People group profile · PG042800
The Shahara of Saudi Arabia
The Shahara of Saudi Arabia, numbering about 47,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic group inhabiting the coastal towns and the mountains and wilderness areas upland from Salalah in the Dhofar Governorate in southwestern Oman.
They are a diaspora people in the Arab, Arabian people cluster of the Arab Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Shehri.

Fast facts
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Population
- 47,500
- Affinity group
- Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
- People cluster
- Arab, Arabian
- Primary language
- Shehri (shv)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- Strategic Progress Index
- Unengaged and Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC
- No Evangelicals, Churches or Resources
- Lostness priority
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Western Asia, Asia
Where they live
Gospel status
The Shahara are Unengaged and Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, and there has been no reported church planting activity in the past two years. In GSEC terms, there are no evangelical Christians or churches among this people group and there is no access to evangelical print, audio, visual or human resources.
- Congregations exist No
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Shahara
- Pray that God would send workers to this people group
- Begin sowing the gospel and seek out people of peace
- Plant the first churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice
Primary religion
Sunni Islam · Islam
99% adherents
Primary language
Shehri · Afro-Asiatic family
76% speak Shehri
Gospel resources in Shehri
- Bible not available
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings not available
- Audio resources not available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Shahara
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
Jibbali in other countries
The same people (ROP3 108895) is reported in 1 other country.
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