The Lezghi of Azerbaijan

The Lezghi of Azerbaijan, numbering approximately 441,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Lezgic people of the Samur River basin whose ancestors' 26 tribes united to form ancient Caucasian Albania in the 4th century BC, later absorbed into Russia by the 1813 Treaty of Gulistan, their homeland split when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Lezghian is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Lezghi

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Eurasian Peoples
Country: Azerbaijan
People Cluster: Caucasus
Primary Language(s): Lezghian (lez)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 441,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024076
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Lezghi of Azerbaijan

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Lezghian
Language Family: Nakh-Daghestanian

90%
%
Lezgi Speakers

Media Resources in Lezghian:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Lezghian:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2018 Institute for Bible Translation, Moscow✓

1 entry

Or check out the Lezghian bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Lezghi are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Lezghi:
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

Pray specifically for the Lezghi of Azerbaijan

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or?rulers?or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
readColossians 1:16

Pray for those who are lost among them, that they will come to know the One who created all things and holds all things together.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
readPsalm 67:3

Pray that God will be working in people's hearts, give them opportunities to receive the gospel, and bring many to faith in Himself.

But you said, "I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."
readGenesis 32:12

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will experience God's presence and protection even in difficult circumstances, knowing that He will make them fruitful.

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
readJohn 1:35-36

Pray for those God sends to cross cultures to share the gospel, that they might faithfully share the good news of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Lezgin Across Countries (ROP3 - 105742) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

5 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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