It impounded water pumped from the nearby Orontes River, which has been used for irrigation of the surrounding countryside for centuries.

[1][2] The dam was completed in 1996 and its primary purpose was the irrigation of about 14,000 ha (35,000 acres).

The dam's reservoir was filled in the winter and expended its water during the summer.

[1] The dam failed on 4 June 2002, causing widespread damage, killing 27 people, displacing 2,000 and directly affecting over 10,000.

The water engulfed 80 km2 (31 sq mi), destroying 251 homes and damaging hundreds of others.