JERICHO, or HIERICUS, in Ancient Geography, a city of Judæa, situated between Jordan and Jerusalem, at the distance of 150 stadia from the latter, and sixty from the former. Josephus says, "The whole space from Jerusalem is desert and rocky, and equally barren and uncultivated from Jericho to the Lake Asphaltites; yet the places near the town and above it are extremely fertile and delicious, so that it may justly be called a divine plain, surpassing the rest of the land of Canaan, no unfruitful country, and surrounded by hills in the manner of an amphitheatre. The place is now called Raha, and, according to Volney, is situated "in a plain six or seven leagues long by three wide, around which are a number of barren mountains, which render it extremely hot." Here was formerly cultivated the balm of Mecca. From the description of the Hadjis, this is a shrub similar to the pomegranate tree, with leaves like those of rue; it bears a pulpy nut, in which is contained a kernel that yields the resinous juice which we call balm or balsam. At present there is not a plant of it remaining at Raha; but another species is to be found there, called zakkoun, which produces a sweet oil, also celebrated for healing wounds. This zakkoun resembles a plum-tree; it has thorns four inches long, with leaves like those of the olive-tree, but greener, and more narrow, as well as prickly at the end; its fruit is a kind of acorn, without a calyx, under the bark of which is a pulp, and then a nut, the kernel of which gives out an oil that the Arabs sell very dear. This constitutes the sole commerce of Raha, which is no more than a ruinous village.