damascus occupies a strategic location on a plateau which rises 680 m (2,230 ft) above sea level and about 80 km (50 mi) inland from the mediterranean, sheltered by the anti-lebanon mountains, supplied with water by the barada river. the anti-lebanon mountains which mark the border between syria and lebanon, bock precipitation from the mediterranean sea, so that the region of damascus is sometimes subject to droughts. however, in ancient times this was mitigated by the barada river, which originates from mountain streams fed by melting snow. damascus is surrounded by the ghouta, an irrigated farmland where many vegetables, cereals, and fruits have been farmed since ancient times.