Nearby localities include Binnish to the north, Talhiyah to the northeast, Afs to the east, Saraqib to the southeast, al-Nayrab to the south and Qminas to southwest.

[2] Sarmin was the site of a major military confrontation between the Crusaders and the Seljuk Turks.

[3] The Ayyubid ruler of Hama and scholar Abu'l-Fida described Sarmin as a town with much land and dependencies, with very fertile soil.

[3] In 1355 Sarmin was visited by Ibn Battuta, who wrote of the abundance of trees, mostly olives, growing there.

[3] Sarmin was shelled during the Syrian Civil War, and one of its mosques was severely damaged.