The Uzbeks are a Turkic people group located primarily in Central Asia. There are large Uzbek communities in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, as well as small communities in many other nations, including the United States.
Traditionally, most Uzbeks were semi-nomadic shepherds; however, today, most of those living in Central Asia either farm or live and work in larger towns and cities. Among those who farm, the principal crop is cotton. Fruits, vegetables, and grains are also grown.
Their common staple food is rice and "osh" is the national dish cooked with rice. Pasta is also a common food item. It was probably brought to Central Asia hundreds of years ago by Italian or Chinese traders who traveled along the Silk Road. Two favorite pasta dishes are ash (a noodle dish sometimes mixed with yogurt) and ashak (an Uzbek-style ravioli).
The traditional dress of the Uzbeks is very distinctive. But today, most wear Western style clothing, especially those who live in large, previously Soviet cities.
The Uzbek mountain men love to play buzkashi, a wild polo-like game with two teams on horseback. The game, which uses the headless carcass of a goat or calf as the "ball," can be very violent and go on for two or three days. The object of the game is to pick up the "ball" and carry it to a goal that may be as far as two miles away. The other team attempts to stop whoever has the animal with any means necessary, even using whips to attack him. Another popular past-time is to hunt wild birds with falcons.
Most Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafite branch. Like other Muslims, the Uzbeks believe that there is one God, Allah, whose will was revealed through the prophet Mohammed and then recorded in the Koran.
The Uzbeks are not generally Orthodox Muslims. Many traditional beliefs have been mingled with their Islamic practices. Many of the younger generation are either atheists or non-religious.
Most Uzbeks who have access to the Gospel live in the cities. It is likely that the majority of the rural villages have had no Gospel witness.
Today, Islamic fundamentalists living in the former Soviet regions have begun calling for the strict application of Islamic law, as is practiced in Afghanistan. Now is the time to preach the Gospel to the Uzbeks of this region. There is an unprecedented opportunity to reach their communities with the message of the Cross. However, much intercession is needed to prevent this door from closing.
* Scripture Prayers for the Uzbek, Northern in Uzbekistan.
* Pray that Christian Uzbek leaders would be unified in their evangelistic activities.
* Pray that new Uzbek Christians would understand God's Word quickly and commit themselves to a local fellowship where they will find strength.
* Pray that the Holy Spirit will soften the hearts of Uzbek Muslims towards Christians.
* Ask God to grant wisdom and favor to missions agencies focusing on the Uzbeks.
* Ask the Lord to send additional long term laborers to live among the Uzbeks and share the love of Christ with them.
* Pray that Christians in other countries to start reaching out to their Uzbek neighbors and they would be receptive for Christ's love.
* Pray for effectiveness of the Jesus film and Christian radio broadcasts that are being aired among the Uzbeks.
* Pray for God to raise up strong local churches in all these countries among the Uzbeks.
Profile Source: Bethany World Prayer Center / GAAPNet |
People Name General | Uzbek, Northern |
People Name in Country | Uzbek, Northern |
Pronunciation | OOZ-bek |
Natural Name | Northern Uzbeks |
Natural Pronunciation | OOZ-beks |
Population this Country | 27,199,000 |
Population all Countries | 30,922,000 |
Total Countries | 19 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 3 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 544 |
Alternate Names | Northern Uzbek; Ouzbek; Ozbek; Usbaki; Uzbeki; Wuzibieke; उज़्बेक, नॉर्दर्न |
People ID | 14039 |
ROP3 Code | 107469 |
Country | Uzbekistan | ||
Region | Asia, Central | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 21 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | Widespread; concentrated in eastern. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Uzbekistan |
Region | Asia, Central |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 21 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | Widespread; concentrated in eastern.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Primary Language | Uzbek, Northern (27,199,000 speakers) |
Language Code | uzn Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Uzbek, Northern (27,199,000 speakers) |
Language Code | uzn Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Uzbek, Northern |
Primary Language: Uzbek, Northern
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1891-1992) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1992-2010) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (2016) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching (GRN) |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament (FCBH) |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | God's Story Video |
Film / Video | Indigitube.tv Video / Animation |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Uzbek, Northern |
Film / Video | Magdalena (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | More Than Dreams-Mohammed |
Film / Video | My Last Day (Jesus Film Project Anime) |
Film / Video | Story of Jesus for Children (JF Project) |
Film / Video | The Prophets' Story |
Film / Video | The Tomb of Daniel |
General | Got Questions Ministry |
Mobile App | Download Audio Bible app as APK File from FCBH |
Text / Printed Matter | Bible: Oʻzbekcha (Ўзбекча) - Uzbek |
Text / Printed Matter | Jesus Messiah comic book |
Text / Printed Matter | Online Bible text (Scripture Earth) |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.01 %) |
0.02 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
85.98 %
|
Non-Religious |
14.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Christian Segments ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Anglican |
0.0 %
|
Independent |
13.0 %
|
Orthodox |
40.0 %
|
Other Christian |
9.0 %
|
Protestant |
37.0 %
|
Roman Catholic |
1.0 %
|
Photo Source | Fulvio Spada Creative Commons Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group Location from IMB. Other map data / geography from GMI. Map by Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Bethany World Prayer Center / GAAPNet |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |