How to break down MENA ?

[Jana]

In regions that make sense from geographic, cultural, historical, ethnical etc point of view.

MENA is artifical term imposed by non natives.
Share your ideas please!

[Rgvgjhvv]

I was hoping this would be asking how to breakdown MENA ancestry through Gedmatch calculators haha. There's a lot of Northern European threads that have at least attempted that through yourdnaportal which were cool

[Kyp]

West Asia (Anatolia,Caucasus, iran, Northern Iraq)
Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine..)
Arabian world (Peninsula, Southern Iraq)
Maghreb
Libya & Egypt

that's how I view it at least..
Afghanistan and Pakistan I don't count as MENA because of too strong Central (Afg) and Southern Asian (Pak) influences.

[Jana]

I was hoping this would be asking how to breakdown MENA ancestry through Gedmatch calculators haha. There's a lot of Northern European threads that have at least attempted that through yourdnaportal which were cool

Focus of the thread is regional divisions under too broad MENA umbrella, but genetics can be included too as it can highlight mentioned regional boundaries.

[Nassbean]

the maghrebi region : Morocco, algeria, tunisia and western libya (they are genetically and culturally quite homogeneous) ---> the amazigh world/ Land of the Moors (not the sahara who is genetically more mixed and also culturally)
Syria , lebanon , palestine and jordania ---> the levantine world
Egypt : they have their own genetic pool and are also culturally distinct but still quite close to levantines
the arabian peninsula + iraq and eastern libya ---> the arabic world from a genetic point of view even though it's more complex for iraq who seems to be like a transitional area
The persian world : Iran and maybe also azerbaidjan and some parts of afghanistan ( but i'm not sure)

Don't know for sudan.

So What do you guys think about it ?

[Tigranes]

The Middle East, as defined above, encompasses four distinct culture areas: Arab, Turkish, Iranian, and the newly evolved Israeli culture. The Arab, Turkish, and Iranian cultures are heirs to great Islamic empires that had their centers in the region and represent three distinct variations within the global Islamic civilization. The most recent and most enduring of these, the Ottoman Empire, ruled over most of the Middle East, as well as parts of eastern Europe, for almost 500 years, until its demise and dismemberment at the end of World War I. Out of its ashes arose the modern state of Turkey, as well as the majority of the contemprary Arab nation-states.

Read more: https://www.everyculture.com/Africa-...#ixzz5xdvs5lZV

[Zeus]

Arabian Peninsula
Levant(Israel, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, maybe even Iraq)
Egypt
Maghreb
Iranians(Persians, Kurd/lur, Mazandarani/Gilaki and other Caspians, Balochs, Pashtuns, Tajiks, etc)
Turkish (perhaps including Azerbaijan)
Caucasus(Armenia, Georgia, maybe Azerbaijan and maybe even north caucasus too)

[Jana]

In Croatia Afghanistan is seen as MENA among average Joes and in media.

Only scholars know it is rather south-central Asian.

[Kyp]

From a genetic viewpoint

[Kyp]

In Croatia Afghanistan is seen as MENA among average Joes and in media.

Only scholars know it is rather south-central Asian.

Probably because of Terrorism and Bin Laden (who is Saudi)