Lur DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Iran · West Asia
The Lurs live in the central and southern Zagros mountains of western Iran, in Lorestan and neighbouring provinces, and speak Luri, a Southwestern Iranian language closely related to Persian. Their homeland lies near Ganj Dareh, the early herding village that represents Iranian Neolithic farmers in our model, and that source is the largest share of the Lur average at 38.0%. Anatolian Neolithic farmers add 30.5%, steppe herders 10.7%, Natufians 9.8% and Caucasus hunter-gatherers 9.7%, with 1.3% East Asian. Next to the Fars average on our Persian page, Lurs carry more Anatolian farmer ancestry (30.5% against 24.3%) and less steppe ancestry (10.7% against 16.7%). The closest ancient groups are Iron Age people from Hasanlu, Dinkha Tepe and Hajji Firuz in northwestern Iran, and further down the list comes a medieval group from Kalmakareh Cave in Lorestan itself. The closest modern averages are another Lur sample, Yazidis from Turkey, Bakhtiari Lurs and Sorani Kurds from Sulaymaniyah.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Iranian Neolithic farmers 38.0%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 30.5%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 10.7%
- Closest other population in our data: Yazidi (Turkey), distance 0.0146
- Closest ancient group in our data: Iran IA Hasanlu (Iranian Plateau Profile), distance 0.0187
Where does Lur DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Lur individuals sampled in Iran, listed in the G25 sheet as "Iranian_Lor" 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 Lur average
The ancient make-up of the Lur average is led by Iranian Neolithic farmers (38.0%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (30.5%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (10.7%). The Iranian Neolithic farmers component reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (30.5%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
Smaller traces of East Asian (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 model fits well (fit distance 0.024), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Simorgh – Iranian Plateau Report
Closest modern populations to Lur
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Lur average is Lur (other sample set), at a distance of 0.005 (very close). Next come Yazidi (Turkey) at 0.015 and Iranian (Lor Bakhtiari) at 0.015. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Lur (other sample set) (0.005), Yazidi (Turkey) (0.015) and Kurdish Sorani (Iraq Sulaymaniyah) (0.015). Even the tenth closest, Kurdish Sorani (Iran Kordestan), is only 0.018 away: Lur belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lur (other sample set) | 0.0049 | Very close |
| 2 | Yazidi (Turkey) | 0.0146 | Very close |
| 3 | Iranian (Lor Bakhtiari) | 0.0152 | Very close |
| 4 | Kurdish Sorani (Iraq Sulaymaniyah) | 0.0152 | Very close |
| 5 | Kurdish | 0.0157 | Very close |
| 6 | Kurdish (Iraq) | 0.0159 | Very close |
| 7 | Kurd (Iraq) | 0.0162 | Very close |
| 8 | Persian (Fars) | 0.0168 | Very close |
| 9 | Lak (Turkey) | 0.0168 | Very close |
| 10 | Kurdish Sorani (Iran Kordestan) | 0.0176 | 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 Lur
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Lur average is Iran IA Hasanlu (Iranian Plateau Profile) (Iron Age), at 0.019, followed by Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) and Iran IA Hajji Firuz (Iranian Plateau Profile). 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 (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0187 |
| 2 | Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0215 |
| 3 | Iran IA Hajji Firuz (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0239 |
| 4 | Iran MBA-IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0280 |
| 5 | Iraq Achaemenid Bakr Awa (Zagrosian Profile) | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0299 |
| 6 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Irano-Mesopotamian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0306 |
| 7 | Iran Medieval Ganj Dareh | Medieval, c. 500-1500 AD | 0.0334 |
| 8 | Iran MBA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0353 |
| 9 | Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa | Iron Age | 0.0372 |
| 10 | Iran High Medieval Khwarazmian-Ilkhanate Kalmakareh Cave | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0378 |
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 Lur 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 Lur
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Lur average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Lur 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 Lur. 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 Lur average. Your own DNA has its own story: Simorgh – Iranian Plateau 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 Iranian-plateau ancestry: ancient regional core (Bronze/Iron Age Iranian Plateau, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid Persia) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 10 communities (Persian, Lur/Bakhtiari...
More populations from West Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Lur?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Lur average is about 38.0% Iranian Neolithic farmers, 30.5% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 10.7% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Lur?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Iranian (Lor Bakhtiari)), the closest modern populations to the Lur average are Lur (other sample set), Yazidi (Turkey) and Kurdish Sorani (Iraq Sulaymaniyah). The closest ancient matches are Iran IA Hasanlu (Iranian Plateau Profile), Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) and Iran IA Hajji Firuz (Iranian Plateau Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Lur?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Lur 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 Lur ancestry?
For the Lur average, the regional report to choose is Simorgh – Iranian Plateau 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.