Yaghnobi DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Tajikistan · Central Asia
The Yaghnobi live in the remote Yaghnob valley in the Zarafshan mountains of Tajikistan, and many were moved to the cotton-growing lowlands in the Soviet period. Their language is famous among linguists: Yaghnobi is the last living descendant of Sogdian, the Eastern Iranian language of the Silk Road merchants of Samarkand and Bukhara. In our model, the Yaghnobi average is 41.9% steppe, 30.3% Iranian Neolithic, 21.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 6.2% East Asian, with a close fit (0.0206). That steppe share is the highest of all our Central Asian pages, above the neighbouring Pamiris (38.5%). The closest ancient groups suit that Silk Road past: people of the Kushan era from Rabat (0.0238) and Serkharakat in Uzbekistan and from Ksirov in Tajikistan. Among modern averages, after another Yaghnobi sample, the closest are Tajiks from Jowzjan and Rushan and the Pamiris, and, more surprisingly, Lezgins of the Caucasus at 0.0499.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 41.9%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 30.3%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 21.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Yaghnobi (other sample set), distance 0.0120
- Closest ancient group in our data: Uzbekistan HP Kushan Rabat, distance 0.0238
This page sums up what the DNA of the Yaghnobi sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Tajikistan, listed in the G25 sheet as "Tajik_Yagnobi", 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 Yaghnobi average
The ancient make-up of the Yaghnobi average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (41.9%), followed by Iranian Neolithic farmers (30.3%) and Anatolian Neolithic farmers (21.6%). 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 Iranian Neolithic farmers share (30.3%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran.
The model fits well (fit distance 0.021), 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 Yaghnobi
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Yaghnobi average is Yaghnobi (other sample set), at a distance of 0.012 (very close). Next come Tajik (Jowzjan) at 0.032 and Pamiri (Rushan) at 0.033. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Yaghnobi (other sample set) (0.012), Pamiri (Rushan) (0.033) and Pamiri (Shughni) (0.040). By the tenth closest (Persian (Khorasan)) the distance grows to 0.054, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yaghnobi (other sample set) | 0.0120 | Very close |
| 2 | Tajik (Jowzjan) | 0.0320 | Close |
| 3 | Pamiri (Rushan) | 0.0329 | Close |
| 4 | Tajik (Rushan) | 0.0336 | Close |
| 5 | Pamiri (Shughni) | 0.0403 | Close |
| 6 | Lezgin | 0.0499 | Close |
| 7 | Kumyk (Stalskoe) | 0.0518 | Moderate |
| 8 | Tat (Dagestan Dzhalgan) | 0.0528 | Moderate |
| 9 | Pamiri (Badakhshan) | 0.0535 | Moderate |
| 10 | Persian (Khorasan) | 0.0544 | 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 Yaghnobi
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Yaghnobi, Uzbekistan HP Kushan Rabat (Historical period) comes first, at 0.024, with Mongolia Early Medieval Uygur Period (South Central Asian 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 | Uzbekistan HP Kushan Rabat | Historical period | 0.0238 |
| 2 | Mongolia Early Medieval Uygur Period (South Central Asian Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0240 |
| 3 | Uzbekistan HP Kushan Serkharakat | Historical period | 0.0283 |
| 4 | Tajikistan HP Kushan Ksirov | Historical period | 0.0346 |
| 5 | Kazakhstan Late Antiquity Konyr Tobe | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0400 |
| 6 | Turkmenistan IA Takhirbai | Iron Age | 0.0442 |
| 7 | China Inner Mongolia HP Tang Dynasty Naobaowan (South Central Asian Profile) | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0454 |
| 8 | Xinjiang HP Tang Dynasty-Uygur Period Lafuqueke (South Central Asian Profile) | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0458 |
| 9 | Kyrgyzstan High-Late Medieval Burana | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0489 |
| 10 | Mongolia IA Xiongnu Late (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0542 |
Ancient DNA from Tajikistan
Our ancient DNA database holds 13 individuals excavated in present-day Tajikistan, dated from about 6,273 BC to 8 BC. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (2), E1b (1) and G2a (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U2 (4), J1 (2) and T2 (2). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Yaghnobi population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 13 from Tajikistan.
Compare yourself with Yaghnobi
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Yaghnobi average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Yaghnobi 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 Yaghnobi. 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 Yaghnobi 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...
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Yaghnobi?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Yaghnobi average is about 41.9% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 30.3% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 21.6% 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 Yaghnobi?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Tajik (Jowzjan)), the closest modern populations to the Yaghnobi average are Yaghnobi (other sample set), Pamiri (Rushan) and Pamiri (Shughni). The closest ancient matches are Uzbekistan HP Kushan Rabat, Mongolia Early Medieval Uygur Period (South Central Asian Profile) and Uzbekistan HP Kushan Serkharakat.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Yaghnobi?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Yaghnobi 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 Yaghnobi ancestry?
Simorgh – Iranian Plateau Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Yaghnobi average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
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.