Ethnic groups in Central Asia

Central Asia is a diverse land with many ethnic groups, languages, religions and tribes. The nations which make up Central Asia are five of the former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which have a total population of about million. Afghanistan is not always considered part of the region, but when it is, Central Asia has a total population of about 122 million (2016); Mongolia and Xinjiang (part of China) is also sometimes considered part of Central Asia due to its Central Asian cultural ties and traditions, although geographically it is East Asian. Most central Asians belong to religions which were introduced to the area within the last 1,500 years, such as Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Ismaili Islam, Tengriism, and Syriac Christianity. Buddhism, however, was introduced to Central Asia over 2,200 years ago, and Zoroastrianism, over 2,500 years ago.

Ethnic groups

The below are demographic data on the ethnic groups in Central Asia

Genetic history

Ancient Central Asia as well as large parts of Siberia were initially populated and dominated by a deeply European-related population known as "Ancient North Eurasians". This early Central Asians and Siberians contributed also significantly to the formation of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, next to a dominant Ancient East Asian component. The ancestry of modern Central Asian populations is significantly derived from the Indo-Iranian and Turkic expansions. Genetic data shows that the average of Central Asian Turkic-speaking peoples have between 22% to 60% East Asian ancestry, in contrast to Iranian-speaking Central Asians, specifically Tajiks, which display genetic continuity to Indo-Iranians of the Iron Age. Certain Turkic ethnic groups, specifically the Kazakhs display even higher East Asian ancestry. This is explained by substantial Mongolian influence on the Kazakh genome, through significant admixture between medieval Turkic Kipchaks with medieval Mongolians. The data suggests that the Mongol invasion of Central Asia had lasting impacts onto the genetic makeup of Kazakhs.Estimating the impact of the Mongol expansion upon the gene pool of Central Asians. ЛД Дамба · 2018

Bronze Age Central Asia was populated by West-Eurasian Iranian-speaking peoples, as well as a minority of Paleosiberian peoples from further East. Since the Iron Age, significant migrations from Eastern Asia and South Central Siberia took place, mostly associated with the expansion of Mongolic and Turkic peoples from a region corresponding to modern day Mongolia, transforming Central Asia from a region with largely West-Eurasian ancestry, to a more heterogeneous region with West-Eurasian, Siberian, and East Asian ancestries.Archaeogenetic studies on the remains from Iron Age Pazyryk culture burials suggest that after the end of the Indo-Iranian (Scythian) expansion, beginning in c. the 7th century BC, there was a gradual admixture event with Turkic peoples.

Populations of farmers and nomadic pastoralists coexisted in Central Asia since the Chalcolithic (4th millennium BC).
The two groups differ markedly in descent structure, as pastoralists are organized in exogamous patrilineal clan structures, while farmers are organized in extended families practicing endogamy (cousin marriage).
As a consequence, pastoralists have a significantly reduced diversity in patrilineal descent (Y-chromosome) compared to farmers.

Religion

See also

* Indo-Aryan migration hypothesis
* Turkic migration
* History of the Jews in Central Asia

Bibliography

* Guarino-Vignon, P., Marchi, N., Bendezu-Sarmiento, J. ''et al.'' Genetic continuity of Indo-Iranian speakers since the Iron Age in southern Central Asia. ''Sci Rep'' 12, 733 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04144-4

References

*https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chuan-Chao_Wang
*https://synaptic.bio/publications/8629
*
*
*
*
*

{{Ethnicity

Central Asian culture
History of Central Asia