The blood groups of the Timuri and related tribes in Afghanistan

The present investigation is a study of the blood groups of the Timuri and related tribes in Afghanistan. There is little historical documentation for the origin of the Timuri. Their name is probably a misnomer, however, since they are apparently not descended from the armies of Timur, or Tamerlane, which invaded Afghanistan during the fourteenth century. Relatively few blood group studies have been carried out on the inhabitants of Afghanistan, so detailed comparisons with other populations can be made only for the ABO system. (Certain populations in Iran to the west and a few rather widely separated populations, such as the Baltis and Nepalis to the east, have been more thoroughly investigated, and comparisons can be made with them on at least seven genetical systems.) The presence of the A2 allele suggests gene flow from the West, but the high frequency of B is consistent with other populations tested in Afghanistan. The Rh frequencies give little critical information but the low level of cde is suggestive of Mongoloid origin. On the other hand, for the MNS system the high level of MS is typically Caucasoid. The high total M is found in Asia both in Caucasoids and Mongoloids. The presence of the Lua allele and the relatively high frequency of the K allele are more Caucasoid than Mongoloid, but the presence of even one Diego (Dia) positive among the Timuri and related tribes suggests a Mongoloid contribution to the gene pool. The low frequency of P1, though always a little suspect on travelled specimens, is consistent with this. All of the Iranian populations tested may be regarded as essentially Caucasoid from the blood group point of view. The Baltis and Nepalis show certain Mongoloid characteristics. The Timuri are distinctly more Mongoloid than the former but less so than the latter. In summary, the Timuri appear to be intermediate in allele frequencies between Caucasoid and Mongoloid populations, with unmistakable evidence of both in their ancestry.