Shirazi is a name used by some Africans who identify their heritage with the ancient Persian province, Shiraz. According to legend, a Persian prince from Shiraz had a nightmare that he interpreted as meaning that evil would soon destroy him, so he and others set sail, and eventually landed in Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania. The Shirazi people believe this prince is their ancestor. These Persian settlers were the progeny of the Muslim Shirazi people. These Persian settlers were attacked in the 1300s, and all that was left of their settlement were ruins. These resilient people survived, and today there are still in Tanzania. Shirazi people sometimes consider themselves a separate ethnic group from the Swahili peoples, though Swahili is their mother tongue.
Widespread poverty plagues Shirazi people. To those willing to go, there are many opportunities to help the people with education, literacy, medicine, water wells, and agricultural skills.
Shirazi people are almost entirely Muslim, but they also practice folk religion and witchcraft. There is possibly one follower of Christ for every 1,000 Muslims among them. Bible resources are available in Swahili, their trade language.
The Shirazi people need good schools and hospitals. As Muslims, they need to find grace and mercy in the loving arms of Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers to the Shirazi people. Pray that the Shirazi people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings. Pray for workers who are driven by the love and boldness of the Holy Spirit to go to them. Pray for a movement to Christ among them to begin this decade.
Scripture Prayers for the Shirazi in Tanzania.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Expanded PDF Profile |
Global Prayer Digest: 2010-01-31 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2019-10-01 |
People Name General | Shirazi |
People Name in Country | Shirazi |
Pronunciation | shee-RAH-zee |
Alternate Names | |
Population this Country | 705,000 |
Population all Countries | 705,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 14 |
People ID | 14915 |
ROP3 Code | 108953 |
Country | Tanzania | ||
Region | Africa, East and Southern | ||
Continent | Africa | ||
10/40 Window | No | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked | ||
Location in Country | Widespread. Formerly Zanzibar, coastal areas. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Tanzania |
Region | Africa, East and Southern |
Continent | Africa |
10/40 Window | No |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Location in Country | Widespread. Formerly Zanzibar, coastal areas.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
100.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Swahili (705,000 speakers) |
Language Code | swh Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Swahili (705,000 speakers) |
Language Code | swh Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Swahili |
Primary Language: Swahili
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1868-1968) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1879-1989) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1890-2017) |
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 |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) David Sluka - Pixabay |
Map Source | People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |