Sunni Zaza

Hidden in the rugged mountains of Eastern Turkey, the Southern Zaza people—about 1.5 to 2 million strong—live largely unnoticed. Speaking Dimli (Zazaki), a Northwestern Iranian language distinct from Turkish and Kurdish, they are traditionally nomadic shepherds and farmers who move seasonally between mountain pastures and lower plains. Their society is patriarchal, oral, and challenged by illiteracy, while secular trends and the loss of traditional religious authority have left many spiritually adrift.

Long marginalized, the Southern Zaza have been squeezed between Turkish nationalism and Kurdish politics. Past “Turkification” policies suppressed their language and culture: native books and media were banned, and many adopted Turkish names to access education and work. Today Zazaki is endangered—Turkish is the main language in roughly 38% of Zaza homes—and poverty, discrimination, and migration to cities put intense pressure on young people torn between heritage and opportunity.

Spiritually the Southern Zaza remain largely unreached. Though a few dozen believers among Dimli-speakers worship mostly in Turkish, there are no regular Christian gatherings in Zazaki. Scripture is not yet fully available: the Gospel of Luke in the southern dialect is completed but unreleased, and work on a standardized New Testament continues. Without Scripture and worship in their heart language, the transformative message of Christ has limited resonance among this people.

Yet God is at work amid suffering. Pain and marginalization often turn hearts toward Him, and this season—during Ramadan or any time of searching—we ask God to reveal Himself to the Southern Zaza. It will be a thing of Joy to have the completion and distribution of Bible in Zazaki, for gospel workers to be multiplied  with vision and perseverance, and for an openness to the message of Christ that will spark discipleships -making movements among families and villages, bringing healing, dignity, and lasting transformation.