Bashkir DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia · Eastern Europe
The Bashkirs live in Bashkortostan, on both sides of the southern Ural mountains, the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia, and speak a Turkic language close to Tatar. Medieval travellers placed an eastern homeland of the Hungarians, Magna Hungaria, in this same region, and ancient DNA links some of the 10th-century Hungarian conquerors to the southern Urals. In our model, the Bashkir average is 32.0% steppe-related, 16.8% Ancient Northeast Asian, 15.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 14.7% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 12.7% Eastern hunter-gatherer and 6.9% East Asian, a much larger Siberian-related share than in Volga Tatars (5.6%). After two other Bashkir samples, the nearest modern average is the Siberian Tatar sample from Yalutorovsky (distance 0.0157), east of the Urals. The closest ancient groups are medieval people from Zuevy-Klyuchi in Udmurtia (0.0212) and from Chiyalik in Bashkortostan with a Cis-Uralian profile, followed by Hungarian Conquest-period people with an early Magyar-mixed profile (0.0318).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 32.0%, Ancient Northeast Asians 16.8%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 15.2%
- Closest non-Bashkir population in our data: Tatar (Siberian Yalutorovsky), distance 0.0157
- Closest ancient group in our data: Russia Udmurtia High-Late Medieval Zuevy-Klyuchi, distance 0.0212
Bashkir is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Bashkir individuals sampled in Russia. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Bashkir average
The ancient make-up of the Bashkir average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (32.0%), followed by Ancient Northeast Asians (16.8%) and Anatolian Neolithic farmers (15.2%). The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC. The Ancient Northeast Asians share (16.8%) reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
Smaller traces of Iranian Neolithic farmers (under 5%) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.030): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Bashkir
Genetically, the Bashkir average sits nearest to Bashkir (Ishimbai) at 0.014, Bashkir (Kugarchinsky) at 0.015 and Tatar (Siberian Yalutorovsky) at 0.016. On our scale, a distance of 0.014 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Tatar (Siberian Yalutorovsky) (0.016), Tatar (Siberian Tomsk) (0.038) and Siberian Tatar (0.038). By the tenth closest (Crimean Tatar (Steppe Dobruja)) the distance grows to 0.073, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bashkir (Ishimbai) | 0.0143 | Very close |
| 2 | Bashkir (Kugarchinsky) | 0.0147 | Very close |
| 3 | Tatar (Siberian Yalutorovsky) | 0.0157 | Very close |
| 4 | Tatar (Siberian Tomsk) | 0.0379 | Close |
| 5 | Siberian Tatar | 0.0382 | Close |
| 6 | Tatar (Astrakhan) | 0.0425 | Close |
| 7 | Kazakh (Uzbekistan) | 0.0677 | Moderate |
| 8 | Uzbek (Khorezm) | 0.0711 | Moderate |
| 9 | Nogai (Dobruja) | 0.0728 | Moderate |
| 10 | Crimean Tatar (Steppe Dobruja) | 0.0728 | Moderate |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Bashkir
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Bashkir, Russia Udmurtia High-Late Medieval Zuevy-Klyuchi (High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD) comes first, at 0.021, with Russia Bashkortostan High-Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo (Cis-Uralian Profile) next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia Udmurtia High-Late Medieval Zuevy-Klyuchi | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0212 |
| 2 | Russia Bashkortostan High-Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo (Cis-Uralian Profile) | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0274 |
| 3 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Early Magyar-Mixed Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0318 |
| 4 | Russia Rostov Early-High Medieval Rostov-on-Don Nomad | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0321 |
| 5 | Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Ust-Menzel'ya | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0379 |
| 6 | Hungary Early Medieval Carolingian Period (Early Magyar Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0417 |
| 7 | Mongolia EIA Uyuk Chandman | Early Iron Age | 0.0419 |
| 8 | Russia Tatarstan EIA Post-Maklasheevka Rysovo | Early Iron Age | 0.0420 |
| 9 | Russia Tatarstan High Medieval Chiyalik Gulyukovo | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0423 |
| 10 | Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Gornovo | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0434 |
Ancient DNA from Russia
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,938 individuals excavated in present-day Russia, dated from about 208,050 BC to 1918 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (370), R1b (317) and N1a (235), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (367), U4 (226) and U2 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Bashkir population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Russia
- The Yeniseian and Andronovo Substrates in the Gene Pools of the Indigenous Southern Siberian Populations Analyzed by Q and R1a Y-Haplogroups (2026)
- Ancient genomics study reveals low HLA diversity in eastern hunter-gatherers (2026)
- Comparison of Illumina NovaSeq 6000, GeneMind SURFSeq 5000, Salus Evo, and MGI DNBSEQ-G400 for Ancient DNA Whole-Genome Sequencing (2026)
- Biochip for Determination of 92 Human Y-Chromosome Haplogroups by SNP Markers and Frequency Distribution of These Haplogroups in Slavic Population of European Russia (2026)
- Modern descendants of Kyordyughen warrior (Yakutia, 4200 years before present) in populations of Far East (2026)
- Genetic history of Rus' (2025)
- Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon’s Devastated Army (2025)
- Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,938 from Russia.
Compare yourself with Bashkir
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Bashkir average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Bashkir and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Bashkir individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Bashkir. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Bashkir average. Your own DNA has its own story: Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of Central Asian / Silk Road Turkic ancestry: ancient regional core (Botai, Andronovo, BMAC Bactria-Margiana, Saka/Scythian, Wusun, Kushan Empire, Xiongnu, Turkic Khaganate, Golden Horde) versus non-regional...
More populations from Eastern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Bashkir?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Bashkir average is about 32.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 16.8% Ancient Northeast Asians and 15.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Bashkir?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Bashkir (Ishimbai)), the closest modern populations to the Bashkir average are Tatar (Siberian Yalutorovsky), Tatar (Siberian Tomsk) and Siberian Tatar. The closest ancient matches are Russia Udmurtia High-Late Medieval Zuevy-Klyuchi, Russia Bashkortostan High-Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo (Cis-Uralian Profile) and Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Early Magyar-Mixed Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Bashkir?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Bashkir average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Bashkir ancestry?
For the Bashkir average, the regional report to choose is Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent match. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.