Murgab

Murgab (mrgäb`), river, 530 mi (853 km) long, rising in the Paropamisus range, NE Afghanistan, flowing NW into Turkmenistan, to the Merv oasis, and disappearing into the Kara Kum desert, SE Turkmenistan; it forms part of the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border. With the Kusht, its main tributary, the river is an important source of water; irrigation dams are at Tashkepristroi and Iolotan. An alternate spelling is Morghab.

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Murgab 

an urban-type settlement and administrative center of Murgab Raion, Mary Oblast, Turkmen SSR. It is located in the delta of the Murgab River. Its railroad station (Semenik) is located on the Mary-Kushka branch. Population, 5,700 (1973). An asphalt plant and a brickyard are located in the settlement. A cotton-ginning plant is being constructed (1974). A people’s theater is located in the settlement.

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Murgab 

(also Morghab, Murghab), a river in Afghanistan and the Turkmen SSR. Length, 978 km; basin area, 46,900 sq km. It rises in Afghanistan and flows through a narrow valley between the Band-i-Turkestan and Safed Koh ranges. In the USSR its valley broadens, and an irrigation fan has been created. The river forms a dry delta after entering the Karakum desert. There are six reservoirs on the Murgab River. The Karakum Canal empties into the river above the city of Mary. Fed primarily by snow, the Murgab has a high water level from March through May; there are freshets in the winter. The mean flow rate at the settlement of Takhta-Bazar, 486 km from the mouth, is about 52 cu m per sec. The average turbidity of the water is 4,500 g per cu m. The tributaries of the Murgab are the Abikaisor on the right and the Kashan and Kushka on the left. The Murgab’s waters are used extensively for irrigation. The cities of Iolotan’, Mary, and Bairam-Ali are on the river.

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Murgab 

the name of the Bartang River (in the Tadzhik SSR) in its middle course. It flows through Lake Sarez.