Murghab River in the context of "Usoi Dam"

Margiana (Greek: Μαργιανή Margianḗ, Old Persian: Marguš, Middle Persian: Marv) is a historical region centred on the oasis of Merv and was a minor satrapy within the Achaemenid satrapy of Bactria, and a province within its successors, the Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian empires.

It was located in the valley of the Murghab River which has its sources in the mountains of Afghanistan, and passes through Murghab District in modern Afghanistan, and then reaches the oasis of Merv in modern Turkmenistan. Margiana bordered Parthia to the south-west, Aria in the south, Bactria in the east and Sogdia in the north.

The Baba Mountain range (Pashto: بابا غر Bâbâ Ǧar; Persian: کوه بابا Kōh-i Bābā; or Kūh-e Bābā; Kōh or Kūh meaning ′mountain′, Bābā meaning ′father′) is the western extension of the Hindu Kush, and the origin of Afghanistan's Kabul, Arghandab, Helmand, Farah, Hari, Murghab, Balkh, and Kunduz rivers. The mountain range is crowned by Foladi peak (or Shah Fuladi) rising 5048 m (some old maps and dictionaries: 5143 m) above sea level, and is located south of Bamyan.

The Koh-e Firoz plateau merges farther to the west by gentle gradients into the Paropamise, and which may be traced across the Hari River to Mashad. To the southwest of the culminating peaks, long spurs divide the upper tributaries of the Helmand River, and separate its basin from that of the Farah River. These spurs retain a considerable altitude, marked by peaks exceeding 11,000 ft (3,400 m). They sweep in a broad band of roughly parallel ranges to the southwest, preserving their general direction till they abut on the Great Registan desert to the west of Kandahar, where they terminate in a series of detached and broken anticlinals whose sides are swept by a sea of encroaching sand. The long, straight, level-backed ridges which divide the Argandab, the Tarnak and Arghastan valleys, flank the route from Kandahar to Ghazni.The high jagged peaks above the Hajigak Pass, blue-black and shining, shimmer in the sunlight for they contain an estimated reserve of 2 billion tons of iron ore; Asia's richest deposit. The very steep descent from the Hajigak Pass (3,700 m (12,100 ft)) with its numerous hairpin bends leads to the sparkling Kalu River, known locally as the Sauzao or Green Waters. It is bordered by poplars and several charming villages.

Hazarajat (Dari: هزاره‌جات), also known as Hazaristan (Dari: هزارستان), is a mostly mountainous region in the central highlands of Afghanistan, among the Kuh-e Baba mountains in the western extremities of the Hindu Kush. It is the homeland of the Hazara people, who make up the majority of its population. Hazarajat denotes an ethnic and religious zone.

Hazarajat is primarily made up of the provinces of Bamyan, Daikundi, Ghazni, large parts of Ghor, and Maidan Wardak, and small parts of Sar-e-Pol, Balkh, Samangan, Uruzgan, and Parwan. The most populous towns in Hazarajat are Bamyan, Yakawlang (Bamyan), Nili (Daikundi), Lal wa Sarjangal (Ghor), Sang-e-Masha (Ghazni), Gizab (Daikundi) and Behsud (Maidan Wardak). The Kabul, Arghandab, Helmand, Farah, Hari, Murghab, Balkh, and Kunduz rivers originate from Hazarajat.

Maymana is the capital city of Faryab Province in northwestern Afghanistan, near the border with Turkmenistan. It is approximately 400 km (250 mi) northwest of the country's capital Kabul, and is located on the Maymana River, which is a tributary of the Murghab River. The population of Maymana was 149,040 in 2015, making it one of the largest cities of northwestern Afghanistan.

On 18 March 2014, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the entrance to a busy market in Maymana, killing 15 people including women and children and injuring 27 others. The attack came ahead of the presidential elections on 5 April.

Badghis (Dari: ولایت بادغیس, romanized: Wilāyat-e Bādghīs and Pashto: د بادغیس ولایت, romanized: Da Bādghīs Wilāyat) is one of the northwestern provinces of Afghanistan. It borders Turkmenistan to the north, Herat to the west and southwest, Ghor to the south and southeast, and Faryab to the east. The provincial capital is Qala e Naw, serving as the main administrative, economic, and cultural hub of the province.

Covering an area of approximately 20,000 square kilometers and having an estimated population of about 550,000 people (as of 2025), Badghis is characterized by rolling hills, semi-arid plains, and the western extensions of the Hindu Kush mountains. The province is drained primarily by the Murghab River and its tributaries, which provide essential water for agriculture in an otherwise dry landscape. Badghis is sparsely populated compared to more fertile provinces and faces challenges such as soil erosion, desertification, and limited infrastructure.

The Firozkohi (Pashto: فیروزکوهي) are a sub-tribe of the Chahar Aimaq ethnic group in Afghanistan, one of the four major Aimaq tribes, which also include the Jamshidi, Taymani, and Taimuri. The Firozkohi speak the Aimaq dialect of Dari Persian and Pashto. They claim Achakzai Pashtun descent. They are named after Firozkoh, the medieval capital of the Ghurid dynasty.

The Firozkohi are semi-nomadic and inhabit the valleys of the Murghab River, largely in Badghis Province.