This Tal (which means hill) is 25 km south-east of Idleb. It is the site of important and recent archaeological discoveries.

Excavations in the (Tal) have revealed a very old Syrian civilization, that of Ebla, which flourished in the 3rd and 2nd millenniums B.C. In the palace of this great kingdom, a library containing more than 17.000 clay tablets was uncovered. These tablets was uncovered. These tablets are the earliest written documents in Syria.