Marghab River in the context of "Karakum Canal"

The Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) is the modern archaeological designation for a particular Middle Bronze Age civilisation of southern Central Asia, also known as the Oxus Civilization. The civilisation's urban phase or Integration Era was dated in 2010 by Sandro Salvatori to c. 2400–1950 BC, but a different view is held by Nadezhda A. Dubova and Bertille Lyonnet, c. 2250–1700 BC.

Though it may be called the "Oxus civilization", apparently centred on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River) in Bactria, most of the BMAC's urban sites are located in Margiana (now Turkmenistan) on the Marghab delta, and in the Kopet Dagh range. There are a few later (c. 1950–1450 BC) sites in northern Bactria, today southern Uzbekistan, but they are mostly graveyards belonging to the BMAC-related Sapalli culture. A single BMAC site, known as Dashli, lies in southern Bactria, current territory of northern Afghanistan. Sites found further east, in southwestern Tajikistan, though contemporary with the main BMAC sites in Margiana, are only graveyards, with no urban developments associated with them.

The Paropamisus Mountains (locally known as Silsila-yi Safēd Kōh) is a mountain range in north western Afghanistan stretching circa 300 mi (480 km) between the western extension of the Hindu Kush in the east (near Chaghcharan, also called Firozkoh) and following the north bank of the Hari River via Herat toward the eastern extensions of Alborz Mountains in Iran in the west. These mountains are part of the large Alpide belt.

Silver and lead deposits are found in Paropamisus. The Marghab River rise is in the region.

The Saryk (Turkmen: Sarykly) are a tribe of Turkmens in Turkmenistan. The Saryk mostly live in the valley of the Marghab River (the ancient Margiana).