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Description

C2b1a1a is the subclade of the Star Cluster most strongly associated with the Borjigin clan — the direct paternal lineage of Genghis Khan and his descendants. It is disproportionately elevated in the Hazara of Afghanistan (~33%), who claim and genetically reflect Mongol descent from garrisons left by Genghis Khan's successors, and among the Tore (White Bone) aristocracy of Kazakhstan (~70%), a social class that claims patrilineal descent from the Chinggisid ruling house. The very recent MRCA (~1,100 CE) places the common ancestor of this subclade within or immediately before the historical Genghis Khan (~1162–1227 CE), and microsatellite analysis in Balaresque et al. (2015) identifies this branch as Cluster 1 — the closest in haplotype space to the proposed Genghis Khan reference sequence. This is the branch that most likely represents actual patrilineal descent from the Mongol imperial founder.

Interesting Fact

The Hazara of Afghanistan are the single population outside Mongolia with the highest frequency of C2b1a1a. Historical records, oral tradition, and now genetic evidence all converge on the same explanation: the Hazara are largely descended from Mongol soldiers stationed in the region by Genghis Khan's successors — men who carried the Star Cluster and whose patrilineal lines survive today in Afghanistan's central highlands.

Distribution by Ethnicity

Ethnic distributionRegionFrequencySample
Tore KazakhsCentral Asia (Kazakhstan)
70%
n=100
HazaraSouth Asia (Afghanistan)
33%
n=150
Mongols (Borjigin clans)East Asia / Central Asia
25%
n=200
BuryatsSiberia
12%
n=300
OiratsCentral Asia / Xinjiang
10%
n=120

Associated Clans & Tribes

Dynasty
House of Borjigin
Mongolia
The ruling dynasty of the Mongol Empire; this subclade is the proposed direct patrilineal lineage of Genghis Khan
Dynasty
Chagatai Khanate
Central Asia
Western Mongol khanate founded by Genghis Khan's son Chagatai; Hazara populations in this territory carry C2b1a1a at high frequency
Dynasty
Ilkhanate
Persia / Afghanistan
Mongol dynasty of Persia founded by Hulagu Khan; garrison populations in Afghanistan are ancestral to modern Hazara C2b1a1a carriers
Ru / Lineage
Tore (Aq Suyek)
Kazakhstan
'White Bone' aristocracy of Kazakhstan; the only social class permitted to claim Chinggisid descent, carrying C2b1a1a at ~70%

Tags

Genghis KhanBorjiginMongol EmpireHazaraStar ClusterSteppeMedievalDynasty

References

  1. Zerjal et al. (2003) — The Genetic Legacy of the Mongols. American Journal of Human Genetics 72(3), 717–721.
  2. Balaresque et al. (2015) — Y-chromosome descent clusters and male differential reproductive success. European Journal of Human Genetics 23, 1357–1362.
  3. Keyser-Tracqui et al. (2006) — Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analysis of a 2,000-year-old necropolis in the Egyin Gol Valley of Mongolia. Annals of Human Genetics 70(2), 247–260.