The Mediterranean coast and the northern forest of the Holy Land have been known to travelers and traders for hundreds of years, from the Phoenicians and early Arabs to the Greeks and the Romans. As one of the oldest inhabited parts of the world, the sea road shows the marks of centuries of continuous habitation. Yet the wildlife -- including lizards, hedgehogs, leopards, snakes, deer, and nesting birds , still flourish among the sand dunes and the remnant forest.