Mazandarani DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Iran · West Asia
Mazandaran lies on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, a green, humid strip of land separated from the Iranian plateau by the Alborz mountains. Its people speak Mazandarani, also called Tabari, a Caspian language of the Northwestern Iranian branch. In our model, the Mazandarani average has the largest Iranian Neolithic farmer share of all our Iranian pages, 44.4%, with 27.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 12.4% steppe, 11.4% Caucasus hunter-gatherer and 4.4% Natufian. Unlike Iranian Azerbaijanis (5.8%), it has no East Asian share large enough to pass the model's 1% cut-off. Its closest modern neighbours are another Mazandarani sample and the Gilaks of neighbouring Gilan, also on the Caspian coast (0.0217), followed by Laks and by Persians from Fars and Yazd. Ancient matches are a little further away: the closest are Iron Age and Late Bronze Age people from Dinkha Tepe in northwestern Iran (0.028 and 0.0295), then Iron Age Hasanlu and Hajji Firuz.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Iranian Neolithic farmers 44.4%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 27.4%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 12.4%
- Closest other population in our data: Gilak, distance 0.0217
- Closest ancient group in our data: Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile), distance 0.0280
Mazandarani 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 Mazandarani individuals sampled in Iran, listed in the G25 sheet as "Iranian_Mazandarani". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Mazandarani average
The ancient make-up of the Mazandarani average is led by Iranian Neolithic farmers (44.4%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (27.4%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (12.4%). The Iranian Neolithic farmers component reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (27.4%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
Smaller traces of Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (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 0.029): 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.
Simorgh – Iranian Plateau Report
Closest modern populations to Mazandarani
Genetically, the Mazandarani average sits nearest to Mazandarani (other sample set) at 0.004, Gilak at 0.022 and Lak (Iran) at 0.026. On our scale, a distance of 0.004 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, Persian (Iran Zoroastrian), is only 0.029 away: Mazandarani belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mazandarani (other sample set) | 0.0044 | Very close |
| 2 | Gilak | 0.0217 | Very close |
| 3 | Lak (Iran) | 0.0261 | Close |
| 4 | Persian (Fars) | 0.0261 | Close |
| 5 | Persian (Yazd) | 0.0264 | Close |
| 6 | Iranian (Persian Yazd) | 0.0271 | Close |
| 7 | Irani (Zoroastrian India) | 0.0275 | Close |
| 8 | Iranian (Persian Fars) | 0.0276 | Close |
| 9 | Persian (Iranian) | 0.0281 | Close |
| 10 | Persian (Iran Zoroastrian) | 0.0285 | 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 Mazandarani
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Mazandarani, Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) (Iron Age) comes first, at 0.028, with Iran LBA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) next. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. 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 Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0280 |
| 2 | Iran LBA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Late Bronze Age | 0.0295 |
| 3 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0302 |
| 4 | Iran IA Hajji Firuz (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0307 |
| 5 | Iran MBA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0388 |
| 6 | Iran Parthian Liar-Sang-Bon | Parthian era, c. 250 BC-224 AD | 0.0389 |
| 7 | Iran LBA Hasanlu (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Late Bronze Age | 0.0398 |
| 8 | Iran MBA-IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0417 |
| 9 | Iran Medieval Ganj Dareh | Medieval, c. 500-1500 AD | 0.0448 |
| 10 | Azerbaijan Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Shamakhi | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0450 |
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 Mazandarani 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 Mazandarani
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Mazandarani average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Mazandarani 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 Mazandarani individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Mazandarani. 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 Mazandarani 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 Mazandarani?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Mazandarani average is about 44.4% Iranian Neolithic farmers, 27.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 12.4% 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 Mazandarani?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Mazandarani average are Mazandarani (other sample set), Gilak and Lak (Iran). The closest ancient matches are Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile), Iran LBA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) and Iran IA Hasanlu (Iranian Plateau Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Mazandarani?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Mazandarani 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 Mazandarani ancestry?
For the Mazandarani 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.