Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Azerbaijan and Dagestan · Caucasus
The Mountain Jews, or Juhuro, live in the eastern Caucasus, in Dagestan and in Azerbaijan, where the Red Village near Quba is often described as one of the last all-Jewish towns outside Israel. Their language, Juhuri or Judeo-Tat, is an Iranian language close to Persian, and their communities are thought to have come to the Caucasus from Persia. In our model, the Mountain Jewish average is 30.1% Iranian Neolithic, 24.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 23.1% Levantine Neolithic, 9.8% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, 9.1% steppe and 3.6% Natufian, with more Iranian-related ancestry than Georgian Jews (24.6%). After two other Mountain Jewish samples, the nearest averages are Assyrians from Iraq (distance 0.0125), Iranian Jews (0.0150) and Georgian Jews, while none of their Caucasian neighbours, such as Lezgins or Azerbaijanis, appear among the ten closest. The closest ancient groups are Iron Age people from Hasanlu in north-western Iran (0.0153) and from Bakr Awa in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Iranian Neolithic farmers 30.1%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 24.2%, Levantine Neolithic farmers 23.1%
- Closest population outside the Mountain Jewish samples: Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq), distance 0.0125
- Closest ancient group in our data: Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile), distance 0.0153
This page sums up what the DNA of the Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Azerbaijan and Dagestan, listed in the G25 sheet as "Mountain_Jew", and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) average comes out as 30.1% Iranian Neolithic farmers, 24.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 23.1% Levantine Neolithic farmers. The Iranian Neolithic farmers component reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (24.2%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
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 0.035): 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 Mountain Jewish (Juhuro)
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Mountain Jew (Dagestan) first for Mountain Jewish (Juhuro), at 0.011, then Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq) and Mountain Jew (Ciscaucasia). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq) (0.013), Assyrian (Iraq) (0.014) and Assyrian (0.015). Even the tenth closest, Armenian (Bayazet), is only 0.019 away: Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) 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) | 0.0113 | Very close |
| 2 | Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq) | 0.0125 | Very close |
| 3 | Mountain Jew (Ciscaucasia) | 0.0125 | Very close |
| 4 | Assyrian (Iraq) | 0.0138 | Very close |
| 5 | Assyrian | 0.0145 | Very close |
| 6 | Iranian Jewish | 0.0150 | Very close |
| 7 | Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari) | 0.0151 | Very close |
| 8 | Georgian Jewish | 0.0174 | Very close |
| 9 | Kosewi | 0.0176 | Very close |
| 10 | Armenian (Bayazet) | 0.0194 | 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 Mountain Jewish (Juhuro)
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) average is Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) (Iron Age), at 0.015, followed by Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa and Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian 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 (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0153 |
| 2 | Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa | Iron Age | 0.0195 |
| 3 | Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile) | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0226 |
| 4 | Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0230 |
| 5 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Irano-Mesopotamian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0232 |
| 6 | Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian | Iron Age | 0.0240 |
| 7 | Turkey Mesopotamia Early Medieval Dara (Mesopotamian Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0244 |
| 8 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Rome (Mesopotamian Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0253 |
| 9 | Iran LBA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Late Bronze Age | 0.0281 |
| 10 | Turkey Mesopotamia Early Modern Midyat (Mesopotamian Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0291 |
Ancient DNA from Azerbaijan
Our ancient DNA database holds 7 individuals excavated in present-day Azerbaijan, dated from about 5,688 BC to 272 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2b (2), G1a (1) and J1a (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (3), U1 (2) and H13 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 7 from Azerbaijan.
Compare yourself with Mountain Jewish (Juhuro)
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) 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 Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Mountain Jewish (Juhuro). 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 Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) 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 Caucasus
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Mountain Jewish (Juhuro)?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) average is about 30.1% Iranian Neolithic farmers, 24.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 23.1% Levantine Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Mountain Jewish (Juhuro)?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Mountain Jew (Dagestan)), the closest modern populations to the Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) average are Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq), Assyrian (Iraq) and Assyrian. The closest ancient matches are Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile), Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa and Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Mountain Jewish (Juhuro)?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) 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 Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) ancestry?
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) 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.