Khunsari in Iran

Joshua Project has identified the Khunsari only in Iran






Largest Religion

Main Language


Introduction / History

The Islamic Republic of Iran is home to approximately 68 million people divided into about 100 distinct ethnic groups. The largest percentage of people are Persian. These descended from the original Indo-Europeans who entered the country from Central Asia in the second millennium B.C. The remainder of the population consists of groups such as the Azeri, Gilaki, Mazandarani, and Kurds. Other groups include the Arab, Lur, Baluchi, and Turkmen. Numerous other groups compose a very small percentage of the total population.

In the mid-eleventh century, Iran was conquered by the Seljuk Turks under Togrul Beg. During the next four centuries, it was successively dominated by the Seljuks, the Mongols under Genghis Khan, Tamerlane and his Mongol hordes, and the Turkmen, resulting in a melting pot of ethnic groups. The Khunsari, like most Iranians, speak an Indo-Iranian language (also called Khunsari), but many are also fluent in Farsi.

What are Their Lives Like?





What are Their Beliefs?


The official religion of Iran is the Shi'ite branch of Islam, which is followed by nearly all of the population. Some of the most sacred Shi'ite places are in Iran. The city of Qom (Qum), south of Teheran, is a noted place of pilgrimage.

What are Their Needs?

The Khunsari are virtually all Muslim and do not have any Christian resources available to them in their own language. In addition, no missions agencies are currently focusing on them. Iran, unfortunately, remains closed to traditional missionary work. Only sustained prayer can open the doors of this Muslim nation to the Gospel.

Prayer Points

* Pray for the hearts of the Khunsari to be softened towards the Gospel message.
* Pray that strong local churches will be planted among the Khunsari.

Profile Source:   Bethany World Prayer Center  

Prayer Links
Global Prayer Digest: 2007-11-24
Global Prayer Digest: 2009-11-21
Global Prayer Digest: 2013-10-11
People Name General Khunsari
People Name in Country Khunsari
Population in Iran 25,000
World Population 25,000
Countries 1
Progress Scale 1.1
Least-Reached Yes
Indigenous Yes
Alternate Names
Affinity Bloc Persian-Median
People Cluster Persian
People Name General Khunsari
Ethnic Code CNT24z
People ID 12671
Country Iran
Region Central Asia
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Location in Country Esfahan Province, Kashan and Esfahan areas.   Source:  Ethnologue 2010
Khunsari (25,000)
Khunsari 25,000
Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible Portions No
New Testament No
Complete Bible No
Format Resource
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching (GRN)

Major Religion Percent
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
0.00 %
100.00 %
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
0.00 %
Map Source: Bethany World Prayer Center  
Profile Source: Bethany World Prayer Center  
Data Sources: Data is compiled from various sources. Read more
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