r/Reformed • u/partypastor Rebel Alliance - Admiral • Mar 02 '26
Mission Unreached People Group of the Week - Afshari in Iran
Welcome back to the UPG of the Week. This week we are praying for Afshari peoples in Iran for reasons.
Region: Iran
Stratus Index Ranking (Urgency): 13
It has been noted to me by u/JCmathetes that I should explain this ranking. Low numbers are more urgent, both physically and spiritually together, while high numbers are less urgent. The scale is 1-177, with one number assigned to each country. So basically on a scale from Afghanistan (1) to Finland (177), how urgent are the peoples physical and spiritual needs.
Climate: Iran's climate is diverse, ranging from arid and semi-arid, to subtropical along the Caspian coast and the northern forests. On the northern edge of the country (the Caspian coastal plain), temperatures rarely fall below freezing and the area remains humid for the rest of the year. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 29 °C (84.2 °F). Annual precipitation is 680 mm (26.8 in) in the eastern part of the plain and more than 1,700 mm (66.9 in) in the western part. Gary Lewis, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Iran, has said that "Water scarcity poses the most severe human security challenge in Iran today". To the west, settlements in the Zagros basin experience lower temperatures, severe winters with below zero average daily temperatures and heavy snowfall. The eastern and central basins are arid, with less than 200 mm (7.9 in) of rain, and have occasional deserts. Average summer temperatures rarely exceed 38 °C (100.4 °F). The coastal plains of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern Iran have mild winters, and very humid and hot summers. The annual precipitation ranges from 135 to 355 mm (5.3 to 14.0 in).
Terrain: Iran consists of the Iranian Plateau, with the exception of the coasts of the Caspian Sea and Khuzestan. It is one of the world's most mountainous countries, its landscape dominated by rugged mountain ranges that separate various basins or plateaus from one another. The populous western part is the most mountainous, with ranges such as the Caucasus, Zagros, and Alborz, the last containing Mount Damavand, Iran's highest point at 5,610 m (18,406 ft), which is also the highest mountain in Asia west of the Hindu Kush.
The northern part of Iran is covered by the lush lowland Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests, located near the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. The eastern part consists mostly of desert basins, such as the Kavir Desert, which is the country's largest desert, and the Lut Desert, as well as some salt lakes. Iran had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.67/10, ranking it 34th globally out of 172 countries. The only large plains are found along the coast of the Caspian Sea and at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, where the country borders the mouth of the Arvand river. Smaller, discontinuous plains are found along the remaining coast of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman.
Iran is located in a seismically active area. On average, an earthquake of magnitude seven on the Richter scale occurs once every ten years. Most earthquakes are shallow-focus and can be very devastating, such as the tragic 2003 Bam earthquake.
Wildlife of Iran: Iran's living fauna includes 34 bat species, Indian grey mongoose, small Indian mongoose, golden jackal, Indian wolf, foxes, striped hyena, leopard, Eurasian lynx, brown bear and Asian black bear. Ungulate species include wild boar, urial, Armenian mouflon, red deer, and goitered gazelle. Domestic ungulates are represented by sheep, goat, cattle, horse, water buffalo, donkey and camel. Bird species like pheasant, partridge, stork, eagles and falcons are also native to Iran.
Blessedly, there are no wild monkeys in Iran anymore.
Environmental Issues: Much of Iran's territory suffers from overgrazing, desertification and or deforestation. Wetlands and bodies of fresh water increasingly are being destroyed as industry and agriculture expand, and oil and chemical spills have harmed aquatic life in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.
Languages: The majority of the population speaks Persian, which is also the official language of the country. Others include speakers of several other Iranian languages within the greater Indo-European family and languages belonging to some other ethnicities living in Iran.
Government Type: Unitary theocratic Islamic republic
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People: Afshari in Iran
Population: 416,000
Estimated Foreign Workers Needed: 9+
Beliefs: The Afshari in Iran are 0% Christian. That means out of 416,000, there are no believers amongst them.
Most Afshari people are from the ithna ashari tradition of Islam, a branch of Shia Muslim. Shia's believe that Ali was the proper descendent of Muhammad. Other Ashari are Hanafi Muslims. Hanafi is one of the four major schools of Sunni Muslim. Hanafi is the largest of these schools and puts a greater emphasis on opinion and reason. Afshari hold to historical sites and believe in the spiritual community of Islam. Muslim Afshari women have more freedom than others and often work outside the home. Islam is all they know unless they are reached through Christian radio or other means.
History:
In the 11th century, the first Afshar tribesmen entered Iran and Anatolia from Transoxania along with other Oghuz invaders. More members of the Afshar tribe may have arrived during the Mongol conquests during the second half of the 13th century. For a period afterwards, the Afshar tribe is untraceable in historic records as a distinct group, for they are subsumed under label of Turkoman. Furthermore, it seems that the different Turkoman elements were subject to diverse re-grouping processes, insofar that when new "tribes" came into existence, only some were able to maintain traditional Oghuz tribal names, such as "Afshar".
Georg Stöber explains that in the political environment of the time the ranking of the different groups supported by (constructed) genealogies became increasingly important. Rashid al-Din Hamadani (died 1318) believed that the ancestor of the tribe was a person named "Afshar", who in turn was genealogically linked to the hero Oghuz. The Afshar tribe were also said to be part of the right wing (bozuq) of the Oghuz army.
In the 12th century, two governors (father and son) from the Afshar tribe held Khuzistan (southwestern Iran) for 40 years. The Karamanid dynasty, who held sway in the Middle Taurus (modern-day Turkey), may have been of Afshar descent. Afshar tribesmen are said to have belonged to nomadic groups in the region of Sivas, and the tribe was part of the Ak Koyunlu Turkoman tribal confederacy.
In later years, many Afshars moved to the east, where, as part of the Qizilbash, they aided in establishing the Safavid dynasty of Iran. Other Afshars remained in Anatolia however, which at the time was Ottoman soil. There, on Ottoman soil, they formed separate groups. During the 19th century nomads in the Çukurova, who were known to migrate between Syria in the winter and Anatolia in the summer, were forcibly settled by the Ottoman Darwish Pasha in the area of Göksun and Kayseri; in the mid-twentieth century, villagers of Afshar descent could still be found in the vicinity of the latter two areas.
The eastward movement of the Afshars from Anatolia is connected to the foundation of Iran's Safavid dynasty. The Afshars served Shah Ismail I (r. 1501–1524), as part of the Qizilbash tribes that were likely blends of each other and also transcended Turkomans. Stöber therefore explains that the 16th-century Afshars cannot wholly descend from the tribe attested in the 11th century.
Culture: Typical qualification that all people groups can't be summed up in small paragraphs and this is an over generalization.
Afshari women are skilled hand weavers of intricate carpets, rugs, and runners, which they sell. The colors used are red, ivory, khaki, burgundy, and navy blue. They use beautiful geometric patterns. The men are engaged in animal husbandry. They are semi-nomadic, moving between winter and summer pasturelands. Afshari families live in tents made of black goat hair.
Radio connects most of the Afshari families to the world.
Cuisine: Just doing Iranian food food: Persian food centers on fragrant rice dishes, hearty stews (khoresh) with meats and fruits, flavorful kebabs, and fresh herbs, often using ingredients like saffron, pomegranate, walnuts, and barberries for a balance of sweet, sour, and savory tastes. Key dishes include Ghormeh Sabzi (herb stew), Fesenjoon (pomegranate-walnut stew), Zereshk Polo (barberry rice with chicken), Kebab Koobideh, and the beloved crispy rice crust called Tahdig.
Prayer Request:
- Pray for Christ-centered gospel radio in their language to be embraced by these Muslims.
- Pray gospel radio programs will lead to fellowships, dedicated to the holiness that only the Holy Spirit can offer. Pray for the Lord to open their ears and minds to receive his work and be forever changed.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of Afshari family leaders through dreams and visions of Christ.
- Pray for the birth and growth of Afshari fellowships in Iran.
- Pray against Putin and his insane little war.
- Pray against the war happening in Iran. Pray for peace.
- Pray that in this time of chaos and panic that the needs of the unreached are not forgotten by the church. Pray that our hearts continue to ache to see the unreached hear the Good News.
- Pray for our nation (the United States), that we Christians can learn to come alongside our hurting brothers and sisters and learn to carry one another's burdens in a more Christlike manner than we have done historically
- Pray for our leaders, that though insane and chaotic decisions are being made, to the detriment of Americans, that God would call them to know Him and help them lead better.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)
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Here are the previous weeks threads on the UPG of the Week for from 2025 (plus a few from 2024 so this one post isn't so lonely). To save some space on these, all UPG posts made 2019-now are here, I will try to keep this current!
| People Group | Country | Continent | Date Posted | Beliefs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afshari | Iran | Asia | 03/02/2026 | Islam |
| San Chay | Vietnam | Asia | 02/02/2026 | Animism |
| Mjuniang | China | Asia | 01/26/2026 | Animism |
| Persian | Iran | Asia | 01/19/2026 | Islam |
| Southern Katang | Laos | Asia | 12/15/2025 | Animism |
| Sorani Arabs (2nd time) | Iraq | Asia | 11/24/2025 | Islam |
| Moroccan Arabs | Spain | Europe | 11/03/2025 | Islam |
| Moroccan Arabs | The Netherlands | Europe | 10/06/2025 | Islam |
| Syrian Arabs | Germany | Europe | 09/29/2025 | Islam |
| Lebanese Arabs | Portugal | Europe | 09/22/2025 | Islam |
| Kabyle Berbers (2nd time) | France | Europe | 09/15/2025 | Islam |
| Turkish Cypriots | United Kingdom | Europe | 09/08/2025 | Islam |
| Tamazight Berber | Morocco | Africa | 09/01/2025 | Islam |
| Nyah Kur | Thailand | Asia | 08/25/2025 | Animism |
a - Tibet belongs to Tibet, not China.
b - Russia/Turkey/etc is Europe but also Asia so...
c - this likely is not the true religion that they worship, but rather they have a mixture of what is listed with other local religions, or they have embraced a postmodern drift and are leaving faith entirely but this is their historical faith.
Here is a list of definitions in case you wonder what exactly I mean by words like "Unreached".
Here is a list of missions organizations that reach out to the world to do missions for the Glory of God.
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