People group profile · PG046989
The Bartang of Tajikistan
The Bartang of Tajikistan, numbering about 5,800 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Eastern Iranian Pamiri people calling themselves bartangij, isolated for centuries in the narrow Bartang Valley of Gorno-Badakhshan without road access until the twentieth century, their language now dwindling under past Soviet resettlement pressure.
They are an indigenous people in the Tajik people cluster of the Persian-Median Peoples. Their primary religion is Shia Islam, and they primarily speak Shughni.
Fast facts
- Country
- Tajikistan
- Population
- 5,800
- Affinity group
- Central Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Tajik
- Primary language
- Shughni (sgh)
- Primary religion
- Shia Islam
- Strategic Progress Index
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Central Asia, Asia
Where they live
Gospel status
The Bartang are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist No
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Bartang
- Continue prayer and fasting for this group
- Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
- Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people
Primary religion
Shia Islam · Islam
95% adherents
Primary language
Shughni · Indo-European family
90% speak Shughni
Gospel resources in Shughni
- Bible available, published 2015
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Bartang
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
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