Originally Posted by
Mingle
Nogais would probably be closest to Oirats since their far origins are said to be from Inner Mongolia. And even though Kazakhs would be closer to Nogais, it wouldn't be that close. For example, they get @16 regarding the Oirats of Kalmykia which is definitely not close.
Bashkirs are probably not that different to Tatars, but yes, it would be wise to include them as they would be closer to Kazakhs than Tatars. However, the difference between Tatars and Kazakhs is @35! That's greater than the difference between me and Anatolian Turks and we are geographically much more distant to each other. So @35 is HUGE!
Kazakhs and Tatars also look very different on average.
Uzbeks aren't really more eastern.
Both of those are south of Kazakhs and the south-north division is far more significant than the east-west one in Asia, though both are important.