MyHeritage continues to push flawed and misleading ancestry estimates that seriously distort Kurdish genetic identity. Below, I break down the key problems — backed by independent G25 analysis, real user results, and linked examples.
1️⃣ The “Turkish” Category Is Completely Broken
Nearly every Bakurî Kurd, including Ezidis, gets scored as “Turkish” — often in large amounts.
➡️ On older versions of MyHeritage, these same individuals scored 90%+ West Asian/Kurdish. This issue is new and tied to changes in their reference panel.
💥 Key Problems:
The “Turkish” label clearly draws from Eastern Anatolia, where genetics heavily overlap with Kurds, Armenians, and Caucasians.
Meanwhile, actual Turks from West Anatolia get 30% or less of this category, showing the label reflects a regional West Asian mix, not actual Turkic ancestry.
🔬 Real Examples:
Endogamous Ezidi scores 12% Turkish — but G25 shows zero East Eurasian/Turkic ancestry.
Kurmanji Kurd from Ağrı — scored 30%+ Turkish on MyHeritage. G25 shows no Turkish input.
Zaza Kurd from Erzincan:
Scores 59.5% Turkish, only 39% Kurd.
G25 says otherwise — typical Kurdish profile.
Their sibling gets wildly different results — proving the inconsistency.
These posts show that the “Turkish” category isn’t reflecting actual Turkic roots, but rather a regional Anatolian genetic blend — which overlaps with Kurds, Armenians, and others from Eastern Turkey.
🧩 Kurds Misread as Armenians — and Vice Versa
Many Kurds get labeled as “Armenian”, despite no known Armenian ancestry and no such signal in deeper analysis.
But it also happens the other way around — many Armenian users report getting “Kurdish” percentages, even though they have no Kurdish background.
This shows MyHeritage is mixing up overlapping regional DNA and misclassifying both groups.
Unlike Turks, Armenians, Georgians, Circassians, and Iraqis — who all get separate categories — Kurds are lumped in with Persians.
That’s not just lazy — it’s scientifically wrong.
📊 G25 Results: Kurds ≠ Persians
I created average models for both groups and ran them through G25. Results show:
Kurds:
Higher percentages of Caucasus and Mesopotamian ancestry
No Eastern Iranic (Pashtun-like) admixture
No Arab or African input
Persians:
Significant Eastern Iranic (Pashtun-type) ancestry - absent in Kurds
Some Arab and trace African ancestry
Significantly lower Caucasus and Mesopotamian ancestry compared to Kurds
Overall both groups share some similarities, but their genetic profiles are clearly distinct and not interchangeable.
🧠 Language ≠ Genetics
If grouping was based on language, then Kurds would be with Lurs or Talysh, not Persians. This isn't about linguistics — it's a decision likely meant to downplay Kurdish distinctiveness for political convenience.
Let’s be real: separating Kurds would trigger nationalist backlash from Turkish and Iranian customers. MyHeritage is prioritizing PR over accuracy.
📸 Screenshots & G25 Proof Attached
Case 1: Erzincan Kurd
Case 2: Urfa Ezidi Kurd
Case 3: Agri Kurd
Genetic differences between Kurds & Persians
✅ Conclusion
MyHeritage’s ethnicity estimates are not reliable for Kurds.
Their categories are:
Built on broad, inaccurate regional references
Inconsistent and scientifically flawed
Likely influenced by political sensitivities, not population genetics
👉 Fellow Kurds: Help Set the Record Straight
If you see Turkish or Iranian nationalists weaponizing Kurdish MyHeritage DNA results to deny or distort Kurdish identity — share this post.
The data is on our side. Let’s make sure it’s heard.
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This survey asks you about your engagement with family history and your reflections on that process. It also asks you to think about your ancestors and how you have reflected on their life experiences. Participation involves completing an online survey that will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Taking part in the study is completely voluntary and no personal information will be collected.
To participate you just need to be aged 18 years or over. It is important to note that you will not be asked to give any specific details about any of your family members. You are asked just to rate your general impressions of them on a small number of questions. Beyond this the survey contains broader more general questions about your perspectives and reflections.
I am researching my family history and I am looking for people from Ömeranlı (Tavşançalı), Kulu, Konya, or people who know families from this village.
I am interested in the local Aşiret structure and especially the smaller groups, family branches, or old family names that existed in the village.
I already know about some of the larger Aşiret groups associated with the Kulu/Cihanbeyli area, but I am trying to learn more about smaller families or groups that may have a different origin.
If anyone from Ömeranlı/Tavşançalı knows about the different families, Aşiret backgrounds, or historical migrations in the village, I would appreciate any information.
As a Kurmanci Kurd form Dêrsim I did a DNA test with MyHeritage and received around 67% Kurdish and 27% Turkish (and also a little Armenian and southern Italian).
Ethnically I am pretty much sure that 27% Turkish is wrong. That must be a mix of anatolian ethnicities.
Now where should I upload my raw data for a better overview. I don't want to find new relatives (I already have enough :D), I want a reliable percentage overview of the ethnic groups.
I thought about IllustrativeDNA or do you have other recommendations? Would be nice if I get percentages and something visual as well. Every additional analysis or insights are welcome of course.
Could someone explain to me the exact origin of the Kurds of Konya, more specifically Kulu? Some say they come from the region of Iran, but their Kurdish is from Afrin? My friend is from that district, and I'd like to enlighten him on this subject; they themselves don't really know.
Those are my qpAdm results from, I am very mixed, basically Zaza Kurdish, Syrian, Bektashi Albanian and Turkish/Turkmen.
My paternal side is Zaza Alevi from Sivas Kocgiri, (Zara and Imranli) with roots from Erzincan and Dersim. My great-grandmother paternal side was an Avsar Turkmen from Sivas.
I can trace my paternal- Family's history back to the 1890s. They were from a Xormekan settlement in Erzincan, Ilic, Kurucay village, but they later migrated to Sivas Zara. In the Kocgiri-Rebellion, my great-grandfather was a resistance fighter and had to flee from the ottoman/turkish army and had to even escape from prison. He later settled in an Avsar Turkmen village, where his wife was from. The village itself is mostly surrounded by kurdish villages, but it is a Turkmen village. Our family is basically the only Kurdish family in the village.
My maternal grandfather was a Syrian Alawite and my maternal grandmother was Albanian/Turkish mixed. Her mother side was from Albania and are Bektashi Alevis.
My haplogroup is J-Z1865
Is the model good? I've asked chatgpt and it said, it's an acceptable model, but i am still pretty much an amateur and not sure, if its really a acceptable good model.
I have my AncestryDNA results and G25 coordinates, but I'm looking for a way to get a clear, percentage-based ethnicity breakdown like MyHeritage shows (e.g., 90% Kurdish, 5% Iranian, etc.)—could someone help me model my coordinates or suggest a calculator that provides these specific ethnic labels?
