The Tajiks of Central Asia are the oldest surviving people group in that region. Their homeland, Tajikistan, is the mountainous center of Asia, surrounded by the Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Tajikistan includes the Pamir Mountains, which reach altitudes of nearly 25,000 feet. Most of the people live in the parallel valleys below.
The Tajiks have repeatedly been invaded and conquered throughout their history. The armies of Alexander the Great, the Arabs in the seventh century, Genghis Khan, the Turks, the British and the Russian empire have all had a profound impact on these people. In fact, the numerous invasions have been the major factor in the dispersion of Tajiks to other locations. Many Tajiks have crossed over into Afghanistan and are still surrounded by war, ethnic violence, religious tension, and harsh living conditions.
After the breakup of the USSR, Tajikistan still suffered through years of a civil war which ended in 1997. However, tens of thousands had been killed and thousands of wives widowed. The economy collapsed, and unemployment was extremely high, up to 70% in some rural areas.
Most Tajiks are farmers and shepherds. Seasonal grasses create suitable pastures for raising sheep, goats, cattle, camels and horses. They also practice a remarkable system of terraced, mountainside irrigation so that wheat and barley can be grown at the higher, dry altitudes. An increasing number of Tajiks have moved to the cities. Poetry plays an important part in Tajik culture. It is read and often sung at important celebrations. Even the Koran has been put to music.
Tajik families carry a heavy burden to pay for weddings they cannot afford. To not pay for an elaborate ceremony would bring shame on their family. Others borrow money to send their kids abroad for an education they cannot afford. The results is that families go into debt and members often go to Russia to earn higher wages.
Everyone in the Tajik community knows that a man's promises before marriage are usually empty. In this patriarchal society, once a woman is married, neither the bride nor her birth family has much to say about how she is treated. Even an educated woman must give up her career and studies for the heavy responsibilities of family life. And if she does not become pregnant soon enough, the community's judgment can fall on her entire family.
The Tajik people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.
The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.
Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.
These Muslims have been abused by the Russians and they equate the Russians with Christianity. That provides an additional barrier to the gospel.
Pray that Tajik believers would live such holy lives that others would desire to have the same spiritual riches found only in Christ.
Pray that Tajiks would not judge Christianity as a "Russian religion," but see their own need for salvation and the forgiveness of their sins from a sinless savior.
Ask God to raise up more long-term missionaries.
Ask the Lord to raise up a movement to Christ among the Tajiks soon.
Scripture Prayers for the Tajik in Tajikistan.
Mission Pathway, July 2026
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
