of homes either destroyed or severely damaged, prompting the Syrian government to request urgent international aid.

Out of a total of ten people killed, five, including two women, two children and an employee of the dam, were residents of al-Ziyarah.