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

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
readPsalm 32:5

Pray those who are lost will realize their sin, confess their iniquity, and grow in their understanding of salvation through faith in Christ alone.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
readIsaiah 55:6

Pray that the lost will seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
readHebrews 10:25

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will not neglect meeting together but encourage one another as they see the Day approaching.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
readRevelation 7:9-10

Pray that the promise in Revelation 7:9-10 will encourage believers from among them or from nearby people groups to share the gospel with people who have never learned it.

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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