Editing Kurds (section)

== Genetics ==
{{see also|Genetic history of the Middle East}}
[[File:Father and Daughter - Halabja - Kurdistan - Iraq.jpg|thumb|A Kurdish father and daughter in [[Halabja]], Iraq]]

A 2005 study genetically examined three different groups of [[Zazas|Zaza]] and [[Kurds in Turkey|Kurmanji speakers in Turkey]] and [[Kurds in Georgia|Kurmanji speakers in Georgia]]. In the study, [[mtDNA]] HV1 sequences, eleven [[Y chromosome]] bi-allelic markers and 9 [[Y-STR]] loci were analyzed to investigate lineage relationship among Kurdish groups. When both mtDNA and Y chromosome data are compared with those of the [[Demographics of Europe|European]], [[Peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasian]], [[Demographics of the Middle East|West Asian]] and [[Demographics of Central Asia|Central Asian groups]], it has been determined that the Kurdish groups are most closely related to West Asians and the furthest to Central Asians. Among the European and Caucasian groups, Kurds were found to be closer to Europeans than Caucasians when considering mtDNA, and the opposite was true for Y chromosome. This indicates a difference in maternal and paternal origins of Kurdish groups. According to the study, Kurdish groups in Georgia went through a [[genetic bottleneck]] while migrating to the Caucasus. It has also been revealed that these groups were not influenced by other Caucasian groups in terms of ancestry. Another phenomenon found in the research was that Zazas are closer to Kurdish groups rather than peoples of [[Northern Iran]], where ancestral [[Zaza language]] hypothesized to be spoken before its spread to [[Anatolia]].<ref name="doi.wiley.com">{{Cite journal|last1=Nasidze|first1=Ivan|last2=Quinque|first2=Dominique|last3=Ozturk|first3=Murat|last4=Bendukidze|first4=Nina|last5=Stoneking|first5=Mark|date=July 2005|title=MtDNA and Y-chromosome Variation in Kurdish Groups: MtDNA and Y-chromosome Variation in Kurdish Groups|url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1046/j.1529-8817.2005.00174.x|journal=Annals of Human Genetics|language=en|volume=69|issue=4|pages=401–412|doi=10.1046/j.1529-8817.2005.00174.x|pmid=15996169|s2cid=23771698}}</ref>

11 different Y-DNA haplogroups have been identified in Kurmanji-speaking Kurds in Turkey. [[Haplogroup I-M170]] was the most prevalent with 16.1% of the samples belonging to it, followed by [[Haplogroup J-M172|haplogroups J-M172]] (13.8%), [[R1a1]] (12.7%), [[Haplogroup K-M9|K]] (12.7%), [[Haplogroup E-M96|E]] (11.5%) and [[Haplogroup F-M89|F]] (11.5%). [[Haplogroup P1 (Y-DNA)|P1]] (8%), [[Haplogroup P (Y-DNA)|P]] (5.7%), [[Haplogroup R1|R1]] (4.6%), [[Haplogroup G-M201|G]] (2.3%) and [[Haplogroup C-M130|C]] (1.1%) haplogroups were also present in lower proportions. Y-DNA haplogroup diversity were determined to be much lower among Georgian Kurds, as five haplogroups were discovered in total, where the dominant haplogroups were P1 (44%) and J-M172 (32%). The lowest Y-DNA haplogroup diversity was observed in [[Kurds in Turkmenistan|Turkmenistan Kurds]] with only 4 haplogroups in total; [[Haplogroup F-M89|F]] (41%) and R1 (29%) were dominant in this population.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Amirzargar|first1=Ali|last2=Rey|first2=Diego|last3=Muñiz|first3=Ester|last4=Palacio-Grüber|first4=Jose|last5=Nikbin|first5=Behrouz|last6=Nicknam|first6=Hosein|last7=Khosravi|first7=Farideh|last8=Joshghan|first8=Hamidreza|last9=Areces|first9=Cristina|last10=Enríquez-de-Salamanca|first10=Mercedes|last11=Martinez-Quiles|first11=Narcisa|date=2015-08-31|title=Kurds HLA Genes: Its Implications in Transplantation and Pharmacogenomics|url=https://openmedicinejournal.com/VOLUME/2/PAGE/43/|journal=Open Medicine Journal|language=en|volume=2|issue=1|pages=43–47|doi=10.2174/1874220301401010043|issn=1874-2203|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="doi.wiley.com"/>