This is a list of notable

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

Public figures

Politicians

Presidents

* Adib Shishakli (born 1909), President of Syria Houari Boumediene's Portrait

Houari Boumédiène Houari Boumédiène ( ar, ; ALA-LC: ''Hawwārī Būmadyan''; born Mohammed Ben Brahim Boukherouba; 23 August 1932 – 27 December 1978) was an Algerian politician and army colonel who served as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Al ...

(1932–1978), second president of Algeria. *

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...

(1918–1981), third president of Egypt. *

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-r ...

(1918–1970), second president of Egypt *

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in ...

, former President of Egypt * Mohamed Naguib, first President of Egypt *

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar,  خليفة بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان‎; 7 September 1948 – 13 May 2022) was the second president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, serving from ...

, son of

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati politician, statesman, and philanthropist who served as ...

and second president of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 1 ...

, president of Syria from 1971 to 2000 *

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

, former President of Iraq *

(1918–2004), president of UAE from 1971 to 2004 * Omar al-Bashir (born 1944), former President of Sudan *

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Nati ...

, President of the State of Palestine *

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

, current president of Syria and son of Hafez

Monarchs

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renova ...

(72–4 BCE), King of Judea from 37 to 4 BCE * Hussein bin Talal (1935–1999), King of Jordan from 1952 to 1999 * Abdullah II Al-Hussein, King of Jordan since 1999 *

Faisal of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ''Fayṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was ...

(1904–1975), King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975 *

Ibn Saud Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...

(1876–1953), first king of Saudi Arabia * Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Rahman Al Saud (1902–1969), second king of Saudi Arabia *

Mohammed VI of Morocco Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is the King of Morocco. He belongs to the 'Alawi dynasty and acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. Upon ascending to the throne, Moh ...

(born 1963), king of Morocco 1999 to present

Others

Abdelkhader Houamel Abdelkhader Houamel (August 17, 1936 – July 11, 2018) was an Algerian painter. Born in N'Gaous, he is considered to be among the founders of contemporary Algerian painting. Between 1955 and 1960, Abdelkhader Houamel was an active member of ...

, (Algerian) painter, he received the Gold medal for Arabian arts. *

Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed or Aḥmad Luṭfī Sayyid Pasha () (15 January 1872 – 5 March 1963) was a prominent Egyptian nationalist, intellectual, anti-colonial activist and the first director of Cairo University. He was an influential person in th ...

Fendi Al-Fayez Fendi Abbas Awad Al Fayez ( ar, فندي عباس عواد الفايز; 1800-1879) was an Arab leader from the Al-Fayez family who was the chief Sheikh of the Bani Sakher Clan from the 1820s up until his death. He is widely regarded as the mos ...

19th century tribal leader. *

Boutros Boutros-Ghali Boutros Boutros-Ghali (; , ar, بطرس بطرس غالي ', ; 14 November 1922 – 16 February 2016) was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 1992 to 1996. An academic ...

, former Secretary-General of the United Nations *

Dodi Fayed Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Mena'em Fayed (; arz, عماد الدين محمد عبد المنعم الفايد, ʿImād ed-Dīn Muḥammad ʿAbd el-Munʿim el-Fāyid , 17 April 1955 – 31 August 1997), better known as Dodi Fayed ( ar, دودى ...

, businessman and Princess Diana's partner *

Faris Al-Rawi Faris Al-Rawi is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician. He was the former Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago from 2015 to 2022. He is also a Member of the House of Representatives for the constituency of San Fernando West. Early life ...

(Iraqi father),

Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago According to the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, the supreme law of the nation, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago is the primary legal advisor to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Roles and funct ...

George J. Mitchell George John Mitchell Jr. (born August 20, 1933) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A leading member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Maine from 1980 to 1995, and as Senate Majority Leader from ...

, (Lebanese) United States of America special envoy to the Middle East under the Obama administration, U.S. senator from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

, Senate Majority Leader. *

Hanan Ashrawi Hanan Daoud Mikhael Ashrawi ( ar, حنان داوود مخايل عشراوي ; born 8 October 1946) is a Palestinian politician, legislator, activist, and scholar who served as a member of the Leadership Committee and as an official spokesperson ...

(born 1946), Palestinian legislator *

Harun al-Rashid Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar , أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...

(763–809), fifth Abbasid caliph *

John E. Sununu John Edward Sununu (born September 10, 1964) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from New Hampshire. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire ...

(Palestinian), Senator from New Hampshire * John H. Sununu (Palestinian),

Governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering ...

and White House Chief of Staff under George H. W. Bush. *

Mohamed ElBaradei Mohamed Mustafa ElBaradei ( ar, محمد مصطفى البرادعي, Muḥammad Muṣṭafá al-Barādaʿī, ; born 17 June 1942) is an Egyptian law scholar and diplomat who served as the vice president of Egypt on an interim basis from 14 July ...

(born 1942), Egyptian, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1997 to 2009 * Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and brother of

Muhammad Abduh ; "The Theology of Unity") , alma_mater = Al-Azhar University , office1 = Grand Mufti of Egypt , term1 = 1899 – 1905 , Sufi_order = Shadhiliyya , disciple_of = , awards = , in ...

* Muhammad Husayn Haykal * Mustafa Kamil Pasha * Mustafa Wahbi (1919–1971) Jordanian poet, lawyer, teacher, judge, political agitator and philosopher *

Nadya Suleman Natalie Denise Suleman (born Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman; July 11, 1975), known as Octomom in the media, is an American media personality who came to international attention when she gave birth to the first surviving octuplets in January 2009.

(Iraqi father), "Octomom" *

Nick Rahall Nicholas Joseph Rahall II (born May 20, 1949) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2015. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States Hous ...

(Lebanese), Congressman from West Virginia. *

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated ...

(1957–2011), founder of al-Qaeda *

Qasim Amin Qasim Amin (, arz, قاسم أمين; 1 December 1863, in AlexandriaPolitical and diplomatic history of the Arab world, 1900-1967, Menahem Mansoor – April 22, 1908 in Cairo) was an Egyptian jurist, Islamic Modernist and one of the founders ...

* Rifa'a el-Tahtawi *

Rosemary Barkett Rosemary Barkett (née Barakat; born August 29, 1939) is a Mexican-American judge of the Iran–United States Claims Tribunal located in The Hague, Netherlands since 2013. Previously, she served as a United States circuit judge of the United St ...

(Syrian), first woman

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme ...

and Chief Justice for the state of Florida. * Mithqal Al-Fayez Jordanian Political Leader *

Saad Zaghlul Saad Zaghloul ( ar, سعد زغلول / ; also ''Sa'd Zaghloul Pasha ibn Ibrahim'') (July 1859 – 23 August 1927) was an Egyptian revolutionary and statesman. He was the leader of Egypt's nationalist Wafd Party. He led a civil disobedienc ...

Spencer Abraham Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952) is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as the tenth United States Secretary of Energy from 2001 to 2005, under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Abraham pr ...

(Lebanese), Senator from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

and Secretary of Energy under Bush. *

Steve Bracks Stephen Phillip Bracks (born 15 October 1954) is a former Australian politician and was the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Labor Party and was party leader and premier from 1999 ...

(born 1954), Lebanese Australian politician * Talaat Pasha Harb *

Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ( ar, عمر بن عبد العزيز, ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz; 2 November 680 – ), commonly known as Umar II (), was the eighth Umayyad caliph. He made various significant contributions and reforms to the society, an ...

(682–720), notable Umayyad Caliph *

Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...

, (1929–2004), Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

. *

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by '' The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...

(1942–2011), former Libyan leader *

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the ruler of Dubai ...

(born 1949), prime minister of UAE and ruler of Dubai *

Jamal Khashoggi Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi (; ar, جمال أحمد خاشقجي, Jamāl ʾAḥmad Ḵāšuqjī, ; 13 October 1958 – 2 October 2018) was a Saudi journalist, dissident, author, columnist for ''Middle East Eye'' and ''The Washington Post'', and a ge ...

, former Saudi man murdered for his political views

Military

Abdel Ghani el-Gamasy Mohamed Abdel Ghani el-Gamasy ( ar, محمد عبد الغني الجمسي, 9 September 1921 – 7 June 2003) was an Egyptian Field Marshal (Mushir) and the Commander in Chief of The Armed Forces. He has been called "one of the architects of the ...

Abdullah ibn Aamir Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĀmir ibn Kurayz ( ar, أبو عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن عامر بن كريز) (626–678) was a Rashidun politician and general, serving as governor of Basra from 647 to 656 AD during ...

(622–678), Rashidun Arab general *

'Abd Allah ibn Rawahah Abd Allah ibn Rawahah ibn Tha'laba ( ar, عَبْد ٱللَّٰه ٱبْن رَوَاحَة ٱبْن ثَعْلَبَة, translit=ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥa ibn Thaʿlaba), was one of the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who was mart ...

(?–629), Arab general *

Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Jarrāḥ ( ar, عامر بن عبدالله بن الجراح; 583–639 CE), better known as Abū ʿUbayda ( ar, أبو عبيدة ) was a Muslim commander and one of the Companions of the Islamic prophet ...

(583–638), Rashidun Arab military commander * Ahnaf ibn Qais (?–660), Rashidun Arab military commander * Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha, Rashidun Arab general *

Al-Qa'qa'a ibn Amr at-Tamimi Al-Qaʿqāʿ ibn ʿAmr ibn Mālik al-Tamīmī ( ar, القعقاع بن عمرو بن مالك التميمي) was an Arab Muslim commander and general in the Rashidun army, he belonged to the tribe of Banu Tamim. He and his tribe converted to I ...

, Rashidun Arab general *

Amr bin Al'aas ( ar, عمرو بن العاص السهمي; 664) was the Arab commander who led the Muslim conquest of Egypt and served as its governor in 640–646 and 658–664. The son of a wealthy Qurayshite, Amr embraced Islam in and was assigned import ...

(592–664), Rashidun Arab Armilitary commander * Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl (?–636), Rashidun Arab general * Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib (567–625), Muslim general, also known as "Lion of God" * Hashim ibn Utbah, Rashidun Arab general * Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (?–656), Rashidun Arab general *

Khalid ibn al-Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...

(592–642), Rashidun Arab military commander, also known as "sayf al-Allah" (Swords from the swords of God) *

George Joulwan George Alfred Joulwan (born November 16, 1939, Pottsville, Pennsylvania) is a retired United States Army general who served for 36 years. He finished his military career as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States European Command and NATO' ...

(Lebanese), retired general, former NATO commander-in-chief * John Abizaid (Lebanese), retired general * Mavia, warrior queen *

An-Numan ibn Muqarrin An-Numan ibn Muqarrin ( ar, النعمان بن مقرن) (died December 641) was a companion of Muhammad. He was the leader of the tribe of Banu Muzaynah. The tribe of Banu Muzaynah had their habitations some distance from Yathrib on the carava ...

(?–641), Rashidun Arab general *

Saad el-Shazly Saad el-Din Mohamed el-Husseiny el-Shazly ( ar, سعد الدين محمد الحسيني الشاذلي, )‎ (1 April 1922 – 10 February 2011)was an Egyptian military commander. He was Egypt's chief of staff during the October War. ...

(1922–2011),

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

's chief of staff during the

October War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

* Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (595–674), Rashidun Arab military commander *

Shurhabil ibn Hasana Abū ʿAbd Allāh Shuraḥbīl ibn Ḥasana () was one of the earliest Muslim converts, ''sahaba'' (companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) and a key commander in the Rashidun army during the Muslim conquest of the Levant. Early life Shurahbi ...

(583–639), Rashidun Arab general *

Ubayda ibn as-Samit 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit ( ar, عبادة بن الصامت ) was a companion of Muhammad and a well-respected chieftain of the Ansar tribes confederation. He participated in almost every battle during Muhammad's era. His official title, according t ...

, Rashidun Arab general *

Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan ibn Harb ibn Umayya ( ar, يزيد بن أبي سفيان بن حرب بن أمية, Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān ibn Ḥarb ibn Umayya; died 639) was a leading Arab Muslim commander in the conquest of Syria from 634 until his de ...

(?–640), Rashidun Arab general *

Zayd ibn Harithah Zayd ibn Haritha ( ar, زَيْد ٱبْن حَارِثَة, ') (), was an early Muslim, sahabah and the adopted son of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He is commonly regarded as the fourth person to have accepted Islam, after Muhammad's wife Kha ...

, Arab general *

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the cit ...

, Arab general *

Zubayr ibn al-Awwam Az Zubayr ( ar, الزبير) is a city in and the capital of Al-Zubair District, part of the Basra Governorate of Iraq. The city is just south of Basra. The name can also refer to the old Emirate of Zubair. The name is also sometimes written ...

(594–656), Rashidun Arab general

Activists

Jamal al-Dhari Sheikh Jamal Abd al-Wahhab Khamis al-Dhari is one of the leaders of the al-Zoba tribe in Iraq, and is the nephew of the late Islamic Scholar and religious leader sheikh Harith al-Dhari. Jamal al-Dhari was born in the Abu Ghraib district of Ir ...

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

, (Lebanese) consumer advocate, politician, first Arab American to run for President of the United States. *

Salem Hanna Khamis Salem Hanna Khamis ( ar, سالم حنا خميس) (November 22, 1919 – June 16, 2005) was a Palestinian economic statistician for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization who helped formalise the Geary-Khamis method of computi ...

* Toujan al-Faisal * Ibtihal Al-Khatib *

Islah Jad Islah Jad (born 1951) is a tenured Assistant Professor of Gender and Development at Birzeit University. She is also the co-founder and current Director of the Institute of Women’s Studies at Birzeit and a Core Group Member of the Arab Familie ...

James Zogby James Joseph Zogby (from ar, زغبي, ') (born 1945) is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.–based organization that serves as a political and policy research arm of the Arab-American community. ...

, (Lebanese) founder and president of the

Arab American Institute The Arab American Institute (AAI) is a non-profit membership organization that advocates for the interests of Arab-Americans. Founded in 1985 by James Zogby, the brother of pollster John Zogby, the organization is based in Washington, D.C. The ...

. *

Umar al-Tilmisani 'Umar al-Tilmisani , also Omar el-tilmisany ( ar, عمر التلمساني, ; most often transliterated as ''Omar el Telmesany'' or ''Telmesani '') (4 November 1904 – 22 May 1986) was the third General Guide (Murshid al-'Am) of the Egypt ...

, third General Guide (Murshid al-'Am) of the Egyptian Muslim Brothers * Zainab Salbi, (Iraqi), co-founder and president of Women for Women International. * Rahaf Al Qunoon * Loujain Al Hathloul * Wajeha Al Huwaider * Sarah Idan, Iraqi American activist and former Miss Iraq.

Religious figures

* Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

(570/571–632), Prophet anda Messenger *

Abu Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...

, companion of Muhammad and First Caliph *

Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Jarrāḥ ( ar, عامر بن عبدالله بن الجراح; 583–639 CE), better known as Abū ʿUbayda ( ar, أبو عبيدة ) was a Muslim commander and one of the Companions of the Islamic prophet ...

Aisha Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al- muʾminīn), referr ...

(d. 678), the third wife of Muhammad, the daughter of the first caliph Abu Bakr, and narrator of many

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

Ali ibn Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

(c. 599–661), cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad and Fourth Caliph, according to Shi'a Muslims, his successor *

Abdullah ibn Abbas ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās ( ar, عَبْد ٱللَّٰه ٱبْن عَبَّاس; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest mufassir of the Qur'a ...

, Early Islamic Scholar also Companion (Sahabi) and cousin of Muhammad. *

Hafsa bint Umar Ḥafṣa bint ʿUmar ( ar, حفصة بنت عمر; 605–665), was a wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and daughter of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the second caliph of Islam. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title ...

, wife of Muhammad and the daughter of the second caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab *

Khadijah bint Khuwaylid Khadijah bint Khuwaylid ( ar, خَدِيجَة بِنْت خُوَيْلِد, Khadīja bint Khuwaylid, 555 – November 619 CE) was the first wife and is considered to be the first follower of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Khadija was the da ...

(555–619), first wife of Muhammad * Muadh ibn Jabal * Mus'ab ibn Umair (594/598–625), the first ambassador of Islam * Saeed ibn Zaid * Omar, companion of Muhammad and Second Caliph *

Uthman Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prop ...

, companion of Muhammad and Third Caliph * Zayd ibn Thabit, personal scribe of

and was assigned the role of authenticating and collecting the oral Quranic traditions into a single bounded volume

Scientific and academic figures

Mathematics, physics and chemistry

* Ahmed ibn Yusuf (835–912), mathematician * Ibn Tahir al-Baghdadi (980–1037), arithmetician * Ibrahim ibn Sinan (908–946), mathematician and astronomer in Baghdad *

Al-Uqlidisi Abu'l Hasan Ahmad ibn Ibrahim Al-Uqlidisi ( ar, أبو الحسن أحمد بن ابراهيم الإقليدسي) was a Muslim Arab mathematician, who was active in Damascus and Baghdad. He wrote the earliest surviving book on the positional us ...

(920–980), author of two works on arithmetic. He may have anticipated the invention of decimals. * Al-Umawi (1400–1489), mathematician who wrote works on mensuration and arithmetic. * Al-Zarqali (1028–1087), influential early

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

Ahmed Zewail Ahmed Hassan Zewail ( ar, أحمد حسن زويل, ; February 26, 1946 – August 2, 2016) was an Egyptian-American chemist, known as the "father of femtochemistry". He was awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on femtochemistry ...

(born 1946), Egyptian-American scientist, winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry *

Farouk El-Baz Farouk El-Baz ( arz, فاروق الباز, ''Pronunciation'': ) (born January 2, 1938) is an Egyptian American space scientist and geologist, who worked with NASA in the scientific exploration of the Moon and the planning of the Apollo program. ...

(born 1938), Egyptian scientist *

Charles Elachi Charles Elachi (born April 18, 1947
. ''Cedars Network''. Retrieved on February 20, 2008.) is a ...

, Lebanese director of the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, La Cañada Flintridge, California ...

Fawwaz T. Ulaby Fawwaz T. Ulaby ( ar, فواز علبي) is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and formerly the Founding Provost and Executive Vice President of the King Abdullah ...

, Syrian winner of the 2006

IEEE Edison Medal The IEEE Edison Medal is presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) "for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or the electrical arts." It is the oldest medal in this fi ...

and former Vice President of Research for the University of Michigan. * George A. Doumani, geologist whose explorations helped prove the theory of continental drift. * Ali ibn Ridwan (c. 988–c. 1061), astronomer and geometer with

Khalid Ben Abdulmelik Khālid ibn ʿAbd al‐Malik al‐Marwarrūdhī ( ar, خالد بن عبدالملك المرو الروذي) was a 9th-century Baghdadi astronomer. In 827, Marwarrūdhī, together with the astronomer ʿAlī ibn ʿĪsā al-Asṭurlābī and a pa ...

. * Muhammad al-Fazari, credited with building the first astrolabe in the Islamic world.

Biology and medicine

* Abd el-Latif el-Baghdadi (1162–1231), physician, historian and Egyptologist * Al-Asma'i (739–831), pioneer of

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, an ...

Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and

Animal Husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

* Afif Abdul Wahab, doctor surgeon *

Daniel Amen Daniel Gregory Amen (born July 1954) is an American celebrity doctor who practices as a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist as director of the Amen Clinics. He is a five-time ''New York Times'' best-selling author as of 2012. Amen has bu ...

, neuroscientist and author of Lebanese descent *

Ibn Zuhr Abū Marwān ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Zuhr ( ar, أبو مروان عبد الملك بن زهر), traditionally known by his Latinized name Avenzoar (; 1094–1162), was an Arab physician, surgeon, and poet. He was born at Seville in medieval And ...

(1091–1161), prominent

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

parasitologist Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it ...

Ibn Abi Usaibia Ibn Abī Uṣaybiʿa Muʾaffaq al-Dīn Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad Ibn Al-Qāsim Ibn Khalīfa al-Khazrajī ( ar, ابن أبي أصيبعة‎; 1203–1270), commonly referred to as Ibn Abi Usaibia (also ''Usaibi'ah, Usaybea, Usaibi`a, Usaybiʿah'' ...

(1203–1270,

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, Syria), Arab

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

; wrote ''Uyun al-Anba fi Tabaqat al-Atibba'' or Lives of the Physicians. *

Michael DeBakey Michael Ellis DeBakey (September 7, 1908 – July 11, 2008) was a Lebanese-American general and cardiovascular surgeon, scientist and medical educator who became Chairman of the Department of Surgery, President, and Chancellor of Baylor College ...

, cardiac surgeon of Lebanese descent. *

Nayef Al-Rodhan Nayef R. F. Al-Rodhan ( ar, نايف الروضان; born 1959) is a Saudi philosopher, neuroscientist, geostrategist, and author. He is an honorary fellow of St. Antony’s College at Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom, and senior fellow ...

, neuroscientist, philosopher and geostrategist *

Paul Nassif Paul Sabin Nassif (born June 6, 1962) is an American plastic surgeon and television personality. He specializes in rhinoplasty. Nassif is a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Nassif is best known for co-hosting the ...

, Plastic surgeon of Lebanese descent, Doctor on the reality show Botched * Sami Ibrahim Haddad, doctor, surgeon and writer * Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs

Engineering

Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil ( ar, عبد الواحد الوكيل, born 7 August 1943) is an Egyptian architect who designed over 15 mosques in Saudi Arabia and is considered by many as the foremost contemporary authority in Islamic architecture. For ...

, architect * Hassan Fathy (1900–1989), noted Egyptian architect * Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah (1895–1935), early electrical and electronics research engineer, mathematician and inventor. *

Rifat Chadirji Rifat Chadirji ( ar, رفعت الجادرجي ''Rifa'a al-Khādarjī'', also Romanized ''Rifa'at Al Chaderchi''; 6 December 1926 – 10 April 2020) was an Iraqi Turkmen architect. He was often referred to as the father of modern Iraqi architect ...

, architect * Suad Amiry, architect *

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

(1950–2016), Iraqi-British architect

Humanities and social sciences

Edward Said Edward Wadie Said (; , ; 1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American professor of literature at Columbia University, a public intellectual, and a founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies.Robert Young, ''Whit ...

(1935–2003), Palestinian-American literary theorist. *

Ella Shohat Ella Shohat (Hebrew: אלה חביבה שוחט; Arabic: إيلا حبيبة شوحيط) is a professor of cultural studies at New York University, where she teaches in the departments of Art & Public Policy and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies. ...

, Professor of Cultural Studies at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, author and lecturer. *

Ibn Wahshiyya ( ar, ابن وحشية), died , was a Nabataean (Aramaic-speaking, rural Iraqi) agriculturalist, toxicologist, and alchemist born in Qussīn, near Kufa in Iraq. He is the author of the '' Nabataean Agriculture'' (), an influential Arabic work ...

(fl. 9th century/10th century), one of the first historians to partly decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. * Jack Shaheen, emeritus professor of mass communications at Southern Illinois University and author. *

Nada Shabout Nada M. Shabout (born 8 January 1962, Glasgow, Scotland) is an American art historian specializing in modern Iraqi art. She has been a professor of art history at the University of North Texas since 2002. She is the president and co-founding b ...

(born 1962), Iraqi American art historian, lecturer, author. * Sasson Somekh (1933–2019), Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Literature at Tel Aviv University. * Usamah ibn Munqidh (1095–1188, Damascus, Syria), Arab historian, politician, and diplomat.

Philosophy

Nassim Nicholas Taleb Nassim Nicholas Taleb (; alternatively ''Nessim ''or'' Nissim''; born 12 September 1960) is a Lebanese-American essayist, mathematical statistician, former option trader, risk analyst, and aphorist whose work concerns problems of randomness ...

, philosopher, researcher, and veteran practitioner of financial mathematics *

, philosopher, neuroscientist and geostrategist

Traveling

Ahmad ibn Fadlan Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān ibn al-ʿAbbās ibn Rāšid ibn Ḥammād, ( ar, أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن راشد بن حماد; ) commonly known as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, was a 10th-century Muslim traveler, famous for his account of hi ...

, (10th century, Baghdad, Iraq) traveler; member of an embassy of the Caliph of Baghdad * Ibn Majid (1421–c.1500), Arabian navigator

Writing

* Ahmad al-Qalqashandi (1355–1418), writer *

Abbas Ibn al-Ahnaf Abu al-Fadl Abbas Ibn al-Ahnaf () (750 in Basra-809), was an Arab Abbasid poet from the tribe of Banu Hanifa. His work consists solely of love poems (ghazal). It is "primarily concerned with the hopelessness of love, and the personae in his composi ...

(750–809), (عباس بن الأحنف) * Iliyya Abu Madi (d.

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

) * Layla al-Akhyaliyyah (d. 704) * Abu-l-'Atahiya (d. 828) * Muhyi al-din ibn al-'Arabi (d.

1240 Year 1240 ( MCCXL) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * May 24 – Duke Skule Bårdsson, claimant to the Norwegian throne, is defeated by King H ...

) *

Abdullah ibn al-Mu'tazz Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz ( ar, عبد الله بن المعتز, ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muʿtazz; 861 – 17 December 908) was the son of the caliph al-Mu'tazz and a political figure, but is better known as a leading Arabic poet and the author o ...

(861–908) * Abd Al-Rahman Abnudi (born

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime. ** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ...

) * Abdel latif Moubarak (born 1964) *

Abdul Rahman Yusuf Abdul Rahman Yusuf ( ar, عبد الرحمن يوسف) (born September 18, 1970) is an Egyptian-Qatari poet who writes original poetry, maintaining the rules of poetry and dedicated to the issues of the Arab nation as well as aesthetics of Arabic ...

(born 1970) * Abo Al Qassim Al Shabbi * Abu-l-'Atahiya (748–828) * Al-Mutanabbi (915–965) *

Abu 'Afak Abu 'Afak (Arabic: أبو عفك, died c. 624) was a Jewish poet who lived in the Hijaz region (today Saudi Arabia). Abu 'Afak did not convert to Islam and was vocal about his opposition to Muhammad. He became a significant political enemy of ...

(7th Century) * Abu Tammam (c. 805–845) * Abbas Al Akkad (1889–1964) *

Adunis Ali Ahmad Said Esber (, North Levantine: ; born 1 January 1930), also known by the pen name Adonis or Adunis ( ar, أدونيس ), is a Syrian poet, essayist and translator. He led a modernist revolution in the second half of the 20th century, ...

(born 1928) * Ali Al Jallawi (born 1975) * al-Akhtal (c. 640–710) * Maymun Ibn Qays Al-a'sha (570–625) * Muhammed Almagut (

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

–

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

) *

Al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq Al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq ( ar, ٱلرَّبِيع ٱبْن أَبِي ٱلْحُقَيْق, ') was a Jewish poet of the Banu al-Nadir in Medina, who flourished shortly before the Hijra (622 CE). His family was in possession of the fort Qamus, ...

(7th Century) *

'Alqama ibn 'Abada 'Alqama ibn 'Ubada, ( ar, علقمة بن عبدة), generally known as 'Alqama al-Fahl (), was an Arabian poet of the tribe Tamim, who flourished in the second half of the 6th century. The name al-Fahl literally means "the stallion" which he be ...

(6th century) * Ibn Ammar (c. 1031–1086) * Amr ibn Kulthum (6th century) *

'Antara Ibn Shaddad Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Absi ( ar, عنترة بن شداد العبسي, ''ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād al-ʿAbsī''; AD 525–608), also known as ʿAntar, was a pre-Islamic Arab knight and poet, famous for both his poetry and his adventurous life ...

(d. c. 580) *

Asma bint Marwan ʻAṣmāʼ bint Marwān ( ar, عصماء بنت مروان "Asma, daughter of Marwan") a female Arab poet said to have lived in Medina in 7th-century Arabia. Early writers of Muhammad's biography claimed that she was murdered for her agitating a ...

Abu Layla al-Muhalhel Abu Layla ʿUday ibn Rabīʿa ibn al-Ḥāriṯ at-Taḡlibiyy ( ar, أَبُو لَيْلَى عُدَيّ بْن رَبِيعَة بْن الْحَارِث التَّغْلِبِيّ; 443 – 531 CE), also known by the nicknames al-Muhalhil ...

Antarah ibn Shaddad Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Absi ( ar, عنترة بن شداد العبسي, ''ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād al-ʿAbsī''; AD 525–608), also known as ʿAntar, was a pre-Islamic Arab knight and poet, famous for both his poetry and his adventurous life ...

Ibn Hawqal Muḥammad Abū’l-Qāsim Ibn Ḥawqal (), also known as Abū al-Qāsim b. ʻAlī Ibn Ḥawqal al-Naṣībī, born in Nisibis, Upper Mesopotamia; was a 10th-century Arab Muslim writer, geographer, and chronicler who travelled during the ye ...

(943–969, Iraq), writer * Imru' al-Qais * Al-Khansa *

Al-A'sha Al-A'sha ( ar, ٱلْأَعْشَىٰ) or Maymun Ibn Qays Al-A'sha (d.c. 570– 625) was an Arabic Jahiliyyah poet from Najd, Arabia. He traveled through Mesopotamia, Syria, Arabia and Ethiopia. He was nicknamed Al-A'sha which means "weak-sig ...

Zuhayr bin Abi Sulma Zuhayr bin Abī Sulmā ( ar, زهير بن أبي سلمى; ), also romanized as Zuhair or Zoheir, was a pre-Islamic Arabian poet who lived in the 6th & 7th centuries AD. He is considered one of the greatest writers of Arabic poetry in pre ...

* Amr ibn Kulthum * Harith ibn Hilliza Al-Yashkuri * Labīd *

Tarafa Tarafa ( ar, طرفة بن العبد بن سفيان بن سعد أبو عمرو البكري الوائلي / ALA-LC: ''Ṭarafah ibn al-‘Abd ibn Sufyān ibn Sa‘d Abū ‘Amr al-Bakrī al-Wā’ilī''), was a 6th century Arabian poet of the ...

Al-Nabigha Al-Nābighah (), al-Nābighah al-Dhubiyānī, or Nābighah al-Dhubyānī; real name Ziyad ibn Muawiyah (); was one of the last Arabian poets of pre-Islamic times. "Al-Nabigha" means "genius or intelligent" in Arabic. His tribe, the Banu Dhubya ...

Mathematics

* Ahmed ibn Yusuf (835, Baghdad–912, Egypt), mathematician *

Al-Battani Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Jābir ibn Sinān al-Raqqī al-Ḥarrānī aṣ-Ṣābiʾ al-Battānī ( ar, محمد بن جابر بن سنان البتاني) ( Latinized as Albategnius, Albategni or Albatenius) (c. 858 – 929) was an astron ...

(850, Harran, Turkey–929, Qasr al-Jiss, Iraq), mathematician *

Thabit ibn Qurra Thabit ( ar, ) is an Arabic name for males that means "the imperturbable one". It is sometimes spelled Thabet. People with the patronymic * Ibn Thabit, Libyan hip-hop musician * Asim ibn Thabit, companion of Muhammad * Hassan ibn Sabit (died 674 ...

(826–902, Harran, Turkey), mathematician

Other

* Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi (936–1013), Andalusian scientist; also known as Abulcasis *

Alhazen Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham, Latinized as Alhazen (; full name ; ), was a medieval mathematician, astronomer, and physicist of the Islamic Golden Age from present-day Iraq.For the description of his main fields, see e.g. ("He is one of the prin ...

(965–c.1039), scientist from Basra (modern Iraq) *

Al-Jazari Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī (1136–1206, ar, بديع الزمان أَبُ اَلْعِزِ إبْنُ إسْماعِيلِ إبْنُ الرِّزاز الجزري, ) was a polymath: a scholar, ...

(1136–1206) polymath from Al-Jazira (modern Iraq/Syria) *

Christa McAuliffe Sharon Christa McAuliffe ( Corrigan; September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire, who was killed on the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' on mission STS-51-L where she was serving as a ...

, Arab American; schoolteacher/astronaut who lost her life aboard the space shuttle Challenger *

Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf Taqi ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf ash-Shami al-Asadi ( ar, تقي الدين محمد بن معروف الشامي; ota, تقي الدين محمد بن معروف الشامي السعدي; tr, Takiyüddin‎ 1526–1585) was an Ottoman poly ...

(1526–1585), polymath from Damascus * Ibn al-Haytham (Alhacen) (965, Basra, Buyid Emirate–1040, Cairo, Egypt), polymath and philosopher * Wasil ibn Ata (700–748), theologian and jurist *

Al-Kindi Abū Yūsuf Yaʻqūb ibn ʼIsḥāq aṣ-Ṣabbāḥ al-Kindī (; ar, أبو يوسف يعقوب بن إسحاق الصبّاح الكندي; la, Alkindus; c. 801–873 AD) was an Arab Muslim philosopher, polymath, mathematician, physician ...

(801, Basra, Iraq–873, Baghdad, Iraq), philosopher, polymath, mathematician, physician and musician

Arts and entertainment

Directors

Amr Salama Amr Salama ( ar, عمرو سلامة; born 22 November 1982) is an Egyptians, Egyptian film director, blogger, screenwriter, and author. Film career Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he later moved with his family back to Egypt. He began his direc ...

(born 1981), Egyptian film director *

Sherif Arafa Sherif Arafa ( ar, شريف عرفة) (born on December 25, 1960) is an Egyptian director, writer and producer. He graduated from the Higher Institute of Cinema in 1982. Sharif Arafa participated in the making of many of the movies in the histor ...

(born 1960), Egyptian director, writer and producer * Mai Masri (born 1959), Palestinian filmmaker, director and producer * Tom Shadyac (born 1958), American director, screenwriter and producer of Lebanese descent * Nadine Labaki (born 1974), Lebanese actress, director and activist

Producers

* Mario Kassar (born 1951), Lebanese film producer * Tony Thomas (born 1948), American producer of Lebanese descent

Actors

* Ahmed Ezz (born 1971), Egyptian actor *

Ahd Kamel Ahd Hassan Kamel ( ar, عهد حسن كامل) is an actress and filmmaker from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is known for her role in the BAFTA-nominated film, ''Wadjda (2014)'' and for her role as ''Fatima'' in BBC Two's Collateral (2018). Educati ...

(born 1980), Saudi Arabian actress *

Amr Waked Amr Waked ( ar, عمرو واكد ; born ) is an Egyptian film, television and stage actor. He is best known to international audiences and in Hollywood for his role in the 2005 film ''Syriana''. Other prominent roles include a Yemeni Sheikh calle ...

(born 1973), Egyptian actor * Amel Bouchoucha (born 1982), Algerian actress *

Adel Emam Adel Emam ( ar, عادل إمام; born 17 May 1940 is an Egyptian film, television, and stage actor. He is primarily a comedian, but he has starred in more serious works and, combined comedy with romance especially in his earlier films, which ...

(born 1940), Egyptian actor * Aïcha Ben Ahmed (born 1983), Tunisian actress *

Ali Suliman Ali Suliman ( ar, علي سليمان, he, עלי סלימאן; born 1977) is a Palestinian actor. He is known for his work on the series '' Jack Ryan'' and the film '' Paradise Now''. Life and career Ali was born in Nazareth, israel. He gradua ...

(born 1974), palestinian actor *

Alia Shawkat Alia Martine Shawkat ( ; ar, عليا مارتين شوكت; born April 18, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' The Old Man'', '' State of Grace'', Maeby Fünke in the Fox/Netflix television sitcom '' Arrested Devel ...

(born 1989), American actress of Iraqi descent *

Anissa Jones Mary Anissa Jones (March 11, 1958 – August 28, 1976) was an American child actress known for her role as Buffy Davis on the CBS sitcom ''Family Affair'', which ran from 1966 to 1971. She died from combined drug intoxication at the age of 1 ...

(1958–1976), American child actress of Lebanese descent * Abbas al-Noury (born 1952), famous Syrian actor and director * Dhafer L'Abidine (born 1972), Tunisian actor *

Danny Thomas Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running sitc ...

(1912–1991), American actor of Lebanese descent *

Dorra Zarrouk Dorra Ibrahim Zarrouk ( ar, درة إبراهيم زروق; born 13 January 1980) is a Tunisian actress living in Egypt. Early life Dorra was born in Tunis, her father was Ibrahim Zarrouk and her maternal grandfather, Ali Zouaoui, was an econo ...

(born 1980), Tunisian actress * Dina Shihabi (born 1989), Saudi Arabian actress *

Haifa Wehbe Haifa Wehbe ( ar, هيفاء وهبي ) is a Lebanese- Egyptian singer and actress. She has released seven studio albums, and made her acting debut in the 2008 Pepsi-produced film ''Sea of Stars''. In 2006, Wehbe was on ''People Magazine''s 50 ...

(born 1972), Lebanese former beauty pageant contestant, singer and actress * Hiam Abbass (born 1960), Arab-Israeli actress *

Hend Sabry Hend Sabry ( ar, هند صبري, born 20 November 1979) is a Tunisian Egyptian actress working in Egypt. Career Sabry starred as "'Ola" in the Egyptian television drama ''Ayza Atgawez'' as a character obsessed with getting married, who goes ...

(born 1979), Tunisian actress and lawyer *

Jamie Farr Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing the cross-dressing Corporal turned Sergeant Maxwell Q. Klinger in the CBS television sitcom ''M*A*S*H''. He was inducted to ...

(born 1934), American actor of Lebanese descent *

Kathy Najimy Kathy Ann Najimy ( ; ar, كاثي ان نجيمي ; born February 6, 1957) is an American actress and activist. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Soapdish'' (1991), ''Sister Act'' (1992), '' Hocus Pocus'' (1993), ''Hope Floats'' (1 ...

(born 1957), American actress of Lebanese descent *

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

(born 1964), Canadian actor of Lebanese descent *

Kal Naga Khaled Muhammad Samy Abol Naga ( ar, خالد سامي أبو النجا; born November 2, 1966), credited as Khaled Abol Naga ( ar, خالد أبو النجا) and by the mononym Kal Naga, is an Egyptian actor, director and producer. He is r ...

(born 1975), Egyptian actor * Kinda Alloush (born 1982), Syrian actress *

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...

(1932–2015), Egyptian actor *

Shannon Elizabeth Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress, conservationist, animal activist, model and poker player. A popular sex symbol and teen idol of the 1990s and 2000s, Elizabeth is best known for her roles in the films '' A ...

(born 1973), American actress of Syrian descent * Salma Hayek (born 1966), Mexican-American actress and producer of Lebanese descent * Samer al-Masry (born 1969), Syrian actor *

Saba Mubarak Saba Ahmed Soliman Mubarak El Siouf ( ar, صبا أحمد سليمان مبارك السيوف; born April 10, 1976 in Anjara, Jordan) is a Jordanian actress and producer. She graduated from Yarmouk University in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in T ...

(born 1976), Jordanian actress and producer *

Tony Shalhoub Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; born October 9, 1953), is an American actor. His accolades include five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, six Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award nomination. He played Adrian Monk in the USA N ...

(born 1953), American executive producer and actor of

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

of Lebanese descent * Taim Hasan (born 1977), Syrian actor * Vic Tayback (1930–1990), American actor of Syrian descent *

Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. Vaughn began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Swingers''. He has appeared in ...

(born 1970), American actor of Lebanese descent *

Wendie Malick Wendie Malick (born December 13, 1950) is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom '' Dream On'', and as Nina Van Horn in the NBC si ...

(born 1950), American actress and fashion model of Egyptian descent *

Wentworth Miller Wentworth Earl Miller III (born June 2, 1972) is an American-British actor and screenwriter. He rose to prominence following his starring role as Michael Scofield in the Fox series ''Prison Break'', for which he received a nomination for the ...

(born 1972), American actor of Syrian descent * Yousef Abu-Taleb, American actor and film producer of Jordanian descent *

Yousra Yousra ( ; ar, يسرا, ; born Seveen Nessim, ) is an Egyptian actress and singer. She is considered as a glamorous icon for the Middle East and is an influential voice in the region. Career Yousra participated as a main Role actress in alm ...

(born 1955), Egyptian actress * Yasmine Al Massri (born 1978), Palestinian actress *

Rami Malek Rami Said Malek (; , ; born May 12, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for portraying computer hacker Elliot Alderson in the USA Network television series ''Mr. Robot'' (2015–2019), for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...

(born 1981), American actor of Egyptian descent *

Rachid El Ouali Rachid El Ouali ( ar, رشيد الوالي; born April 3, 1965) is a Moroccan famous actor, producer, director and TV host. Career El Ouali started acting at the end of the 1980s. He showed proficiency in his major role in the drama TV serial ...

(born 1965), Moroccan actor *

Michael Ansara Michael George Ansara (April 15, 1922 – July 31, 2013) was an American actor. He portrayed Cochise in the television series '' Broken Arrow'', Kane in the 1979–1981 series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', Commander Kang in '' Star Tr ...

(1922–2013), American actor of Syrian descent *

Mais Hamdan Mais Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan Selim ( ar, ميس عبد الجبار حمدان سليم, born October 31, 1982), better known as Mais Hamdan ( ar, ميس حمدان), is a Jordanian actress, singer and TV presenter. Her sisters are Mai Selim and Da ...

(born 1982), Jordanian actress, comedian, singer and television presenter *

Makram Khoury Makram Jamil Khoury (Arabic:, مكرم يعقوب خوري}, he, מכרם חורי) is an Arab-Israeli actor, born 30 May 1945 in Jerusalem. He was the youngest artist and the first Arab to win the Israel Prize, the highest civic honor in Isra ...

(born 1945), Arab-Israeli actor * Monther Rayahneh (born 1979), Jordanian actor *

Mena Massoud Mena Mansour Massoud ( ar, مينا منصور مسعود; born September 17, 1991) is an Egyptian-born Canadian actor known for starring as the title character in the Disney fantasy film ''Aladdin'' (2019). He also starred as Jared Malik in the C ...

(born 1991), Canadian actor of Egyptian descent *

Najwa Nimri Najwa Nimri Urrutikoetxea (; born 14 February 1972) is a Spanish actress and singer. Early life Nimri's mother is from Pamplona and her father, Karam Nimri, is Jordanian. She has a brother named Karim Nimri, a half-brother named Andre Nimri an ...

(born 1972), Spanish actress of Jordanian descent *

Nadine Nassib Njeim Nadine Nassib Njeim ( ar, نادين نسيب نجيم; born 7 February 1984) is a Lebanese Tunisian actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was elected Miss Lebanon 2004. She represented her home country in Miss Universe 2005 in Thailand. As ...

(born 1984), Lebanese actress and former Miss Lebanon 2004 * Nelly Karim (born 1974), Egyptian actress *

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice No ...

(1932–2014), American radio personality and

voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talen ...

of Lebanese descent *

Cyrine Abdelnour Cyrine Abdelnour ( ar, سيرين عبد النور; also spelled Cyrine Abd Al-Nour or Cyrine Abdel-Nour; born 21 February 1977) is a popular Lebanese singer, actress, and model. Her first album, ''Leila Min Layali'', was released in 2004. She ...

(born 1974), Lebanese singer, actress and model *

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

(born 1938), Italian actress of Tunisian descent * Lotfi Abdelli (born 1970), Tunisian actor

Comedians

Ahmed Helmy Ahmed Muhammad Helmy Abdel Rahman Awwad ( ar, أحمد محمد حلمي عبد الرحمن عواد; born November 19, 1969) is an Egyptian actor, comedian, film producer, TV host and diplomat. He started his career in 1993 on the Egyptian sat ...

(born 1969), Egyptian comedian, actor, film producer, television presenter and a renowned television personality *

Duraid Lahham Duraid Lahham ( ar, دريد لحام; in Roman transliteration, sometimes spelled "Durayd Lahham") is a leading Demographics of Syria, Syrian comedian and director born 1934 in Damascus, Syria. He is famous for acting the role of "Ghawwar El Tosh ...

(born 1934), Syrian comedian and director * Ronnie Khalil (born 1977), American stand-up comedian of Egyptian descent * Ramy Youssef (born 1991), American stand-up comedian and writer of Egyptian descent *

Remy Munasifi Remy Munasifi (born June 16, 1980) is an American stand-up comedian,Sharmila Devi''The National''. October 30, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2011 parody musician, rapper and video artist, who became an Internet celebrity after his production of comedi ...

(born 1980) American comedian of Iraqi-Lebanese descent * Tima Shomali (born 1985), Jordanian producer, director, writer, and comedian

Musicians

Amr Diab Amr Diab ( ar, عمرو دياب, link=no, ; born on 11 October 1961) is an Egyptian singer, composer and actor. He has established himself as a globally acclaimed recording artist and author. He is a Guinness World Record holder, the best sel ...

(born 1961), Egyptian singer and composer of geel music *

Amal Murkus Amal Murkus ( ar, أمل مرقس, he, אמל מורקוס, born 11 July 1968) is a Palestinian singer. Her post-modern music style has a variety of Mediterranean influences. Her first album, ''Amal'', was released in 1998, and her second, ''Sh ...

(born 1968), Arab-Israeli singer * Ahmed Mekky (born 1980), Egyptian actor, writer, director, rapper and singer * Ahlam (born 1968), Emirati singer * Asmahan (born 1912), Syrian singer and actress *

Assala Nasri Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri ( ar, أصالة مصطفى حاتم نصري; born 15 May 1969), commonly known as Assala ( ar, أصالة), is a Syrian musical artist. She is one of the most popular and famous Arab singers. Early life and career ...

(born 1969), Syrian singer *

Farid al-Atrash Farid al-Atrash ( ar, فريد الأطرش; October 19, 1916 – December 26, 1974), also written Farid El-Atrache, was a Syrian-Egyptian composer, singer, virtuoso oud player, and actor. Having immigrated to Egypt at the age of only nine ...

(born 1910), Syrian singer *

Fairuz Nouhad Wadie' Haddad ( ar, نهاد وديع حداد, ; born November 21, 1934), known as Fairuz ( ar, فيروز, ; also spelled Fairouz, Feyrouz or Fayrouz), is a Lebanese singer. She is considered by many as one of the leading vocalists a ...

(born 1935), Lebanese singer *

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

, (half Arab father) musician *

Fredwreck Farid Karam Nassar (born June 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Fredwreck, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop recording artist, DJ and record producer. He got his big break when he became a producer for Dr. Dre's newly founded re ...

, Palestinian hip-hop producer *

, Lebanese former beauty pageant contestant, singer and actress * Hussain Al Jassmi, Emirati singer *

Kadim Al Sahir Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai (born September 12, 1957), better known by his stage name Kadim Al Sahir ( ar, كاظم الساهر}), is an Iraqi singer and composer. He typically performs with an orchestra of twenty to thirty musicians on Arabic ...

, Iraqi singer, composer, and songwriter * Klay BBJ (born 1989), Tunisian rapper *

Karl Wolf Carl Abou Samah ( ar, كارل أبو سمح; born April 18, 1979), better known by his stage name Karl Wolf, is a Lebanese-Canadian musician based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has been a singer, songwriter, and producer since 2001, releasing ...

, Lebanese singer * Khaled, Algerian singer *

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...

, Palestinian rapper, music producer *

Lydia Canaan Lydia Canaan ( ar, ليديا كنعان) is a Lebanese singer-songwriter and humanitarian activist. Credited as the first internationally successful Lebanese recording artist,Sinclair, David. "Global Music Pulse", ''Billboard'', New York, De ...

, Lebanese, singer-songwriter, recording artist *

Latifa Latifa or Lateefa is a feminine Arabic (لٓطِيفٓة) given name which means "gentle" or "pleasant". It corresponds to the masculine Latif. Notable persons Lateefa * Lateefa Al Gaood, Bahraini politician * Lateefah Simon, American activis ...

(born 1968), Tunisian singer * Mohammed Assaf (born 1989), Palestinian singer * Mai Selim, Jordanian singer and actress *

Maryem Tollar Maryem Tollar (born 1968 in Cairo, Egypt) is a Toronto-based singer who primarily sings Arabic songs. She played with her own band called Mernie!. Born in Cairo, Maryem went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with her parents when she was one y ...

, Egyptian singer who primarily sings Arabic songs * Massari, Lebanese singer *

Myriam Fares Myriam Fares ( ar, ميريام فارس , ; born 3 May 1983) is a Lebanese singer, actress, and entertainer. Personal life Fares, born in Kfar Chellal, Sidon District to a Maronite Christian family, married a Lebanese-American businessman ...

, Lebanese singer, dancer, actress and entertainer *

Naser Mestarihi Naser Mestarihi (Arabic: ناصر شاهر صالح المستريحي; born 14 October 1987) is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (guitars, bass and vocals) based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Mestarihi is the first rock musician ...

, (Jordanian father)

Hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...

musician *

Nancy Ajram Nancy Nabil Ajram ( ar, نانسي نبيل عجرم, born May 16, 1983) is a Lebanese singer, television personality and businesswoman. Dubbed by Spotify as the " Queen of Arab Pop". With the support of her father, she began performing as ...

, Lebanese singer *

Omar Khorshid Omar Khorshid ( ar, عمر خورشيد; April 9, 1945 – May 29, 1981) was an Egyptian guitarist, musician, composer, accompanist and actor. Born in Cairo, he was a well-known guitarist who accompanied many singers, including Farid Al Atras ...

, Egyptian instrumental guitarist *

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

, Lebanese singer-songwriter *

Sammy Hagar Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...

, (partially Lebanese) rock musician and former lead singer of

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

Saad Lamjarred Saad Lamjarred ( ar, سعد لمجرد; born 7 April 1985) is a Moroccan singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, record producer and actor. He grew up in an artist family and became famous after his songs broke YouTube audience records, ...

(born 1985), Moroccan singer *

Shadia Mansour Shadia Mansour ( ar, شادية منصور , born 1985), also known as "the first lady of Arabic hip hop" See also is a British-Palestinian rapper who performs in Arabic and English. Much of her music revolves around Middle Eastern politics ...

, Palestinian singer and rapper *

Shatha Hassoun Shatha Amjad Al-Hassoun ( ar, شذى أمجد الحسون; born 3 March 1981 in Casablanca, Morocco), better known as Shatha Hassoun ( ar, شذى حسون), is a Moroccan-Iraqi singer who rose to fame as the winner of the 4th season of the pan- ...

(born 1981), Iraqi-Moroccan singer *

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular ...

, Colombian singer of Lebanese descent *

Tiffany Darwish Tiffany Renee Darwish (born October 2, 1971), known mononymously as Tiffany, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and former teen icon. Her 1987 cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells song "I Think We're Alone Now" spent two weeks ...

aka Tiffany, American pop singer of Lebanese descent *

Umm Kulthum Umm Kulthum ( ar, أم كلثوم, , also spelled ''Oum Kalthoum'' in English; born Fatima Ibrahim es-Sayyid el-Beltagi, ar, فاطمة إبراهيم السيد البلتاجي, Fāṭima ʾIbrāhīm es-Sayyid el-Beltāǧī, link=no; 31 Dece ...

(c.1900–1975), Egyptian singer * Wafah Dufour, (Saudi Arabian father), supermodel and singer * Elissa, Lebanese singer *

Tamer Hosny Tamer is a Turkish given name and surname. It means ''Competent soldier'' in Turkish. In Arabic (written as تامر), the name is more closely related to Tamr (as in dates). Persons Given name * Tamer Abdel Hamid, Egyptian football player * Tamer ...

, Egyptian singer, actor, composer, director and songwriter *

Tamer Nafar Tamer Nafar ( ar, تامر النفار, he, תאמר נפאר; born June 6, 1979) is an Israeli rapper, actor, screenwriter and social activist who identifies as Palestinian. He is the leader and a founding member of DAM, the first Palestinia ...

(born 1979), Palestinian rapper, actor, screenwriter and social activist *

Yasmine Hamdan Yasmine Hamdan ( ar, ياسمين حمدان; born 1976) is a Lebanese singer and songwriter, now based in Paris. Biography Hamdan became known with Soapkills, the duo she founded with Zeid Hamdan (no relation) while she was still living in B ...

(born 1976), Lebanese singer *

Majida El Roumi Majida El Roumi Baradhy ( ar, ماجدة الرومي برادعي; born 13 December 1956) is a Lebanese soprano singer and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Early life Majida El Roumi Al Baradhy was born on 13 December 1956 in Kfarshi ...

, Lebanese singer

Fashion designers

Elie Saab Elie Saab ( ar, إيلي صعب; born 4 July 1964) is a Lebanese fashion designer. His main workshop is in Lebanon, with additional workshops in Milan and Paris. He started his business in the early 1980s and specialized in bridal couture (ex ...

(born 1964), Lebanese fashion designer *

Zuhair Murad Zuhair Murad ( ar, زهير مراد) (born in July 1971) is a Lebanese fashion designer. He was born in 1971 in Ras Baalbek, Lebanon. Biography Zuhair Murad was born to a Melkite Catholic family in Ras Baalbek. Shortly after high school, Mu ...

, fashion designer * Reem Acra, Lebanese fashion designer *

Georges Chakra Georges Chakra () is a Beirut-based Lebanon, Lebanese haute couture fashion designer. Georges Chakra first established his brand in 1985, and he has displayed his cultural collections at Paris Fashion Week since the mid-1990s. __TOC__ Biography ...

, Lebanese fashion designer

Cultural figures

Writers

* Abbas Mahmud al-Aqqad (1889–1964), Egyptian thinker and writer *

Charles Corm Charles Corm (1894–1963) was a Lebanese writer, industrialist and philanthropist.Carla Henoud (24 September 2009"Charles Corm, le visionaire" ''L'Orient-Le Jour''/ref>https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0739184016 Franck Salameh, Charles Corm: ...

(Lebanese) (1894–1963), writer, businessman and philanthropist * Abdel Rahman Shokry (born 1886), Egyptian poet * Al-Khansa (7th century), Arabian poet * Al-Mutanabbi (915–965), poet from Samawah (modern Iraq) *

Amin Maalouf Amin Maalouf (; ar, أمين معلوف; born 25 February 1949) is a Lebanese-born French"Amin ...

(born 1949), Lebanese author *

(fl.580), Pre-Islamic Arabian hero and poet *

Fadwa Touqan Fadwa Tuqan ( ar, فدوى طوقان, also transliterated as ''Fadwa Tuqan'', es, Fadwa Tuqan, french: Fadwa Touquan and Fadwa Tuqan; 1917 – 12 December 2003), was a Palestinian poet known for her representations of resistance to Israeli occu ...

(1917–2003), Palestinian Poet, known for her representations of resistance to Israeli occupation in contemporary Arab poetry * Mahmoud Darwish (1941–2008), Palestinian poet and author *

Ibrahim Touqan Ibrahim Abd al-Fattah Tuqan (1905 ar, إبراهيم طوقان– 2 May 1941) was a Palestinian nationalist poet whose work rallied Arabs during their revolt against the British mandate. Tuqan was born in Nablus, Palestine.Imru' al-Qais (c.501–c.544), Arabian poet *

Khalil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran ( ar, جُبْرَان خَلِيل جُبْرَان, , , or , ; January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran (pronounced ), was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist ...

or Gibran Khalil Gibran (1883–1931), Lebanese-American writer, philosopher, and painter *

Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha ( arz, نجيب محفوظ عبد العزيز ابراهيم احمد الباشا, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. M ...

(1911–2006), Egyptian novelist *

Naomi Shihab Nye Naomi Shihab Nye ( ar, نعومي شهاب ناي; born March 12, 1952) is an American poet, editor, songwriter, and novelist. Born to a Palestinian father and an American mother, she began composing her first poetry at the age of six. In tot ...

(born 1952), Palestinian-American writer * Sinan Antoon (born 1967), Iraqi poet and novelist *

Taha Hussein Taha Hussein (, ar, طه حسين; November 15, 1889 – October 28, 1973) was one of the most influential 20th-century Egyptian writers and intellectuals, and a figurehead for the Egyptian Renaissance and the modernist movement in the Middl ...

(1889–1973), Egyptian writer *

, Palestinian literary theorist and outspoken Palestinian activist * Helen Thomas, Lebanese reporter, columnist and White House correspondent *

Nader El-Bizri Nader El-Bizri ( ar, نادر البزري, ''nādir al-bizrĩ'') is the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Sharjah. He served before as a tenured longstanding full Professor of philosophy and ci ...

, Lebanese philosopher, historian of science, and architect *

Ismail al-Faruqi Ismaʻīl Rājī al-Fārūqī ( ar, إسماعيل راجي الفاروقي January 1, 1921 – May 27, 1986) was a Palestinian- American philosopher. He spent several years at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, then taught at several universities ...

, Palestinian philosopher and authority on Islam and comparative religion * Mona Simpson, (Syrian father Abdulfattah Jandali) novelist *

Lorraine Ali Lorraine Ali is an American journalist and pundit who is a member of the George Foster Peabody Awards board of jurors. Based in Los Angeles, California, she is a television critic at the ''Los Angeles Times,'' where she was previously a senior wri ...

, Iraqi reporter, editor, culture writer, and music critic for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' * Mohamed Ali al-Nasiri, Iraqi journalist *

Wafaa Abed Al Razzaq Wafaa Abed Al Razzaq ( ar, وفاء عبد الرزاق) is an Iraqi poet and writer. She was born in 1952 in Basra, Iraq. She currently resides in London, UK, and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting. Awards *Mitropolite Nicholaous No'man P ...

(born 1952), Iraqi poet and writer *

Mo Gawdat Mohammad "Mo" Gawdat (Arabic: محمد جودت) is an Egyptian entrepreneur and writer. He is the former chief business officer for Google X and author of the book ''Solve for Happy''. Early life Gawdat was born in Egypt, the son of a civil ...

(born 20 June 1967), Egypt

Artists

See list of Arab artists

Other

* Rima Fakih, Lebanese, Miss USA 2010 * Valerie Domínguez Tarud, Lebanese, previous Miss Colombia *

Dina Azar Dina Azar ( ar, دينا عازار; born July 4, 1973) is a Lebanese beauty queen who was elected Miss Lebanon 1995. Career Dina Azar holds a BA degree in English literature from the American University of Beirut and during a sabbatical year ...

, Miss Lebanon 1995 * Gabrielle Bou Rached, Miss Lebanon 2005 * Sonia Fares, Miss Lebanon 1969 *

Nadine Wilson Njeim Nadine Wilson Njeim ( ar, نادين ويلسون نجيم) is a Lebanese beauty queen who was elected Miss Lebanon 2007. She represented her country in Miss World 2007 in China and Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico. Post-pageant career After pass ...

, Miss Lebanon 2007 *

Georgina Rizk Georgina Rizk ( ar, جورجينا رزق, Jūrjīnā Rizq, born 23 July 1953) is a Lebanese model, socialite, and beauty queen. She represented Lebanon at the Miss Universe pageant and won, making her the first Lebanese and Middle Eastern/ West ...

(born 1953), Miss Lebanon 1970/Miss Universe 1971 * Christina Sawaya, Miss Lebanon 2001/Miss International 2002 * Rosarita Tawil, Miss Lebanon 2008 * Moustapha Akkad, Syrian film producer and director

Entrepreneurs

Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ( ar, أحمد بن زايد آل نهيان, 1968 – 26 March 2010) was an Emirati businessman and the managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Early life and education Ahmed was born in 1968. He ...

(1968–2010), UAE businessman *

Al-Waleed bin Talal Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud ( ar, الوليد بن طلال آل سعود; born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi Arabian billionaire businessman, investor, philanthropist and royal. He was listed on '' Time'' magazine's Time 100, an annual list of the ...

(born 1955), member of the Saudi royal family, and world's 19th richest person in 2010 *

Mohamed Alabbar Mohamed Alabbar ( ar, محمد علي العبار), (born November 8, 1956) is an Emirati businessman who is best known as the founder of Emaar Properties, the developer of assets such as the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, as well as the cha ...

, UAE businessman *

John Zogby John J. Zogby (born September 3, 1948) is an American public opinion pollster, author, and public speaker. He is founder of the Zogby International poll, and he serves as a senior partner at John Zogby Strategies, a full-service marketing and p ...

, Lebanese founder and current President/CEO of

Zogby International John J. Zogby (born September 3, 1948) is an American public opinion pollster, author, and public speaker. He is founder of the Zogby International poll, and he serves as a senior partner at John Zogby Strategies, a full-service marketing and p ...

Naguib Sawiris Naguib Onsi Sawiris (or Sawires; ar, نجيب اُنسى ساويرس ; ; born 15 June 1954) is an Egyptian billionaire businessman. Sawiris is chairman of Weather Investments's parent company, and the former chairman and CEO of Orascom Tele ...

, 62nd richest person on earth in a 2007 list of billionaires, reaching US$10.0 billion with his company

Orascom Telecom Holding Global Telecom Holding S.A.E. (GTH; formerly Orascom Telecom Holding) is a holding company based in Amsterdam, and a subsidiary of the multinational telecommunications services company VEON. GTH previously owned mobile network operators in multipl ...

Najeeb Halaby Najeeb Elias "Jeeb" Halaby Jr. ( ar, نجيب إلياس حلبي; November 19, 1915 – July 2, 2003) was an American businessman, government official, aviator, and the father of Queen Noor of Jordan. He is known for making the first transcon ...

, Syrian father of Queen Noor of Jordan Lisa Elhalabi, Administrator of the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

; CEO, and chairman of

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United State ...

* Manuel Moroun, owner of CenTra, Inc., the holding company which controls the

Ambassador Bridge The Ambassador Bridge is a tolled international suspension bridge across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1929, it is the busiest international border crossing in Nort ...

and Michigan Central Depot * Jacques Nasser, Lebanese, former president and CEO of Ford Motor Company *

John J. Mack John J. Mack (born November 17, 1944) is a senior advisor to the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and the former CEO and chairman of the board at Morgan Stanley, the New York-based investment bank and brokerage firm. Early life and edu ...

, Lebanese, Chairman of the Board and CEO of

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...

, Lebanese, exclusive agent of over 50 major U.S. brands including

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

Ray R. Irani Ray R. Irani (born January 13, 1935) is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Occidental Petroleum. He has worked at Occidental Petroleum for over 20 years, serving as a director since 1984, chief operating officer (president) from 198 ...

, Palestinian, Chairman and CEO of

Occidental Petroleum Occidental Petroleum Corporation (often abbreviated Oxy in reference to its ticker symbol and logo) is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States, and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in th ...

Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ar, كارلوس غصن; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman who holds Brazilian and French nationality. Ghosn was the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Ni ...

, Lebanese, Chairman and CEO of

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

and

Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...

Sports

* Ahmed Kaddour, Lebanese professional boxer, from NBC show The Contender *

Alaa Abdelnaby Alaa Abdelnaby ( ar, علاء عبد النبي), (born June 24, 1968) is an Egyptian-American former professional basketball player. He played for the Duke Blue Devils and then played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Continental ...

, NBA player for the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

, and the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

* Bill George, NFL player and Hall of Famer * Drew Haddad, Indianapolis Colts *

Doug Flutie Douglas Richard Flutie (born October 23, 1962) is an American former football quarterback whose professional career spanned 21 seasons. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight seasons in the Canadian Football League (CF ...

, (Lebanese father) NFL Player of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Gavin Maloof The Maloof family is a prominent American family based in Las Vegas, Nevada, who are owners of numerous business properties in the Western United States. The original spelling of the family name is Maalouf. The family is of Lebanese descent via t ...

, owns the Sacramento Kings * George Maloof, Sr., owned the NBA’s Houston Rockets * Jeff George, quarterback for several NFL teams * Jim Harrick, UCLA’s coach * Joe Robbie, former owner and founder of the NFL's

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

John Jaha John Emil Jaha (born May 27, 1966) is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 10-year career from 1992 to 2001. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics, playing in both the American League and National League. ...

, sports athlete, of the MLB

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Justin Abdelkader Justin Abdelkader (; born February 25, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for EV Zug of the National League (NL). He was drafted 42nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He previously played for ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

forward playing for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL) *

Omar Sheika Omar Sheika (born February 20, 1977) is an American former professional boxer and multiple time super middleweight world title challenger. He is of Palestinian descent. Raised in Paterson, New Jersey, Sheika attended Eastside High School and ...

, Palestinian professional boxer, four-time world title challenger. * Riyad Karim Mahrez, Algerian professional footballer for Manchester City F.C. and

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

champion (seasons:2015-2016, 2018-2019) *

Rich Kotite Richard Edward Kotite (born October 13, 1942) is a former National Football League (NFL) player and coach. In the 1990s, he had stints as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets Playing career Kotite was born in Brooklyn, ...

, NFL coach * Rocco Baldelli, Syrian professional baseball

Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Rony Seikaly Rony is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ronielson da Silva Barbosa, Brazilian footballer better known as Rony * Rony Ahonen (born 1987), Finnish ice hockey defenceman *Rony Bakale (born 1987), Olympic swimmer from the Repub ...

, Lebanese former NBA Player, now DJ *

Nasser Al-Attiyah Nasser Salih Nasser Abdullah Al-Attiyah ( ar, ناصر صالح ناصر عبدالله العطية : nāṣir ṣāliḥ nāṣir ʿabdullāh al-ʿaṭṭīyah; born 21 December 1970 in Doha) is a Qatari rally driver and sport shooter. He wa ...

, Qatari 2012 Olympic skeet bronze medallist, and racing driver * Mostapha al-Turk, Lebanese retired MMA fighter that competed in the UFC *

Mohamed Salah Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly ( ar, محمد صلاح حامد محروس غالي, ; born 15 June 1992), also known as Mo Salah, is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Liverpool and captains the Egyp ...

, Egyptian professional footballer for

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has ...

and twice Premier League Golden Boot winner *

Omar Al Somah Omar Al Somah ( ar, عمر السومة; born 28 March 1989) is a Syrian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi, on loan from Saudi club Al Ahli, and the Syria national team. Nicknamed in Syria as ...

, Syrian professional footballer for

Al Ahli Saudi FC Al-Ahli Saudi Football Club ( ar, النادي الأهلي السعودي) is a Saudi Arabian professional football club based in Jeddah, that competes in the second division of Saudi Arabian football, following their relegation from the Sa ...

and three-time Saudi Pro League top scorer *

Omar Abdulrahman Omar Abdulrahman Ahmed Al Raqi Al Amoudi ( ar, عمر عبد الرحمن أحمد الراقي العمودي; born 20 September 1991) is an Emirati professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Emirati club Al Wasl F.C. and ...

Militants

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ( ar, أبو بكر البغدادي, ʾAbū Bakr al-Baḡdādī; born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali Muhammad al-Badri al-Samarrai ( ar, إبراهيم عواد إبراهيم علي محمد البدري السامرائي, ʾIb ...

, ISIS terrorist *

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ( ar, أَبُو مُصْعَبٍ ٱلزَّرْقَاوِيُّ, ', ''Father of Musab, from Zarqa''; ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh (, '), was a Jordanian jihadist who ran a t ...

, Terrorist *

Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; ar, جماعة أبو سياف; ', ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is base ...

, ISIS terrorist *

Abu Waheeb Shaker Wahib al-Fahdawi al-Dulaimi (1986 – May 6, 2016), better known as Abu Waheeb ("''Father of Waheeb''"; Arabic: أبو وهيب), was a leader of the militant group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in Anbar, Iraq. He killed three Syr ...

, ISIS terrorist * Jihadi John, ISIS terrorist *

Sajida al-Rishawi Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi ( ar, ساجدة مبارك عطروس الريشاوي} 1970 – 4 February 2015) was a failed suicide bomber. She was convicted of possessing explosives and intending to commit a terrorist act in the 9 November ...

, ISIS suicide bomber

References

{{reflist

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

Arabs Arabic-speaking people