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Syria has a rich variety of olive (Olea europaea L.) germplasm that has not been fully explored yet. The expansion in olive production in Syria to less favorable environments implies the necessity of acquiring reliable data on the growth and production of local cultivars under dry farming conditions. The present research was undertaken to provide a quantitative and qualitative characterization of some olive cultivars grown in different parts of the country as a preliminary step to the recommendation of suitable cultivars for dry areas. This trial was carried out in 2002 in an olive germplasm collection in Kafr Yahmool in northwestern Syria on two table ('Jlot' and 'Abbadi Abu-Ghabra') and two dual-purpose ('Sorani' and 'Qaisi') cultivars grown under rain-fed conditions. Tree morphology, dates of important stages (e.g., flowering, ripening, etc.), and fruit characteristics (weight, oil content, shape) were monitored. The cultivar 'Abbadi Abu-Ghabra' was the earliest in season in terms of fruit ripening followed by 'Qaisi', while the other two cultivars were relatively late. Fruit weight and pulp/pit ratio were highest in 'Abbadi Abu-Ghabra' followed by 'Qaisi', 'Jlot', and 'Sorani'. Oil content was highest in 'Sorani' followed by 'Qaisi', 'Jlot', and 'Abbadi Abu-Ghabra'. All the studied cultivars seem to be promising under semi-arid conditions in Syria.