I have a similar opinion, though it regards the Arabian Peninsula.

Though alot of work has been put into the Saba, I feel that their place in the history of the map is, besides trading, relatively limited. I could see maybe removing the Saba (free's up a faction slot), and then taking away the vast majority of Arabia's provinces. Leave a few on the coast for the Ptolies of course, but for the most part just make Arabia part of the vast desert no-man's-land province that already composes alot of Arabia, along with the Sahara.

I know there's a definite 'Equality for All' concept for the factions in the game, but the fact is the Mediterranean and the Turkey-Syria-Iraq-Iran-Egypt-Judea slice of the Middle East are far more important than the peripheries of the map, if nothing else because of the faction density in places like Greece and the Alps, or the broader area of Syria and Asia Minor.