Interesting observation, Hakonarson - I had noticed the high wealth of the middle east in MTW and wondered whether it really was historical. That it is proxying trade routes further east makes sense.

By way, anyone know if it is true what environmentalists say about desertification and the Middle East? I heard one guy saying that in the Roman period, Egypt was described as the Empire's bread basket and arguing that over-cultivation, deforestation etc dramatically reduced the productivity of the land. Any truth to this or is it a myth? It's a rather dramatic illustration of the perils of environmental degradation if true.