North of the town is a significant road junction connecting the provincial capital with the Iraqi border.
In early 1991, during the Gulf war, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) established a refugee camp on the southern outskirts of al-Hawl, which was operated in cooperation with the Syrian government[REF] Along with another camp in al-Hasakah, provided shelter to at least 15.000 refugees from Iraq [REF].