Dead Sea live in the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea. Hikers can see ibex, hares, hyraxes, jackals, foxes, and even leopards. Hundreds of bird species inhabit the zone as well. Both Jordan and Israel have established nature reserves around the Dead Sea. The delta of the Jordan River was formerly a jungle of papyrus and palm trees. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus described Jericho as "the most fertile spot in Judea". In Roman and Byzantine times, sugarcane, henna, and sycamore fig all made the lower Jordan valley wealthy. One of the most valuable products produced by Jericho was the sap of the
Dead Sea products consumers and human rights groups have endorsed boycotts of Dead Sea products and other materials made in or along the West Bank of the Dead Sea, citing concerns such as blatant violation of human rights in Israel or of certain companies being "economically linked to Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.” Dead Sea products Dead Sea products refers to cosmetic products based on materials extracted from the Dead Sea, such as salt, mud, and potash. Ziva Gilad, a spa technician, came up with the idea of marketing Dead Sea mud after watching women tourists scooping up the mud to