The Assyrian areas in the Middle East from which modern-day Assyrians have their origins include the Hakkari Mountains in Southeastern Turkey, the Urmia region to the East in Iran, the Tur Abdin region to the West, as well as Northeastern Syria and Northern Iraq. These regions have made out the Assyrian heartland for the last several centuries. Before a participant can join the Assyrian Heritage DNA Project, he or she must inform the DNA Project's co-administrators (Mary Yonan yonan@fgi.net, Joel Elias joandjoa@pacbell.net, and Paul Givargidze paul.givargidze@gmail.com ) about which of those five regions is the site of his/her maternal and/or paternal Assyrian ancestral origin. Participants wishing to order a maternal mtDNA test must be able to trace his or her maternal Assyrian roots back to those areas within four or fewer generations. Participants wishing to order a Y-chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) test must be able to trace his paternal Assyrian roots back to those areas within four or fewer generations. If a potential Assyrian Hertiage DNA Project applicant can't provide the requested info, we won't approve joining our project. If your father's and/or your mother's ancestor's were Assyrians from the Assyrian heartland, you are invited to join the Assyrian Heritage DNA Project. Our DNA Project welcomes all direct line male and female descendants of Assyrian heritage whose ancestors were from the Middle East.