The ability to change the environment in games is always fun! When I was playing more games, up to 2010 or so, that was usually not possible. Some games, like Warcraft II, did not even let you build or summon walls and other static barriers!
Humh, I guess that could be an advantage of a Near Eastern setting! When buildings are either massive mud brick or flimsy wood and reed mats and curtains, short of high explosives it is usually pretty clear what a character can destroy and what they cannot.