Kataghan in Tajikistan

People Name:	Kataghan
Country:	Tajikistan
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	9,700
World Population:	9,700
Primary Language:	Uzbek, Northern
Primary Religion:	Islam
Christian Adherents:	0.00 %
Evangelicals:	0.00 %
Scripture:	Complete Bible
Online Audio NT:	Yes
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	Uzbek
Affinity Bloc:	Turkic Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Kataghan people are a small ethnic group primarily found in the Wakhan Corridor of northeastern Afghanistan, which is a narrow strip of land that extends from Afghanistan to China, bordered by Pakistan to the south and Tajikistan to the north. The Kataghan people are also found in Tajikistan where they speak the Wakhi language, a dialect of Pamir. They are closely related to the Wakhi people.

They were once nomadic yak, sheep and goat herders. They also grew grains such as buckwheat, barley and wheat.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The peoples of this region know the Khatagan people for their skills in wool production, carpet weaving and animal husbandry. The Khatagan people trade their goods with the other peoples in Central Asia.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Khatagan people are 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.

In most of the Muslim world, common 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 they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.

What Are Their Needs?

Because of their remote location, the Khatagan people are often forgotten and marginalized economically. They often lack necessary infrastructure and services such as heathcare and education.

Prayer Points

Pray for many from this unreached people group to understand both God’s judgment and his majestic glory.

Pray for loving workers to go to the Khatagan people, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their savior.

Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that result in thousands of new disciples who share their faith with others.

Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.