The village stood on a high mountain top and overlooked the predominantly Druze village of Hurfaysh, less than 1 km to the northeast. It was linked by dirt roads to the Safad-Tarshiha highway, about 3 km to the south, and by other roads to neighboring villages such as Sa'sa' and Hurfaysh. Travelers who visited the village in the late nineteenth century described Sabalan as a stone-built village situated on top of a high hill. The village, which surrounded the tomb of one Nabi (prophet) Sabalan, had a population of 100. The residents cultivated figs and olives. 
Sabalan had a circular outline; the steep slopes that bordered it permitted expansion only on its northwestern side. Its houses were clustered closely together. Its entire population was Muslim; a mosque was located at the center of the village. In 1944/45 a total of 421 dunums was allotted to cereals; 144 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Archaeological artifacts such as rock-cut tombs were found in the center of the village near the tomb of al-Nabi Sabalan.
