Iranian Jewish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Iran · West Asia
Jewish communities in Iran go back at least to the Achaemenid Persian Empire, whose king Cyrus the Great allowed the exiles in Babylon to return to Judea; the Book of Esther is set at the Persian court in Susa. Communities grew in cities such as Hamadan, Isfahan and Shiraz, speaking Judeo-Persian dialects. In our model, the Iranian Jewish average is 34.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 32.9% Iranian Neolithic, 13.4% Natufian, 8.1% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, 5.4% Levantine Neolithic and 5.3% steppe. It has more Natufian and less Levantine Neolithic ancestry than Iraqi Jews (7.8% and 20.8%). The nearest modern averages are Mountain Jews from Dagestan (distance 0.0140) and Azerbaijan, whose Judeo-Tat speech belongs to the same south-western Iranian branch as Persian, then Assyrians of Iraq, while Iraqi Jews come at 0.0211. The closest ancient group is the Iron Age population of Hasanlu in north-western Iran (0.0178), followed by Neo-Assyrian to Achaemenid people from Batman in Upper Mesopotamia.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 34.9%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 32.9%, Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 13.4%
- Closest modern population in our data: Mountain Jew (Dagestan), distance 0.0140
- Closest ancient group in our data: Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile), distance 0.0178
Where does Iranian Jewish DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Iranian Jewish individuals sampled in Iran, listed in the G25 sheet as "Iranian_Jew" and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Iranian Jewish average
The ancient make-up of the Iranian Jewish average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (34.9%), followed by Iranian Neolithic farmers (32.9%) and Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (13.4%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (32.9%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.035): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report
Closest modern populations to Iranian Jewish
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Iranian Jewish average is Mountain Jew (Dagestan), at a distance of 0.014 (very close). Next come Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) at 0.015 and Mountain Jew (Azerbaijan) at 0.017. Even the tenth closest, Iraqi Jewish, is only 0.021 away: Iranian Jewish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain Jew (Dagestan) | 0.0140 | Very close |
| 2 | Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) | 0.0150 | Very close |
| 3 | Mountain Jew (Azerbaijan) | 0.0171 | Very close |
| 4 | Assyrian (Iraq) | 0.0174 | Very close |
| 5 | Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq) | 0.0183 | Very close |
| 6 | Iraqi Arab (West, Mesopotamian Pre-Islamic Profile) | 0.0190 | Very close |
| 7 | Kurdish Jew | 0.0190 | Very close |
| 8 | Assyrian | 0.0199 | Very close |
| 9 | Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari) | 0.0204 | Very close |
| 10 | Iraqi Jewish | 0.0211 | Very close |
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 Iranian Jewish
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Iranian Jewish average is Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) (Iron Age), at 0.018, followed by Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile) and Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa. 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 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0178 |
| 2 | Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile) | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0225 |
| 3 | Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa | Iron Age | 0.0231 |
| 4 | Bahrain Late Antiquity-Early Medieval | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0252 |
| 5 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Rome (Mesopotamian Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0260 |
| 6 | Iraq Achaemenid Bakr Awa (Mesopotamian Profile) | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0261 |
| 7 | Turkey Mesopotamia Early Medieval Dara (Mesopotamian Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0269 |
| 8 | Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0280 |
| 9 | Turkey Mesopotamia Early Modern Midyat (Mesopotamian Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0289 |
| 10 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Irano-Mesopotamian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0295 |
Ancient DNA from Iran
Our ancient DNA database holds 184 individuals excavated in present-day Iran, dated from about 10,000 BC to 1561 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2a (17), R1b (12) and J2b (8), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are J1 (15), K1 (10) and U1 (10). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Iranian Jewish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Iran
- Ancient DNA indicates 3,000 years of genetic continuity in the Northern Iranian Plateau, from the Copper Age to the Sassanid Empire (2025)
- Large-Scale Assessment of the Iranian population structure of Mitochondrial and Y-chromosome Haplogroups (2024)
- The Genetic Legacy of Zoroastrianism in Iran and India: Insights into Population Structure, Gene Flow, and Selection (2017)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 184 from Iran.
Compare yourself with Iranian Jewish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Iranian Jewish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Iranian Jewish 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
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Iranian Jewish. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
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 Iranian Jewish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora 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 Jewish ancestry: ancient Israelite & Levantine core (Canaanite, Iron Age, Phoenician) plus the host admixture of your diaspora community, on a Jerusalem-centred animated map.
More populations from West Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Iranian Jewish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Iranian Jewish average is about 34.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 32.9% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 13.4% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Iranian Jewish?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Iranian Jewish average are Mountain Jew (Dagestan), Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) and Mountain Jew (Azerbaijan). The closest ancient matches are Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile), Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile) and Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Iranian Jewish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Iranian Jewish 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 Iranian Jewish ancestry?
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Iranian Jewish average closely. 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.