What is the arc of rich farmland in Southwest Asia?

This is the region known from antiquity as the

fertile crescent. It stretches from the Nile valley of Egypt,

through the lands which occupy the territory of ancient Phoenicia

and Mesopotamia and down to the Persian Gulf. Most of western Asia

is arid or semi-arid and it's difficult to get a living there by

farming. The rich lands of the crescent enabled nomadic peoples to

settle down, live well and have enough surplus to found the first

civilisations. For this reason the region is also known as the

cradle of civilisation. Many inventions were made there, from

irrigation to writing and the wheel. It was home to civilisations

such as the Egypt of the Pharaohs, Assyria, Babylon and the trading

empire of the Phoenicians.