The Southern Luri of Iran

The Southern Luri of Iran, numbering approximately 1,200,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as an Indo-Iranian ethnolinguistic community of southwestern Iran, speakers of Southern Luri, whose identity is rooted in the Zagros region's tribal traditions, pastoral heritage, and Shia Muslim faith They are an Indigenous people, with Luri (Iran) as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Luri-Bakhtiari people cluster of the Persian-Median Peoples. Their primary religion is Shia Islam. They primarily speak Southern Luri.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Persian-Median Peoples
Country: Iran
People Cluster: Luri-Bakhtiari
Primary Language(s): Southern Luri (luz)
Primary Religion(s): Shia Islam
Population: 1,200,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024186
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Southern Luri of Iran

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: Shia Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

90%
%
Shia Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Southern Luri
Language Family: Indo-European

50%
%
Luri, Southern Speakers

Media Resources in Southern Luri:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Southern Luri:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Southern Luri bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Southern Luri 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 Southern Luri:
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 Southern Luri of Iran

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
readRomans 5:7-8

Pray for the many who don't yet understand the hope of the gospel, and pray that God will reveal to them that while they were in darkness, Christ died for them.

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
readActs 6:7

Pray that the Word of God will be increasingly available to these people in ways they will resonate with so that all may have a chance to respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
readRomans 10:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be eager to proclaim the good news of peace, knowing that the Lord has called them to this task.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns”
readIsaiah 52:7

Pray that God will provide open doors for believers who cross cultures to share the good news of salvation with those who need it. Pray that He will give them joy as they see Him move.

Luri, Southern Across Countries (ROP3 - 114987) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

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

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