Large territories are fine, they keep the game interesting and adds a good twist for FFA.
Add country text names to Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia etc. some people may be unfamiliar with the geography of the area.
If you are going to spend time with rivers, consider adding the two important mesopotamian rivers; Euphrates and Tigris.
http://www.riocommons.org/Subjects/Arabic/Pages/Map_Tigr_Euph/L07_Tigr-euph.jpgThese are my suggestions so far, keep up the good work.
Also feel free to include me for testing once this is finished.