The village was located on the lower slopes of the Golan Heights next to the Syrian border, and overlooked the al-Hula Plain, to the west. The lands west of the village were mostly marshland, with a few palm trees, while those to the south were partly wooded. The village was oriented from north to south and its houses were dispersed across the site in no particular pattern. Although al-Dirbashiyya was small—it was classified as a hamlet by the Palestine Index Gazetteer—it had some shops, and during the Mandate, the British built a police station there. Its entire population was Muslim. A shrine named after a Muslim sage, al-Samadi, was located between the village and Lake al-Hula. Agriculture was the main economic activity. Most of the villagers' income came from vegetables, which matured early in the region's relatively warm climate. In 1944/45 a total of 2,763 dunums was irrigated or used for orchards.
