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36-481: 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. Historians currently disagree as to the exact history of Margiana prior to

72-557: A narrow, steep valley measuring less than one kilometer in width, with narrow gorges in some places. Between Darband-i Kilrekht and Mukhammedkhan , the Marghab crosses the western part of Band-i Turkestan, and then runs toward the northwest in a deep canyon. At Mukhammedkhan, it crosses the gorges of Jaokar . After this, the valley widens somewhat, gradually reaching a width of 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in Turkmenistan. Beyond Mukhamedkhan,

108-568: A small portion of the water of the Marghab is used for irrigation; approximately 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) are irrigated from the Marghab in Afghanistan. The Marghab receives the waters of the Kaysar river on the right, then forms the border between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan over 16-kilometre (10 mi) length. In Turkmenistan, close to Tagtabazar , the Marghab receives the Kashan River from

144-404: Is 74 percent of the totality of the catchment area of the river. The geographically-averaged hydrometric flow passing through this part of the basin, by far greatest from the point of view of the flow, thus reached the figure of 44.3 millimeters per annual, which is very appreciable in this particularly desiccated area. Monthly mean flows of Murghab (in cubic meters per second) measured at

180-801: Is an 850-kilometre (530 mi) long river in Central Asia . It rises in the Paropamisus Mountains ( Selseleh-ye Safīd Kūh ) in Ghor Province , flows through the Marghab District in central Afghanistan , then runs northwest towards the Bala Murghab . Reaching the oasis of Mary in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan , the Marghab debouches into the Karakum Canal , a diversion of water from

216-630: The Amu Darya . The flow of Marghab was observed during 50 years (1936–85) at Tagtabazar , a location in Turkmenistan about 30 kilometres (19 mi) after the Marghab leaves the Afghan territory, and a score of kilometers upstream of the confluence with the Kushk . At Tagtabazar, average annual flow observed over this period was 48.7 cubic metres per second (1,720 cu ft/s) for an observed surface area of 34,700 square kilometres (13,400 sq mi), which

252-413: The Amu Darya . The catchment area of the Marghab is estimated at 46,880 square kilometres (18,100 sq mi). The Marghab River originates in the Ghor Province of central Afghanistan, on a plateau among the chain of mountains of Paropamisus , Gharjistan and Band-i Turkestan . In its higher course, the river runs from east to west, towards Mukhamedkhan, for about 300 kilometres (190 mi) in

288-779: The Hepthalite ruler Nezak Tarkan to overthrow Yazdegerd who later discovered the plot and retreated to Marwir-Rawdh in southern Margiana. Mahoe agreed to pay tribute to the Rashidun general Ahnaf ibn Qais who began to consolidate Islam in Margiana and awaited reinforcements. Ahnaf captured Merw i-Rud, forcing Yazdegerd to flee to Balkh with his remaining supporters. Ahnaf was ordered by the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab to remain at Merv and not pursue Yazdegerd. However, upon learning that Yazdegerd had formed an alliance with Hepthalites beyond Margiana and

324-582: The Hindu Kush mountains in 329 BC to invade Bactria. Bessus fled north to Sogdia where he too was betrayed and was handed over to Alexander by his courtiers, Spitamenes and Datames. In July 329 BC, as Alexander founded the city of Alexandria Eschate on the northern border of Sogdia, Spitamenes led a revolt and besieged the Sogdian capital of Maracanda . A Scythian incursion into Sogdia prevented Alexander from responding personally, however, once he had defeated

360-646: The Partition of Triparadisus in 321 BC, Philip was replaced as satrap of Bactria and Sogdia by Stasanor . During the Wars of the Diadochi , Stasanor remained neutral, however after the Babylonian War of 311–309 BC, Margiana came under the control of Seleucus I Nicator . In c. 280 BC, Margiana was devastated by the nomadic Parni tribes and several cities were destroyed. Seleucus responded by sending his general Demodamas to repel

396-715: The 7th century BC, the existence of such a state is unlikely. It has been also suggested that Margiana was part of the satrapy of Bactria under the Median Empire . Margiana was conquered by the Persian king Cyrus the Great between 545 and 539 BC and remained as part of the satrapy of Bactria. Cyrus also founded the city of Merv . After Darius the Great 's victory over the Magian usurper, Gaumata , in September 522 BC, revolts spread throughout

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432-759: The Achaemenid conquest. It is considered part of a Bronze Age civilisation, the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (short BMAC), also known as the Oxus civilisation. Some historians have argued that a kingdom was established and an urban society had begun to develop surrounding the oasis. It has also been postulated the region existed as part of a major Iranian state centred in Chorasmia that controlled Aria, Sogdia, Parthia and Margiana. Other historians have noted that whilst advanced irrigation had begun in

468-516: The Christian community in Margiana may have been deported from Roman territory. A diocese of Merw i-Rud in southern Margiana also existed in 554. 37°36′N 61°50′E  /  37.600°N 61.833°E  / 37.600; 61.833 Murghab River The Marghab River ( Persian / Pashto : مرغاب, Morqâb , Balochi : مرگاپ), anciently the Margiana ( Ancient Greek : Μαργιανή, Margianḗ ),

504-658: The Hepthalites to the river Oxus in Margiana and sent one of his generals beyond the river who crippled them greatly. Despite this, the Hepthalites returned in around 480 AD and occupied Margiana until 565 AD. In 642 AD, after the Sasanian disaster at the hands of the Rashidun Caliphate at the Battle of Nihawand , much like Darius III, the last Sasanian king, Yazdegerd III , fled eastward and arrived in Margiana in 651 AD. Yazdegerd

540-753: The Parthians until 124 BC, in the course of which they defeated and killed two successive Parthian kings. The Yuezhi, who had settled in Sogdia along the Oxus, controlled Margiana until 115 BC when Mithridates II of Parthia re-established control over the east, forcing the Yuezhi to move south into Bactria. In 53 BC, 10,000 Roman prisoners captured by the Parthians after the Battle of Carrhae in Upper Mesopotamia were settled in Antiochia in Margiana. The Yuezhi went on to conquer

576-645: The Scythians in the Battle of Jaxartes , he marched south to relieve Maracanda causing Spitamenes to move south and attack Balkh in the winter of 329 BC. In the spring of 328 BC, Alexander sent his general Craterus to fortify Margiana, where he established a garrison in Merv and re-founded the city as Alexandria in Margiana . Alexander's general Coenus defeated Spitamenes in the Battle of Gabai in December 328 BC, and subsequently in

612-427: The birth of Christ. In the 3rd century AD, at least one Christian monastery was founded and a reference to a diocese based in Merv is first mentioned in 334. A Nestorian diocese, based in the city of Merv, is known to have existed from 424 AD, and it later became a metropolitan province in 554. The uncommon name of the first recorded bishop of Merv, Bar Shaba , which means "son of the deportation", would suggest that

648-633: The empire. The revolt in Margiana, led by a certain Frâda (Phraates), was suppressed almost immediately, in December 521 BC by Dadarsi , the Satrap of Bactria. In the Aramaic version of the Behistun Inscription , it is claimed that 55,423 Margians were killed and 6,972 taken captive in the aftermath of the revolt. Margiana was separated from the satrapy of Bactria and joined to the satrapy of Aria at some point after

684-523: The fifth century, during the reign of the Sasanian king Bahram V , Margiana and the northern territories were invaded and plundered by the Hephthalites , also known as the White Huns. Bahram, after initially sending an offer of peace, led a surprise attack on the Hepthalites and massacred them whilst they camped and then pursued them as they attempted to flee back to their own territory. Bahram himself pursued

720-432: The following year Sogdia was merged with Bactria to form a single satrapy under the rule of Philip . Upon Alexander's death in 323 BC, the empire was partitioned between his generals at the Partition of Babylon and according to some historians, Philip remained as satrap of Bactria, however, it has also been suggested that he was in fact only satrap of Sogdia. Disagreements between the generals led to another meeting and in

756-402: The former but was killed by a mutiny in his camp. Ptolemy declined the regency and instead brought to the office Peithon and Arrhidaeus . This designation met the strong opposition of Eurydice , wife of Philip III, leading, in the meeting called in 321 BC at Triparadisus of all the generals, to their replacement with Antipater . The meeting also proceeded to divide again the satrapies between

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792-449: The hydrometric station of Tagtabazar Data calculated over 50 years A 2021 study indicates that in the near term (by 2040), the Marghab's flow could fall by as much as one-third due to climate change, and by 40 percent by the end of the 21st century. 36°26′47″N 62°38′06″E  /  36.44639°N 62.63500°E  / 36.44639; 62.63500 Partition of Triparadisus The Partition of Triparadisus

828-415: The last Parthian king, Artabanus V , at the Battle of Hormozdgān in 224 AD, Margiana, ruled by a certain king Ardashir, submitted to Ardashir I and accepted vassalage. The vassal kingdom was permitted to continue minting its own coinage until it was formally annexed by Shapur I in c. 260 AD who granted control of Margiana to his son, Narseh , as part of the province of Hind , Sagistan and Turan . In

864-502: The left bank, and 25 kilometres (16 mi) further, there is the confluence of the Kushk . Downstream of the confluence with the Kushk lies the Saryyazy reservoir, built in 1959, and expanded in 1978. The reservoir and its surrounding area is ecologically important for birds. Reaching the oasis of Mary , the Marghab mingles its waters with those of the Karakum Canal , a diversion of water from

900-474: The nomads. Under Seleucus' successor, Antiochus I Soter , the oasis of Alexandria in Margiana was surrounded by a wall over 300 km long and the city was re-built and re-founded as Antiochia in Margiana as the capital of a separate satrapy of Margiana in an effort to secure communications and trade routes from Antiochus' capital in Mesopotamia to the far east. Margiana was successfully defended by Diodotus ,

936-437: The population in Margiana practised Zoroastrianism , Buddhist , Christian, Manichaean and Jewish communities also existed and thrived in Margiana. Buddhist monasteries are known to have existed in Margiana, and the city of Merv acted as a major centre of Buddhist learning. A Manichaean community is known to have existed from the mid 3rd century AD. According to Al-Biruni , Christianity had spread to Margiana within 200 years of

972-592: The remaining Greek territories in Paropamisadae and establish the Kushan Empire . The Kushans returned to Margiana in the 1st century AD and helped the satrap Sanabares declare himself king who ruled from ca. 50 AD to 65 AD. At the onset of the 3rd century AD, Margiana had been restored as a vassal of the Parthian Empire, but continued to exist as a "virtually independent state". After Ardashir I 's victory over

1008-505: The rule of Darius the Great. Following the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius III , Darius III began his retreat to Bactria, but was overthrown by the Satrap of Bactria, Bessus , who continued the retreat eastward through Aria and Margiana. Bessus, who had expected an attack from Alexander along the Silk Road , was surprised when Alexander had advanced through Gedrosia and Arachosia and crossed

1044-636: The satrap of Bactria, against an invasion by the Parni in c. 239/238 BC. The invasion demonstrated that Seleucus II Callinicus was unable to respond to threats in the East and therefore Diodotus, who had begun pushing for his independence in c. 245 BC, abandoned hopes of remaining part of the Seleucid Empire and declared himself king, thus establishing what is now known as the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom . Margiana

1080-503: The various generals. Arrian described the result of the meeting in Events after Alexander , which were transmitted to us by the patriarch Photius (820–897): "Then and there Antipater made a new division of Asia, wherein he partly confirmed the former and partly annulled it, according as the exigency of affairs required. For, in the first place, Egypt with Libya , and all the vast waste beyond it, and whatever else had been acquired to

1116-407: The westward, he assigned to Ptolemy ; for it was deemed no easy matter to dispossess those who had been confirmed in their territories by Alexander himself, their power was grown so strong. Antigenes was deputed collector of the tribute in the province of Susa, and three thousand of those Macedonians who were the most ready to mutiny, appointed to attend him. Moreover, he appointed Autolychus

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1152-404: Was a power-sharing agreement passed at Triparadisus in 321 BC between the generals ( Diadochi ) of Alexander the Great , in which they named a new regent and arranged the repartition of the satrapies of Alexander's empire among themselves. It followed and modified the Partition of Babylon made in 323 BC upon Alexander's death . Following the death of Alexander, the rule of his empire

1188-575: Was approaching Merv, Ahnaf rallied his forces and defeated Yazdegerd at the Battle of Oxus River . After his defeat, the Sasanian king attempted to hide in a mill where he was killed by a Margian miller, bringing the Sasanian Empire to an end. Margiana's position along the Silk Road led to the development of a diverse religious demography in the period prior to the Islamic Conquest. Although most of

1224-544: Was conquered by the Parthians under Mithridates I of Parthia in c. 170 BC. The defeat of the Yuezhi people in 175 BC caused many Yuezhi to flee westwards, displacing the Saka as a result, leading to a mass movement of Saka and Yuezhi towards Sogdia and Bactria. Around 140 BC the Saka invaded Parthian territory through Margiana, venturing as far as Media in central Iran and continuing to harass

1260-529: Was given to his half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus and Alexander's son Alexander IV . However, since Philip was mentally ill and Alexander IV born only after the death of his father, a regent was named in Perdiccas ; in the meantime, the former generals of Alexander were named satraps of the various regions of his empire. Several satraps were eager to gain more power, and when Ptolemy I Soter , satrap of Egypt , rebelled with other generals, Perdiccas moved against

1296-476: Was well received by Mahoe Suri , the marzban of Merv, however, upon arrival Yazdegerd appointed his courtier Farrukhzad as marzban and ordered that Mahoe give absolute control of the city over to him. Mahoe refused and Farrukhzad advised the king to retreat to Tabaristan , which he ignored. Farrukhzad then left for Tabaristan, where he would later become king himself. As the Muslim army approached, Mahoe plotted with

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