Random Worldbuilding Questions (Biology, Geography, Society, etc.)

[Beleriphon]

There was never anything remotely desert-like around Constantinople. The area has a Mediterranean climate, but with a lot of humidity and a lot of rain. Hence, a whole lot of greenery. It's a very fertile region. (Also, it's on the Sea of Marmara, effectively connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, but it's not near any actual ocean. )

Okay, fine Constantinople was a poor example, but there are plenty of other cities. Baghdad is in the middle of a desert, it just happens to sit in between the Euphrates and the Tigris as well. This is probably a better example of what a desert city can look like with an ample supply of water.

If you want to move outside of the Middle East you can look at Timbuktu.