*NOTE: I am going to be making a few points about the structure/geography of Westeros vs. the Middle East, so just refer to those if you need help with the visual aspects of my theory (I'm not going to say which map is which because hopefully you know that already). Also, do not worry, I will keep this post's spoilers to a minimum (it will mainly focus on the lore that Martin creates that is supposed to go before the actual events we read in ASOIAF).
Okay, first things first: how can we even say that Martin linked any of his stories with history at all? Well, Martin has talked a lot about his inspiration -- in fact, he has even explained how he is a total history-buff. He most favorite time period is the War of Roses. An example of how the War of Roses has a big impact on Martin's storytelling is that is through the connection between Cersei Lannister and Margaret of Anjou. Both of these people fought for their son's claim to the throne. And their are rumors about both of them that their first son is not actually the son of the previous king (hence making their claim to the throne irrelevant). That is only a small taste of what Martin can throw in, and I like using that as a warm up for what else I try to prove.
**NOTE: THIS IS ALL SPECULATION. SOME MAY SEEM LIKE A REALLY BIG STRETCH BUT IN REALITY IT WILL MAKE SENSE BY THE END SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME.
As we look deeper into the War of the Roses, we see a heavy influence regarding antiquity. The War of the Roses took place during the Medieval Era which is known for it's focus on Greek and Roman culture. If Martin is studying this time period intensively, then he has to focus on the Greek roots from antiquity. Here comes the part that is harder to sell: if Martin is studying the roots of the Medieval Era then he has to see certain things regarding Greece's major expansion (courtesy of Alexander the Great -- one of the greatest leaders of all time). One place that Alexander the Great eventually gains control over is Israel. IF Martin is studying the War of the Roses, THEN he has to see the inspirational roots during that time period. IF he is researching Greece, THEN he has to also see what kinds of places Greece controlled and what kind of society/culture they held.
So now that we have proved that the possibility of Martin looking into a place like Israel is totally likely, we can draw a stronger conclusion from the similarities that lies between Westeros / Essos and Israel / the Middle East. The first point that can be made in terms of the geography is that they simply look very similar. But you may be asking yourself: well, I'm looking at the map and see that instead of a major body of water in between the two landscapes there is just land. What I have to say to that is Martin exaggerates history. Martin is known for changing little things in history and applying them to his story with a different context. The bodies of water to the right of Israel are the Dead Sea and the Jordan River -- both of which are slowly shrinking. Well, if they are shrinking, then they had to be bigger at some point in time. While they were never big enough to split what would be Israel and Iran / Iraq apart, Martin exaggerates history to make two separate continents instead of one -- thus creating the Narrow Sea in the land of the ASOIAF.
Now that we can see the basic resemblance of Westeros vs. Israel and Essos vs. what would have been Mesopotamia, we can use facts to improve our original thesis. First, King's Landing (the main city in Westeros) would make a lot sense to be Martin's version of Jerusalem. A great king like David lived very close to Jerusalem, just like the king of the Seven Kingdoms (another term for Westeros) would live in King's Landing. Also, we have the relationship between Casterly Rock and Yaffo. Casterly Rock is home to the Lannisters, who are infamous for their huge source of wealth because they control a valuable port and are also situated right on top of a gold mine. Yaffo was a crucial point in Israel a long time ago because they also held power over an important port and were also right on top a major trade route that traveled from Mesopotamia down through Israel (through Yaffo) and to Egypt. In addition, Yaffo's powerful economic state had a major impact on Jerusalem's wealth and economy. Just like how if the Lannisters of Casterly Rock stopped helping support King's Landing and the rest of the Seven Kingdoms economically then the entire continent of Westeros would essentially fall. Also, the trade between Westeros and Essos across the Narrow Sea is crucial for the survival of the Seven Kingdoms. This also holds true for how Israel relied a lot on how Derech Hayam (the trade route from Mesopotamia to Egypt) passed through Yaffo. For these reasons we see more relations between Westeros and Israel.
This is a very quick point: the war between the North (Stark) vs. the South (Lannister) is very common concept throughout history but it is also applies to the two different Kingdoms of Israel at the time (it also applies to the York House and the Lancaster House from the War of the Roses).
Now we get into my original inspiration for this post: the lore. Martin does a great job of not only creating an awesome story during the present time of ASOIAF, but also creates a rich world that takes place way before the events in ASOIAF. The first story I want to focus on is the one of Bail the Bard. Bail was a King Beyond the Wall, which means he claimed the throne but outside of the Seven Kingdoms and out of the control of the current king of Westeros at the time. Bail ruled over a powerful army of wildlings and because of this he was a major threat. In order to show how powerful he really was, he snuck past the Wall and pretended to be a bard (Martin's version of a musician who plays in a pub). He plays music for the King of the North, Brandon Stark (not the Bran who is in the present times of ASOIAF), and Brandon loves his music so much that he gives Bail a flower as a gift. The next day, the same flower is found in the room of Brandon Stark's daughter and a search team is sent out for Bail and the young girl. They are never found, until one day when the daughter reappears in her room but this time with a baby in her arms. This is a perfect representation of how Bail could have killed Brandon's daughter, but instead spared her and used her as an example of how much of a threat he really is. This directly connects to the story between David and Saul. First off, David is THE harp player for Saul, see any connections yet? The more important connection is when Saul wants to kill David but David runs away. Saul sends a search party after him (*wink wink*), and one night they decide to sleep in a cave. It turns out that David is in the same exact cave, and to prove how much of a threat David was to Saul inside the cave, he cuts off a corner of Saul's robes. The way Bail could have killed Brandon's daughter is incredibly similar to how David could have killed Saul, and because of this it shows how George R.R Martin could have used this traditional Jewish story to influence the lore he created for ASOIAF.
The final point (which is more of a fun fact) I want to talk about is the scaling of Masada by the Sicarii and the scaling of the Wall by the wildlings in the third season of GoT and the third book of ASOIAF. Right before Jon Snow climbs the Wall the wildlings tell him that if he slips and falls, then he cannot scream so he does not give away their position. An interesting resemblance between this and how the Sicarii (the Zealots who take over Masada and control it until it is sacked) specifically made a vow that if they fell when scaling Masada, they would not scream. This is just a cool little fact that I think further emphasizes the relationship between ASOIAF and Israel.
As a whole, the stuff we have been learning in Jewish History is just as cool as ASOIAF (okay, maybe SOIAF is a little more crazy and cool). I totally recommend the books to anyone who wants to try them out, but they are a big commitment. So for that reason, you can also just watch the show -- they are both great. That's about it for my opinion on where George R.R Martin got his inspiration for writing ASOIAF. Hope you enjoyed!
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