The following is a list of notable

Afghan people Afghans ( ps, افغانان, translit=afghanan; Persian/ prs, افغان ها, translit=afghānhā; Persian: افغانستانی, romanized: ''Afghanistani'') or Afghan people are nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, or people with ancestry f ...

, which includes all the

ethnic groups An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

of the modern

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Afghanistan has gone through territorial changes. This list generally excludes Ethnic Pashtuns who originate from regions that were not controlled by Afghanistan at the time, though there are exceptions for certain figures who are prominent to Pashtuns. It also includes historical figures coming from the present day borders of Afghanistan, even if they were non-Pashtuns.

Monarchs

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northe ...

(reigned 26 December 1530 – 17 May 1540) Second Mughal emperor *

Demetrius I of Bactria Demetrius I Anicetus ( grc, Δημήτριος Ἀνίκητος, Dēmētrios Anikētos, "the unconquered"), also called Damaytra was a Greco-Bactrian and later Indo-Greek king (Yona in Pali language, "Yavana" in Sanskrit) (reigned c. 200–167 ...

(c. 200 – c. 180 BCE) King of Bactria *

Eucratides I Eucratides I the Great ( Koinē Greek: , ''Eúkratides Mégas'') (reigned 172/171–145 BC) was one of the most important Greco-Bactrian kings. Eucratides overthrew the Euthydemid dynasty and restored the Diodotids to power. He fought agains ...

(reigned 171–145 BC) King of the Bactrian Empire *

Menander I Menander I Soter ( grc, Μένανδρος Σωτήρ, Ménandros Sōtḗr, Menander the Saviour; pi, मिलिन्दो, Milinda), was a Greco-Bactrian and later Indo-Greek King (reigned c.165/155Bopearachchi (1998) and (1991), respectivel ...

(reigned 165/155–130 BC) Indo-Greek king * Mahmud of Ghazni (reigned 998 – 30 April 1030) Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire *

Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad, also known as Ghiyath al-Din Ghori born Muhammad (c. 1140-1203 CE), was the Sultan of the Ghurid dynasty from 1163 to 1203. During his reign, aided by his brother, Muhammad Ghori's conquests in Northern India, the Ghurid ...

(reigned 1163 – 11 February 1203) Sultan of the Ghurid Empire *

Muhammad of Ghor Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad ibn Sam ( fa, معز الدین محمد بن سام), also Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori, also Ghūri ( fa, معز الدین محمد غوری) (1144 – March 15, 1206), commonly known as Muhammad of Ghor, also Gh ...

(reigned 1173–1202) Sultan of the Ghurid Sultanate *

Muhammad Shah Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the 13th Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the ...

(reigned 27 September 1719 – 26 April 1748) 13th Mughal Emperor *

Abu Sa'id Mirza Abu Sa'id Mirza ( Chagatay/ fa, ابو سعید میرزا; 14248 February 1469) was the ruler of the Timurid Empire during the mid-fifteenth century. Born a minor prince of the Timurid dynasty, Abu Sa'id quickly established himself as the most ...

(reigned Samarkand: 1451–1469,Herat: 1459–1469) Ruler of the Timurd empire *

Alauddin Khalji Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrativ ...

(reigned 19 July 1296 – 4 January 1316) Turco-Afghan Ruler of Delhi Sultanate * Ulugh Beg II (reign 1461–1502) Timiurd Ruler of Kabul and Ghazni *

Abul-Qasim Babur Mirza Abul-Qasim Babur Mirza ( Chagatai/ fa, ابوالقاسم بابر میرزا بن بایسنقر بیگ), was a Timurid ruler in Khurasan (1449–1457). He was the son of Ghiyath-ud-din Baysunghur ibn Shah Rukh Mirza, and thus a great-grandson ...

Timiurd Ruler of khorasan *

Sher Shah Suri Sher Shah Suri ( ps, شیرشاه سوری) (1472, or 1486 – 22 May 1545), born Farīd Khān ( ps, فرید خان) , was the founder of the Sur Empire in India, with its capital in Sasaram in modern-day Bihar. He standardized the silver coin ...

(1537 – 22 May 1545) Founder of the Suri Empire in India, * Sultan Husayn Bayqara (reigned 1469 – 4 May 1506) Amir of the Timurid Empire * Ahmad Shah Durrani (1747–1772) was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded by some (though there is no historical record) as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan *

Jalal-ud-din Khalji Jalal-ud-din Khalji, also known as Firuz-Al-Din Khalji or Jalaluddin Khilji (c. 1220 – 19 July 1296, ) ( fa, جلال‌الدین خلجی) was the founder and first Sultan of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1290 to 132 ...

(reigned 13 June 1290 - 19 July 1296) Founder of the Khalji dynasty, 12th Ruler of the Delhi Sultanate

Presidents

* Daoud Khan * Nur Muhammad Taraki *

Mohammad Najibullah Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai (Pashto/ prs, محمد نجیب‌الله احمدزی, ; 6 August 1947 – 27 September 1996), commonly known as Dr. Najib, was an Afghan politician who served as the General Secretary of the People's Democratic Par ...

Burhanuddin Rabbani Burhānuddīn Rabbānī (Persian: ; 20 September 1940 – 20 September 2011) was an Afghanistani politician and teacher who served as President of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996 (in exile from 1996 to 2001). Born in the Badakhshan Province, Ra ...

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...

Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban. Born in ...

-served as the fifth president of Afghanistan,and as the second and final president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Politicians and diplomats

* Muhammad Yunus Nawandish, was the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

from after his appointment by Afghan President

in January 2010 * Mohammad Siddiq Chakari * Abdul Ahmad Zahedi Niqala *

Wahid Omar Waheed Omar (Dari:وحید عمر) (born March 1978) is a politician in Afghanistan currently serving as President Ghani's Senior Advisor and Director General of Office of Public and Strategic Affairs. From 2016 to 2019 he served as Ambassador of ...

Amrullah Saleh Amrullah Saleh (Pashto/ prs, امرالله صالح, ; born 15 October 1972) is an Afghan politician who served as the first vice president of Afghanistan from February 2020 to August 2021, and acting interior minister from 2018 to 2019. He w ...

the second Panjshir resistance *

Rafael Pinhasi __NOTOC__ Rafael Pinhasi ( he, רפאל פנחסי, born 1940) is a former Israeli politician who served as Minister of Communications between 1990 and 1992. Early life Born in Kabul in Afghanistan, Pinhasi's family made aliyah in 1950. He was ...

Israeli politician *

Mahmud Tarzi Mahmud Tarzi ( ps, محمود طرزۍ, Dari: محمود بیگ طرزی; August 23, 1865 – November 22, 1933) was an Afghan politician and intellectual. He is known as the father of Afghan journalism. He became a key figure in the history of ...

Afghan politician and intellectual, known as founder of Afghan journalism *

Mohammad Ibraheem Khwakhuzhi Ustad Mohammad Ibraheem Khwakhuzhi ( ps, استاد محمد ابراهيم خواخوږى) son of Dur Mohammad Khan Baloch (descendant of Khan of Kalat Mir Muhammad Nasir Khan I) was born on 28 February 1920 in Kandahar, Malajat district of Kand ...

Zalmay Khalilzad Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad ( ps, ځلمی خلیل زاد, prs, زلمی خلیل‌زاد; born March 22, 1951) is an Afghan-American diplomat and foreign policy expert. Khalilzad was appointed by President Donald J. Trump to serve as U.S. Spec ...

Afghan-American diplomat and foreign policy expert *

Rangin Dadfar Spanta Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta (born December 15, 1954) is a politician in Afghanistan who last served as National Security Advisor of President Hamid Karzai. Prior to that he served as Foreign Minister from April 2006 to January 2010. He was appointe ...

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ( ps, ګلب الدين حكمتيار; born 1 August 1949) is an Afghan politician, former mujahideen leader and drug trafficker. He is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin political party, so calle ...

Ali Ahmad Khan Amir Ali Ahmad Khan, ''Shaghasi'' ( ps, ; prs, ; 1883–1929) was an Afghan king from the Shaghasi family of the Barakzai tribe who was declared king of Afghanistan twice in 1929. He was first declared amir of Afghanistan by and influential cle ...

Afghan politician and self proclaimed Emir of Afghanistan for a few weeks * Ismael Balkhi Hazara political leader and reformist *

Abdul Rahman Pazhwak Abdul Rahman Pazhwak ( fa, عبدالرحمن پژواک; born March 7, 1919 – June 8, 1995) was an Afghan poet and diplomat. He was educated in Afghanistan and started his career as a journalist, but eventually joined the foreign ministr ...

diplomat, scholar and poet *

Abdul Qadir (Afghan communist) Colonel General Abdul Kadir Dagarwal (russian: Абдул Кадыр; Dari/ Pashto: ; 1944 – April 22, 2014) was an Afghan politician, diplomat, and a military officer in the Afghan Air Force who participated in the coup d'état that creat ...

Afghan politician, diplomat, and military officer *

Mohammed Aziz Khan Sardar Mohammed Aziz Khan ( ps, ) (1877 – June 6, 1933) was an Afghan prince and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Emirate of Afghanistan, and as Ambassador of the Kingdom of Afghanistan to Nazi Germany, until his ass ...

Afghan prince and diplomat * Abdur Rahim Khan (governor) Afghan governor of Herat *

Abdul Rashid Dostum Abdul Rashid Dostum ( ; prs, عبدالرشید دوستم; Uzbek Latin: , Uzbek Cyrillic: , ; born 25 March 1954) is an Afghan exiled politician, former Marshal in the Afghan National Army, founder and leader of the political party Junbish- ...

Afghan warlord *

Juma Khan Hamdard Juma Khan Hamdard ( ps, جمعه خان همدرد ; born 1959) is an Afghan politician. He served as the security adviser to President Ashraf Ghani. He served as governor of Paktia Province from 2007 to 2015, previously serving as governor of ...

governor of Paktia Province from 2007 to 2015 *

Al-Sari ibn al-Hakam Al-Sari ibn al-Hakam ibn Yusuf al-Zutti () (died November 820), also known as Al-Sari ibn al-Hakam al-Balkhi served twice as the Abbasid Caliphate's governor of Egypt. Career Al-Sari ibn al-Hakam was of Zutt origin. According to al-Kindi, he was ...

(died November 820) served twice as the Abbasid Caliphate's governor of Egypt. * Sayed Mohammad Ali Jawid Afghan politician *

Khairullah Khairkhwa Khairullah Said Wali Khairkhwa ( ps, خیرالله سید ولي خیرخواه ; born 1967) is the current Afghan Minister of Information and Culture and a former Minister of the Interior. After the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, he ...

current Afghan Minister of Information and Culture and a former Minister of the Interior. * Kubra Noorzai Afghan politician. She was the first woman to become a government minister in the country. * Nasima Razmyar Afghan-Finnish politician, elected to the Finnish Parliament in 2015 *

Mohammad Nabi Omari Mawlawi Mohammad Nabi Omari is a citizen of Afghanistan who was held for nearly twelve years in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 832. American i ...

Afghan politician, governor of Khost province and held for nearly twelve years in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay *

Abdul Ali Mazari ) , image = Abdul Ali Mazari.jpeg , caption = , office1 = Leader of Hezbe Wahdat , primeminister1= , term_start1 = 1989 , term_end1 = 13 March 1995 , predecessor1 = , successor1 = , office2 = , pri ...

political leader of the Hezb-e Wahdat party * Ahmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk born in Balkh, Persian vizier of the

Seljuq Empire The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turko-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total area of from Anatolia and the Levant in the west to t ...

and then the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

. *

Shah Mahmud Khan Sardar Shah Mahmud Khan (Pashto/Dari: سردار شاه محمود خان – b:1890 d: 27 December 1959) was the Prime Minister of Afghanistan from May 1946 to 7 September 1953, under King Mohammed Zahir Shah's monarchy. He was from the Pashtun ...

Prime Minister of Afghanistan from May 1946 to 7 September 1953, under King

Mohammed Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah (Pashto/Dari: , 15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last king of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Serving for 40 years, Zahir was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan ...

's monarchy * Abdul Hadi Dawi Afghan poet, diplomat and government official.

Military figures

Kamal al-Din Gurg Malik Kamāl al-Dīn "Gurg" or Kamaluddin-e Gurg ( fa, کمال الدین گرگ; ps, کمال الدین ګرګ) (died late 1315 or early 1316), was a general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He played an important role in Alauddin ...

(died late 1315 or early 1316), general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler

. * Adham Khan general of Akbar the Great, third Mughal empire *

Mullah Omar Mullah Muhammad Omar (; –April 2013) was an Afghan Islamic revolutionary who founded the Taliban and served as the supreme leader of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Born into a religious family of Kandahar, Omar was educated at local '' ma ...

Mujahideen leader, co-founder of the Taliban and served as its first leader * Ahmad Shah Massoud military commander *

Jalaluddin Haqqani Jalaluddin Haqqani ( ps, جلال الدين حقاني, Jalāl al-Dīn Ḥaqqānī) (1939 – 3 September 2018) was an Afghan insurgent commander who founded the Haqqani network, an insurgent group fighting in guerilla warfare against US-led ...

Afghan insurgent commander who founded the Haqqani network *

Ala al-Dawla Mirza Rukn-ud-din Ala al-Dawla Mirza, also spelt Ala ud-Dawla and Ala ud-Daula, (1417 – 1460) was a Timurid prince and a grandson of the Central Asian ruler Shah Rukh. Following his grandfather's death, Ala al-Dawla became embroiled in the ensu ...

Timurid prince and a grandson of the Central Asian ruler Shah Rukh * Bairam Khan military commander and commander-in-chief of the Mughal army *

Wazir Akbar Khan Wazīr Akbar Khān (Pashto/Dari: ; 1816-1847), born Mohammad Akbar Khān () and also known as Amīr Akbar Khān (), was an Afghan prince, general, emir for a year, and finally wazir/heir apparent to Dost Mohammad Khan until his death in 1847. ...

Afghan prince, general and Emir *

Habibullāh Kalakāni Habibullah Kalakani ( prs, , 19 January 1891 – 1 November 1929), also known by his nickname "Bacha-ye Saqao" (also romanized Bachai Sakao; literally ''son of the water carrier'') was the ruler of Afghanistan from 17 January to 13 October 192 ...

leader of the Saqqawists *

military officer in the Afghan Air Force *

Commander Shafi Hazara Commander Shafi Hazara ( prs, قومندان شفیع هزاره) was an ethnic Hazara military commander in Afghanistan. He was a senior commander during the resistance of west Kabul and Hazarajat between 1991 and 1996. In the 1990s he led H ...

ethnic Hazara military commander in Afghanistan * Kabir Andarabi military official *

Abdul Rasul Sayyaf Abdulrab Rasul Sayyaf ( ; ps, عبدالرسول سیاف; born 1946) is an exiled Afghan politician and former mujahideen commander. He took part in the war against the Marxist–Leninist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) govern ...

Mujahideen commander *

Dadullah Dadullah (1966 – May 11, 2007) was the Taliban's senior military commander in Afghanistan until his death in 2007. He was also known as Maulavi or Mullah Dadullah Akhund ( ps, ملا دادالله آخوند). He also earned the nickname of ...

Taliban's senior military commander in Afghanistan until his death in 2007 * Obaidullah Akhund Defence Minister in the Afghan Taliban government of 1996–2001 *

Amin Wardak Amin Wardak (born 1951) is a major Afghan mujahideen leader who mostly fought against the Afghan communist regime and the Soviet invaders in his home region of Wardak Province during the Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s. However, his reach of m ...

major Afghan Mujahideen leader * Abdul Raziq Achakzai Afghan Army Lieutenant General and Police Chief, considered to be one of the most powerful security officials in Afghanistan for the last few years of his life *

Tahir ibn Husayn Ṭāhir ibn Ḥusayn ( fa, طاهر ابن حسین, ''Tāher ebn-e Hoseyn''; ar, طاهر بن الحسين, ''Tahir bin al-Husayn''), also known as Dhul-Yamīnayn ( ar, ذو اليمينين, "the ambidextrous"), and al-Aʿwar ( ar, الأعو ...

General and Governor of Khurasan during the

Abbasid caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

* Masrur al-Balkhi senior military officer in the late-9th century

* Azad Khan Afghan military commander *

Sardar Shah Wali Khan Sardar Shah Wali Khan (Pashto: سردار شاه ولی خان) (April 16, 1888 – April 1977) also known as Field Marshal Sardar Shah Wali Khan Ghazi was a political and military figure in Afghanistan. He was a member of the Musahiban and ...

political and military figure in Afghanistan * Mohammad Akram, vice Chief of Staff of the Afghan National Army; died in a suicide attack in 2005.

Scientists

Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani Sayyid Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī (Pashto/ fa, سید جمال‌‌‌الدین افغانی), also known as Sayyid Jamāl ad-Dīn Asadābādī ( fa, سید جمال‌‌‌الدین اسد‌آبادی) and commonly known as Al-Afghani (1 ...

philosopher *

Hedayat Amin Arsala Hedayat Amin Arsala ( ps, هدايت امين ارسلا) (born January 12, 1942), is an economist and a prominent politician in Afghanistan. Mr. Arsala is a former Vice President of Afghanistan, Finance Minister and Foreign Minister and until O ...

economist *

Mohammad Amin Fatemi Mohammad Amin Fatemi ( ps, سيد محمد امين فاطمي, born 1952 in Nangarhar Province) is an Afghan physician and politician. He has served as an advisor to the World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a sp ...

physician * Nake M. Kamrany professor of economics *

Habib Mangal Habib Mangal is an Afghan citizen who was a candidate in Afghanistan's 2009 Presidential elections. Studies and medical career Mangal is a medical doctor, who also has a doctorate in Social Sciences. According to a profile in the '' Pajhwok Afg ...

physician * Abdul Ahad Mohmand astronaut, he became the first Afghan citizen and the fourth Muslim to visit outer space, he also made Pashto the 4th spoken language in space. *

Abdul Karim Mustaghni Abdul Karim Mustaghni (July 11, 1911 – January 13, 2004) was an Afghan scientist and politician. Mustaghni was Defense Minister of Afghanistan from 1973 to 1977. Mustaghni assisted Mohammed Daoud Khan in the 1973 bloodless coup against the monar ...

* M. Ishaq Nadiri professor of economics *

Ghulam Faroq Nijrabi Ghulam Faroq Nijrabi was a candidate in the Afghan presidential election in 2004 and the Afghan presidential elections in 2009. Nijrabi is a Physician and a lecturer at Kabul University Kabul University (KU; prs, دانشگاه کابل, ...

physician *

Abbas Noyan Abbas Noyan ( prs, عباس نویان) is an ethnic Hazara politician. He is Afghanistan's ambassador to Sweden, from the Islamic Republic that fell in August 2021 to the Taliban. Previously he served as a Member of Parliament to Wolesi Jirga, ...

engineer * Hamidullah Qalandarzai engineer * Mohammad Qayoumi engineer; president of

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

* Daud Shah Saba geologist *

Sima Samar Sima Samar ( fa, سیما سمر; born 3 February 1957) is an Afghan woman and human rights advocate, activist and social worker within national and international forums, who served as Minister of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan from December 2 ...

physician * Habiba Sarobi hematologist * Nazif Shahrani professor of anthropology *

Kabir Stori Kabir Stori (6 April 1942 – 4 April 2006) ( ps, کبیر ستوری) was a Pashtun nationalist, poet, and writer from Kunar Province of Afghanistan. He was chairman of the Pashtoons Social Democratic Party, a political party that he found ...

psychologist * Zemaryalai Tarzi archeologist * Abdul Qayum Tutakhail physician * Ghulam Sediq Wardak inventor *

Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi, Latinized as Albumasar (also ''Albusar'', ''Albuxar''; full name ''Abū Maʿshar Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Balkhī'' ; , AH 171–272), was an early Persian Muslim astrologer, thought to be the greatest ast ...

astrologer *

Abu Zayd al-Balkhi Abu Zayd Ahmed ibn Sahl Balkhi ( fa, ابو زید احمد بن سهل بلخی) was a Persian Muslim polymath: a geographer, mathematician, physician, psychologist and scientist. Born in 850 CE in Shamistiyan, in the province of Balkh, G ...

(850–934) – geographer and mathematician *

Al-Muqanna Hashim (Arabic/ Persian: هاشم), better known as al-Muqanna‘ ( ar, المقنع "The Veiled", died c. 783.) was leader of an anti Islamic revolt who claimed to be a prophet, and founded a religion which was a mixture of Zoroastrianism and Islam ...

chemist, also known for leading an Islamic revolt and claiming to be a prophet *

Al-Sijzi Abu Sa'id Ahmed ibn Mohammed ibn Abd al-Jalil al-Sijzi (c. 945 - c. 1020, also known as al-Sinjari and al-Sijazi; fa, ابوسعید سجزی; Al-Sijzi is short for " Al-Sijistani") was an Iranian Muslim astronomer, mathematician, and astrolo ...

Muslim astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer

Entrepreneurs

Fahim Hashimy Fahim Hashimi ( fa, فهیم هاشمی; born 27 September 1980) is an ethnic Hazaras, Hazara politician from Afghanistan. Between May 2019 and August 2020, Hashimy was the former Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Afghani ...

* Safi Rauf * Fatema Akbari *

Ehsan Bayat Ehsanollah "Ehsan" Bayat ( Persian: احسان الله بیات, born July 15, 1963) is an Afghan American business entrepreneur who is the founder and chairman of Bayat Group, Afghanistan's largest private company. Early life and education Bay ...

Sherkhan Farnood Sherkhan Farnood ( – ) was an Afghan banker, Chairman of Kabul Bank until late 2010, which is Afghanistan's largest private financial institution with over 1 million customers. Farnood held 28.16% of the shares in the Kabul Bank. He also owne ...

* Fauzia Gailani, Gilani ethnic Pashtun * Mahmud Karzai * Roya Mahboob * Sher Khan Nashir *

Saad Mohseni Saad Mohseni (Persian: سعد محسنی) is an Afghan Australian businessman and entrepreneur. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of MOBY Group, launched in Afghanistan in 2002 and now active across South and Central Asia and the ...

Historians

* Abu Mansour al-Hosein ibn Muhammad al-Marghani * Hamid Naweed * Akram Assem * Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar (1898–1978) * Zalmay A. Gulzad *

Abdul Hai Habibi Abdul Hai Habibi ( ps, عبدالحى حبيبي, fa, عبدالحی حبیبی) – ''ʿAbd' ul-Ḥay Ḥabībi'') (1910 – 9 May 1984) was a prominent Afghan historian for much of his lifetime as well as a member of the National Assembly of ...

(1910–1984) *

Faiz Mohammad Katib Hazara Faiz Muhammad Kāteb ( prs, فیض‌محمد کاتب) also known as Kāteb () was a contemporary writer and historian. He was Afghan court chronicler, a skilled calligrapher and secretary to Habibullah Khan from 1901 to 1919.Kitab-e Tadakkor-e ...

* Omara Khan Massoudi geographer, historian * Abdul Shakoor Rashad (1921–2004) *

Abd al-Razzaq Samarqandi Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī ( fa, کمال‌الدین عبدالرزاق بن اسحاق سمرقندی, ''Kamal-ud-Din Abd-ur-Razzaq ibn Ishaq Samarqandi''; 1413–1482) was a Persian Timurid chronicler and Islamic scholar. He was for a while the ...

– chronicler and Islamic scholar * Khvandamir * Mohammad Rauf Mehdi

Media people (including actors and film directors)

Latif Ahmadi Abdul Latif Ahmadi is an Afghan film director, also known as Engineer Latif Ahmadi. He co-founded Afghanistan’s first private film production company Ariana Films (with Toryalai Shafaq and Juwansher Haidary), and became the president of Afgha ...

director of Afghan Film, Afghanistan's state-run film company *

Leena Alam Leena Alam (Persian Language, Persian: , born in Kabul, Afghanistan) is an Afghans, Afghan film, television, and theater actress. She has appeared in films such as ''Kabuli Kid'', ''Black Kite (film), Black Kite'', ''Loori'', ''A Letter to the P ...

actress *

Siddiq Barmak Siddiq Barmak ( fa, صدیق برمک, born September 7, 1962) is an Afghan film director and producer. In 2004, Barmak won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes for his first feature film, '' Osama''. He received an M.A. degree in cin ...

(born 1962) directed the drama film '' Osama'' (2003) * Abdul Ghafoor Breshna painter, music composer, poet and film director * Sonia Nassery Cole directed the drama film ''

The Black Tulip ''The Black Tulip'' is a historical novel and a work of Romantic poetry written by Alexandre Dumas, père, and first published in 1850. Story It begins with a historic event of 1672, the lynching of the Dutch Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt an ...

'' (2010) * Zohre Esmaeli (born 1985) model, author, designer *

Fahim Fazli Fahim Fazli (; born May 30, 1966) is an Afghan American film actor. Biography Fazli was born in Kabul, Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landl ...

actor, author, modification speaker, cultural technical advisor for US Marines *

Azita Ghanizada Azita Ghanizada is an Afghan-born American actress. She is known for her films and television series. She debuted her career with a short film entitled A Kiss on the Nose, A kiss on the nose, in which she played the role of Ciara. Ghanizada is a ...

* Marina Golbahari *

Nelufar Hedayat Nelufar Hedayat (born 1 January 1988) is a British journalist and presenter who hosts the podcast Course Correction and is the correspondent for Doha Debates. She has worked in television across the BBC, as well as on Channel 4, Netflix, Fusion ...

* Haji Kamran *

Kader Khan Kader Khan (22 October 1937 – 31 December 2018) was an Indian actor, screenwriter and film director. As an actor, he appeared in over 300 Bollywood films after his debut film in the 1973 film '' Daag'', starring Rajesh Khanna, in which h ...

* Ahmed Latif * Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada * Mamnoon Maqsoodi (born 1966) * Anisa Wahab * Abdul Wahid Nazari (born 1953) * Nelofer Pazira *

Dr. Hafiz Sahar Hafiz Sahar (1928–1982) was an academic scholar, educator, author, Fulbright Scholar, and Professor of Journalism in both Afghanistan and United States Universities. He was Editor-in-Chief of Eslah national newspaper of Afghanistan (1955–195 ...

(1928–1982) * Soosan Firooz *

Yalda Hakim Yalda Hakim (born 26 June 1983) is an Australian broadcast journalist, news presenter, and documentary maker. After her family left Afghanistan and settled in Australia in 1986, she grew up in the western Sydney suburb of Parramatta and went o ...

* Atiq Rahimi – French-Afghan filmmaker, writer

Writers (including journalists)

* Mohammad Jan Fana (born 1932) *

Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini (;Pashto/Dari ; born March 4, 1965) is an Afghan-American novelist, UNHCR goodwill ambassador, and former physician. His debut novel ''The Kite Runner'' (2003) was a critical and commercial success; the book and his subsequent ...

(born 1965) *

Hafizullah Khaled Hafizullah Khaled ( fa, حفیظ الله خالد) is an Afghan Austrian humanitarian, peace activist, writer and founder of the Help Afghan School Children Organization (HASCO) based in Vienna (Austria). HASCO is a not-for-profit, non-politica ...

* Qiamuddin Khadim * Sultan Munadi (1976–2009) * Fariba Nawa (born 1973) * Nelofer Pazira *

(1928–1982) * Sayed Ihsanuddin Taheri *

(1865–1933) * Sakena Yacoobi * Rahnaward Zaryab * Ahmad Javeed Ahwar * Tamim Ansary * Homeira Qaderi * Gul Mohamad Zhowandai * Leila Christine Nadir *

Abu Ubaid al-Qasim bin Salam Abu Ubaid al-Qasim ibn Sallam al-Khurasani al-Harawi ( ar, أبو عبيد القاسم بن سلاّم الخراساني الهروي, Abū ‘Ubayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām al-Khurāsānī al-Harawī; c. 770–838) was an Arab philologist and the ...

(770–838) philologist and the author of many standard works on lexicography, Qur’anic sciences *

Abu Mansur al-Azhari Abū Manṣūr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Azharī (; 282–370 AH/895–980 AD) or simply known as Abu Mansur al-Azhari (), was an Arab lexicographer, philologist and grammarian of Arabic. a prominent philologist of his time, known for his talen ...

(895–980) lexicographer, philologist and grammarian of Arabic; prominent philogist of his time * Abdul Khaliq Hussaini journalist, activist * Aziz Ullah Haidari journalist * Chékéba Hachemi Afghan feminist and writer * Mohammad Haider Zhobal history writer

Poets

* Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī the great Sufi mystic and poet of 13th century *

Khwaja Abdullah Ansari Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Harawi al-Ansari or Abdullah Ansari of Herat (1006–1088) ( fa, خواجه عبدالله انصاری) also known as ''Pir-i Herat'' () "Sage of Herat", was a Muslim Sufi saint who lived in the 11th century in Herat (m ...

* Hamza Baba (1907–1994) Sage of Herat, the great Sufi mystic of 11th century *

Rahman Baba Abdur Rahmān Momand ( ps, عبدالرحمان بابا; 1632–1706) or Rahmān Bābā ( ps, رحمان بابا), was a renowned Pashtun Sufi Dervish and poet from Momand Agency in Peshawar during the Mughal era. He, along with his contemp ...

(1650–1715) *

Wasef Bakhtari Wasef Bakhtari ( fa, استاد واصف باختری) (born 1942 in Balkh, Afghanistan) is an Afghan poet, literary figure and intellectual. Life and education Bakhtari spent most of his childhood in Mazar-i-Sharif. He attended Bakhtar School fo ...

* Khalilullah Khalili (1907–1987) * Ghani Khan (1914–1996) *

Khushal Khan Khattak Khošāl Khān Khaṭak (1613 – 25 February 1689; Pashto: خوشال خان خټک), also known as Khushal Baba ( ps, خوشال بابا), was a Pashtun poet, chief, and warrior. Khushal Khan served the Mughal Empire protecting them fr ...

(1613–1689) * Latif Nazemi (born 1947) * Parween Pazhwak (born 1967) *

Pir Roshan Bāyazīd Khān Ansārī Pīr Rōshān ( ps, ) or Pīr Rōkhān (1525–1585) was an Afghan warrior, poet, Sufi, and revolutionary leader. He wrote mostly in Pashto, but also in Persian, Hindustani, and Arabic, while he also spoke Ormuri. H ...

(1525–1582/1585) *

Sana Safi Sana Safi (ثنا ساپۍ - born 1989) is an Afghan broadcast journalist, currently working for BBC World News, BBC World Service Early life Sana Safi was born in Kabul and brought up in Kandahar, Helmand Province, Helmand, in Nangarhar Provinc ...

* Layla Sarahat Rushani (died 2004) * Hakim Sanai (1080–1131) *

(1942–2006) * Mahmūd Tarzī (1830–1900) *

Nazo Tokhi Nāzo Tokhī (نازو توخۍ), commonly known as Nāzo Anā ( ps, نازو انا, "Nazo the grandmother"), was an Afghan poetess and a writer in the Pashto language. Mother of the famous early-18th century Afghan king Mirwais Hotak, she gr ...

* Qahar Asi (1956–1994) *

* Mohammad Hashem Zamani * Rabia Balkhi from the city of Balkh, possibly the first female poet of Persian literature * Abu al-Fath al-Busti (942–1010) * Abdul Bari Jahani Afghan poet, most notable work is the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan * Makhfi Badakhshi *

Nadia Anjuman Nadia Anjuman ( fa, نادیا انجمن; December 27, 1980 – November 4, 2005) was a poet from Afghanistan. Life Nadia Anjuman Herawi was born in Herat in northwestern Afghanistan in 1980. She was one of six children, raised during one of A ...

(1919–1995) * Ali-Shir Nava'i (1441–1501) poet, writer, politician, linguist, mystic and painter *

Unsuri Abul Qasim Hasan Unsuri Balkhi ( fa, ابوالقاسم حسن عنصری بلخی; died 1039/1040) was a 10–11th century Persian poet. ‘Unṣurī is said to have been born in Balkh, today located in Afghanistan, and he eventually became a poe ...

10-11th century Persian poet, from Balkh * Matiullah Turab

Artists

Dust Muhammad Dust Muhammad (or Doust Muhammad) was a Persian painter of miniatures, calligrapher, and art historian, active from about 1510 to 1564. Later in life he worked in India. Early career Dust Muhammad was born in Herat in the late 15th century, alth ...

born in Herat, Persian painter of miniatures, calligrapher, and art historian. Disciple of Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād *

Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād (c. 1455/60 – 1535), also known as Kamal al-din Bihzad or Kamaleddin Behzād ( fa, کمال‌الدین بهزاد), was a Persian painter and head of the royal ateliers in Herat and Tabriz during the late Timurid and ...

(1455–1535), painter * Ali-Shir Nava'i (1441–1501) *

Mariam Ghani Mariam Ghani (Pashto/Dari: مریم غنی; born 1978) is an Afghan-American visual artist, photographer, filmmaker and social activist. Biography Mariam Ghani was born in 1978 in Brooklyn, New York, of Afghan and Lebanese descent. Her father, Mo ...

visual artist, photographer, filmmaker *

Lida Abdul Lida Abdul is a video artist and performance artist from Afghanistan. She was born as Lida Abdullah in Kabul in 1979, fled the country as a child during the Soviet Invasion, and went on to live in India and Germany then the United States. Her mos ...

video artist and performance artist *

Malina Suliman Malina Suliman, a graffiti artist, metalworker, and painter, was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1990. As a child, she and her family were forced to flee her home province to live in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Her work is considered to challenge tradit ...

graffiti artist, metalworker, and painter * Abdul Ghafoor Breshna one of Afghanistan's most talented artists * Shamsia Hassani graffiti artist, a fine arts lecturer, and the associate professor of Drawing and Anatomy Drawing at the Kabul University

Religious figures

Ibrahim ibn Adham Ibrahim ibn Adham also called Ibrahim Balkhi (); c. 718 – c. 782 / AH c. 100 – c. 165 is one of the most prominent of the early ascetic Sufi saints. The story of his conversion is one of the most celebrated in Sufi legend, as that of a prin ...

early ascetic Sufi saint *

Asif Mohseni Muhammad Asif Mohseni ( fa, آیت‌الله العظمی محمد آصف محسنی; 26 April 1935 – 5 August 2019) was an Afghan Twelver Shi'a Marja', widely considered to be the most powerful in Afghanistan.Mackey, Robert. "Afghan Husband ...

Afghan Twelver Shi'a Marja' * Muqatil ibn Sulayman scholar of Islam, wrote earliest, possibly first commentaries of the Quran *

Hiwi al-Balkhi Ḥiwi al-Balkhi (9th century) ( he, חיוי אל-בלכי, also Hiwwi or Chivi) was an exegete and Biblical critic of the last quarter of the ninth century born in Balkh, Khorasan (modern Afghanistan). It is not entirely clear whether Hiwi was a ...

9th century exegete and critic of the bible *

Ali Hujwiri Abu 'l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. ʿUthmān b. ʿAlī al-Ghaznawī al-Jullābī al-Hujwīrī (c. 1009-1072/77), known as ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī or al-Hujwīrī (also spelt Hajweri, Hajveri, or Hajvery) for short, or reverentially as Shaykh Syed ʿAlī al- ...

11th-century sunni Muslim mystic, theologian and preacher. * Shahid Balkhi Persian theologian, philosopher, poet and Sufi. Famous Persian poet

Rudaki Rudaki (also spelled Rodaki; fa, رودکی; 858 – 940/41) was a Persian poet, singer and musician, who served as a court poet under the Samanids. He is regarded as the first major poet to write in New Persian. Said to have composed more tha ...

has a poem in Balkhi's elegy. * Ali al-Qari Islamic scholar *

Haji Dost Muhammad Qandhari Khwaja Haji Dost Muhammad Qandhari (Pashto: ) was an Afghan Sufi master in the Naqshbandi tradition in the 19th century (1801–1868). Biography Dost Muhammad was born and received his early education in Kandahar in Afghanistan. While still a you ...

Afghan Sufi master *

Sheikh Mohammad Rohani Sheikh Muhammad Rohani(1220-1305 AD)(Pashto:شيخ محمد روحانى) also known as Shah Muhammad Rohani and Rohani Ba Ba was a Sufi cleric born around 1220 AD. The cleric, whose shrine in southern Afghanistan attracts thousands of Sufi visitors ...

Sufi cleric born around 1220 AD * Abobaker Mojadidi spiritual Muslim leader and socio-political activist * Ahmed Gailani was the leader of the Qadiriyyah Sufi order in Afghanistan *

Mirza Muhammad Ismail Mirza Muhammad Ismail Qandahari (c 1813–1912), usually known as Mirza Muhammad Ismail, was an Afghan religious scholar and the first convert to the Ahmadiyya faith among the Pashtons of the North West Frontier Province of India.Tareekh-e-Ahmadi ...

Afghan religious scholar and the first convert to the

Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

faith * Sultan Balkhi 14th century Muslim saint, known for preaching Islam in Bengal *

Ibn Hibban Muḥammad ibn Hibbān al-Bustī () (c. 270–354/884–965) was a Muslim Arab scholar, Muhaddith, historian and author of well-known works, “Sheikh of Khorasan”. Biography Ibn Hibban was born in 270 AH (884 CE) in Bust or Bost in present-da ...

scholar,

Muhaddith Hadith studies ( ar, علم الحديث ''ʻilm al-ḥadīth'' "science of hadith", also science of hadith, or science of hadith criticism or hadith criticism) consists of several religious scholarly disciplines used by Muslim scholars in th ...

, historian and author of well-known works

Sportspeople

Rashid Khan Rashid Khan Arman ( ps, ; born 20 September 1998) is an Afghan international cricketer and a former captain of the national team. In franchise leagues, he plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Adelaide Strikers in Austra ...

cricketer, the ICC Men's T20I Player of the Decade *

Mohammad Nabi Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil ( ps, ; born 1 January 1985) is an Afghan cricketer and former captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team. Nabi is an attacking batting all-rounder, playing as a right-handed batsman and off b ...

– cricketer, 1st in Allrounder rankings. *

Mujeeb Ur Rahman Mujeeb Ur Rahman Zadran ( ps, مجیب الرحمن ځدراڼ; born 28 March 2001) is an Afghan cricketer, who plays for the Afghanistan national cricket team. Two months after his international debut, at the age of 16 years and 325 days, he b ...

– cricketer *

Hamid Hassan Hamid Hassan ( ps, ; born 1 June 1987) is an Afghan cricketer. He is a right-arm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman who mainly plays as a bowler. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in April 2009. Early life and career Hassan ...

– cricketer * Hazratullah Zazai – cricketer, led Afghanistan to the highest T20I score of 278/3 *

Rahmanullah Gurbaz Rahmanullah Gurbaz ( ps, رحمان الله ګربز; born 28 November 2001) is an Afghan cricketer. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in September 2019. His father and mother are of Gurbaz tribe from Afghanistan. In January 2021, ...

– cricketer *

Qais Ahmad Qais Ahmad Kamawal ( ps, ; born 15 August 2000) is an Afghan cricketer. He made his Test match debut for the Afghanistan cricket team in September 2019. Domestic career Qais Ahmad made his senior cricket debut for Kabul Eagles in the 2017 Shpag ...

– cricketer *

Asghar Afghan Mohammad Asghar Afghan ( ps, محمد اصغر افغان), is a former Afghan cricketer and former captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team. Asghar is a right-handed batsman and a medium-fast bowler. In May 2018, he was named as the ca ...

– cricketer, Afghanistan's former captain and ended his career with the highest T20I wins as a captain. *

Rohullah Nikpai Rohullah Nikpai ( prs, روح‌الله نیکپا; born June 15, 1987) is an ethnic Hazara taekwondo practitioner and two-time Olympic bronze medalist from Afghanistan. Career Nikpai started his training in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the age of ...

– first Afghanistan's Taekwondo Olympic winner of 2008 and 2012 *

Mustafa Amini Mohammad Mustafa Castillo Amini, known as Mustafa Amini, (Dari language, Dari: محمد مصطفی کاستیلو امینی, born 20 April 1993) is an Australian professional Association football, footballer who plays for Perth Glory FC, Perth ...

Afghan-Australian footballer *

Javed Ahmadi Javed Ahmadi (born 2 January 1992) is an Afghan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm off break. He currently represents the Afghanistan national cricket team. He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Afghanistan's ...

cricketer *

Sandjar Ahmadi Sandjar Ahmadi ( prs, سنجر احمدی) is a footballer from Afghanistan who currently plays for Hamm United FC and Afghanistan national football team. He scored two goals against Sri Lanka in 2011 SAFF Championship which helped the nation ...

footballer *

Raees Ahmadzai Raees Ahmadzai رئیس احمدزی (born 3 September 1984) is an Afghan former cricketer who represented the Afghanistan national cricket team until his retirement in May 2010. Ahmadzai is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm off break. ...

cricketer *

Yamin Ahmadzai Mohammad Yamin Ahmadzai (born 25 July 1992) is an Afghan cricketer. Ahmadzai is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast. He was born in Laghman Province. He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Afghanistan's first ever Test ...

cricketer * Shamsuddin Amiri footballer * Jan Alam Hassani volleyballer * Qaher Hazrat cyclist * Basir Kamrani footballer *

Gulbadin Naib Gulbadin Naib (; born 16 March 1991) is an Afghan cricketer. Naib plays as an all-rounder, and is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium. In April 2019, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) named Naib as the team's new One Day Int ...

cricketer *

Nasratullah Nasrat Sayed Nasratullah (born 10 May 1984) is an Afghan cricketer. He made his List A debut for Afghanistan against Ireland in the 2009 Cricket World Cup Qualifier on 11 April 2009. He made his Twenty20 debut for Kabul Eagles in the 2017 Shpageeza Cr ...

cricketer *

Said Karimulla Khalili Said Karimulla Khalili (russian: Саид Каримулла Халили; ps, کریم الله خلیلي وویل; born 2 September 1998) is a Russian-Afghan biathlete. He competed at the Biathlon World Championships 2021, winning a bronze me ...

Russian-Afghan biathlete * Ahmad Nasir Safi footballer *

Dawlat Zadran Dawlat Zadran ( ps, ; born 19 March 1988) is an Afghan cricketer. Zadran is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm fast. He was born in Paktia Province. Career Zadran made his List A debut for Afghanistan when they became the first side t ...

cricketer *

Siyar Bahadurzada Siyar Bahadurzada ( fa, سیار بهادرزاده; born 17 April 1984) is a retired Afghan-born Dutch mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently works as an instructor for ...

UFC fighter *

Nadia Nadim Nadia Nadim ( ps, نادیه ندیم; born 2 January 1988) is a professional footballer and physician who plays as a striker for NWSL club Racing Louisville FC. Born in Afghanistan, she represents the Denmark national team at international le ...

footballer * Jeff Bronkey Afghan-American former Major League Baseball pitcher * Shamila Kohestani footballer, and former captain of the Afghanistan women's national football team * Hussain Sadiqi Afghan Australian martial artist *

Khaleqdaad Noori Khaleqdaad Noori (born 1 January 1984) is an Afghan cricketer. Khaleqdaad is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium and plays for the Afghanistan national cricket team. Early career Khaleqdaad was born in Baghlan, Afghanistan. ...

cricketer *

Moshtagh Yaghoubi Moshtagh Hossain Yaghoubi (; in Dari: مشتاق حسین یعقوبی) aka Mosa (born 8 November 1994) is an Afghan-born Finnish footballer who plays for SJK. Early life Moshtagh Yaghoubi was born on 8 November 1994 to an ethnic Hazara fami ...

Afghan-born Finnish footballer

Musicians (including composers)

* Omar Akram Grammy Award-winning Afghan-American recording artist, composer and pianist * Aryana Sayeed *

Naghma , background = solo_singer , image = Naghma 2010-3.jpgborder , caption = Naghma singing during the 2010 Nowruz celebration at Fairplex in Pomona, California , birth_name = Shaperei (''Fairy'') , birth_date ...

* Dawood Sarkhosh *

Farhad Darya Farhad Darya (Pashto/Dari: ; born 22 September 1962) is an Afghan singer, composer and music producer who has written and composed songs in various languages. Darya sings in various languages including mostly his native language of Persian/D ...

* Soosan Firooz actress and rapper *

Mozhdah Jamalzadah Mozhdah Jamalzadah (Dari/Pashto: ) (born December 27, 1982 in Kabul, Afghanistan) is an Afghan singer, actress, and talk show host. Referred to as 'The Oprah of Afghanistan', Jamalzadah hosts The Mozhdah Show, which often touches on issues such ...

Miri Maftun Mir Maftoon ( fa, میر مفتون) also written as Mehri Maftun, is an Afghan musician. Born 1962s in Badakhshan. He specialized in authentic instruments, principally the dambura (a two string lute), the harmonium and the ghaychak (a two string v ...

Latif Nangarhari Latif Nangarhari (Pashto_language_(although_has_one_Afghan_singer._He_sings_in_the_Pashto_language">Pashto_language_(although_has_one_Dari_language">Dari_(Persian)_song)._He_is_an_ethnic_Pashtuns.html" "title="Dari_language.html" ;"title="Pashto_ ...

Nasrat Parsa Nasrat Parsa ( fa, نصرت پارسا, February 22, 1968 – May 8, 2005) was an Afghan singer. Up until his death, he continued his music in exile from Hamburg, Germany, occasionally touring other countries. Personal life upNasrat Parsa Ba ...

Ahmad Zahir Ahmad Zahir (Dari/Pashto: ; 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979) was an Afghan singer, songwriter and composer. Dubbed the " Elvis of Afghanistan", he is widely considered the all-time greatest singer of Afghanistan. The majority of his songs were sung ...

Hangama Hangama (Dari/Pashto: ) is a singer from Afghanistan. Originally born as Zuhra, her mother chose the name of Hangama for her when she became a singer. She currently lives in Toronto, Canada where she continues her music career. Before her emigr ...

Ahmad Wali Ahmad Wali (Pashto/Dari: ) is an Afghan Ghazal singer. He began his career in the 1970s, becoming popular in his native country before he was forced to flee by political upheaval in Afghanistan. He continued his work after resettling in Germany ...

Ubaidullah Jan Obaidullah Jan Kandaharai ( ps, عبیدالله جان کندهاری, translit=Obāidullāh Jān Kāndāhāri ), or simply known as Obaidullah Jan, was a singer from Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was popular among the Pashtuns in southern Afghanist ...

– Pashto singer *

Nashenas Dr. Mohammad Sadiq Fitrat, born Sadiq Fitrat Habibi, (Pashto/Dari: ), known professionally as Nashenas (Pashto/Dari: ), is one of the oldest surviving musicians from Afghanistan. His fame began in the late 1950s, and since then he has produced ma ...

– one of the oldest surviving musicians from Afghanistan * Rukhshana – one of the first Afghan female singers * Rahim Bakhsh * Abdul Rahim Sarban – singer * Nainawaz – artist, poet and composer; composed some of the most iconic pieces in Afghan popular music

Female activists

human rights, democracy, first Afghan's Noble award candidate * Aryana Sayeed women's rights activist and famous singer * Roqia Abubakr * Sitara Achakzai women's rights activist *

Jamila Afghani Jamila Afghani ( fa, جمیله افغانی; born 1976 in Kabul) is a feminist and an activist for women's rights and education in Afghanistan. She is the founder and executive director of the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organizatio ...

founder of Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organization (NECDO) * Safia Ahmed-jan women's rights activist *

Khadija Ahrari Khadija Ahrari was an Afghan politician, and jointly the first woman elected to parliament in the country. Biography Following the introduction of women's suffrage in the 1964 constitution, Ahrari was one of four women elected to Parliament i ...

helped give women the right to vote * Fatema Akbari * Farida Azizi advocate for peace and women's rights. * Marzia Basel advocate for women's education *

artist and advocate for women's rights * Laila Haidari (born 1978) *

Malalai Joya Malalai Joya ( ps, ملالۍ جویا) (born 25 April 1978) is an activist, writer, and a politician from Afghanistan. She served as a Parliamentarian in the National Assembly of Afghanistan from 2005 until early 2007, after being dismissed f ...

(born 1978) *

Fawzia Koofi Fawzia Koofi ( fa, فوزیه کوفی, ; born in 1975) is an Afghan politician, writer, and women's rights activist. Originally from Badakhshan province, Koofi was recently a member of the Afghan delegation negotiating peace with the Taliban i ...

* Anahita Ratebzad (1931–2014) * Masuma Esmati Wardak * Manizha Wafeq * Asila Wardak

Others

* Safi Rauf (born 1994) *

Ahmad Massoud Ahmad Massoud (Pashto/, ; born 1989) is an Afghan politician who is the founder and Leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. He is the eldest son of anti-Soviet military leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. He was appointed as the CEO of Ma ...

(born 1989) *

Sharbat Gula Sharbat Gula ( ps, شربت ګله; born ) is an Afghan woman who became internationally recognized as the 12-year-old subject in ''Afghan Girl'', a 1984 portrait taken by American photojournalist Steve McCurry that was later published as the co ...

(born 1972) *

Mir Masjidi Khan Mir Masjidi Khan (died 1841) is one of many celebrated Afghan resistance leaders from Shamali Plain who opposed the installation of Shuja Shah Durrani (or 'Shah Shujah') as Emir of Afghanistan by the Government of British India during the First Ang ...

(died 1841) Afghan resistance leader * Youssof Kohzad writer, painter, playwright, artist, poet and actor *

Abdul Majid Zabuli Abdul Majid Zabuli (August 14, 1896 – November 23, 1998) was the founder of Afghanistan's banking system. He founded the Ashami company in 1932, which eventually became the Afghan National Bank (Bank-e-Mili Afghan ). Early life and education ...

(1896–1998) founder of Bank-e-Melli Afghanistan *

Zallascht Sadat Zallascht Sadat ( ps, زرلښت سادات; born 12 April 1986) is an Afghan-German model who has won several pageants in recent years. Her most recent win was the Miss Globe 2012 title. Biography Zallascht Sadat studied business administration ...

model *

Vida Samadzai Vida Samadzai (born 22 February 1978) is an Afghan-American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was Miss Afghanistan in 2003. As the first Afghan woman to participate in an international beauty pageant since 1974, her appearance in ...

model *

Bahari Ibaadat Bahari Ibaadat ( prs, ; born 21 March 1993) is an Afghan-American model based in Seattle, Washington who was crowned Miss Afghanistan 2014. Biography Bahari Ibaadat was born in Kabul and raised in Pakistan, and then at the age eight she moved ...

model *

Khwaja Usman Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī ( bn, খাজা উসমান খাঁন লোহানী), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamind ...

Mughal opponent,

Baro-Bhuyan The Baro-Bhuyans (or ''Baro-Bhuyan Raj''; also ''Baro-Bhuians'' and Baro-Bhuiyans) refers to the confederacies of soldier-landowners in Assam and Bengal in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The confederacies consisted of loose ...

chieftain *

Abdul Latif Pedram Abdul Latīf Pedrām ( fa, عبداللطيف پدرام; born 29 July 1963) is a politician and a Member of Parliament in Afghanistan. He emerged as a controversial figure in the press and political circles for campaigning for women's personal r ...

professor of literature * Azizullah Royesh social activist *

Al-Farabi Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi ( fa, ابونصر محمد فارابی), ( ar, أبو نصر محمد الفارابي), known in the West as Alpharabius; (c. 872 – between 14 December, 950 and 12 January, 951)PDF version was a renowned early Isl ...

(872–950) early Islamic philosopher and polymath; also known as Alpharabius in the west * Razia Muradi (born 1995/1996) academic *

Abdul Khaliq Hazara Abdul Khaliq Hazara may refer to: * Abdul Khaliq Hazara (assassin) (1916–1933), assassinated King Nadir Khan of Afghanistan on 8 November 1933 * Abdul Khaliq Hazara (politician), ethnic Hazara politician in Balochistan, Pakistan - active late ...

assassin * Ghulam Muhammad Tarzi soldier, poet, and military leader *

Nur Jahan Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa P ersian: نورجهان (; – 18 December 1645) was the wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir from 1620 until his death in 1627. Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, as the daughter of a Mirza Gh ...

Empress consort of Mughal Empire * Khalid ibn Barmak born in Balkh, 8th century Soldier and administrator *

Robert Joffrey Robert Joffrey (December 24, 1930 – March 25, 1988) was an American dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, known for his highly imaginative modern ballets. He was born Anver Bey Abdullah Jaffa Khan in Se ...

born Anver Bey Abdullah Jaffa Khan to Afghan father and Italian mother; choreographer, dancer, director *

Afghana Afghana or Avagana is a tribal chief or prince of Pashtuns, who is traditionally considered the progenitor of modern-day Pashtuns,Socio-economic Behaviour of Pukhtun Tribe By Dipali Saha, Dipali Saha - 2006 - 282 pages - Page 124.India and the Af ...

tribal chief or prince of Pashtuns, traditionally considered the progenitor of modern-day Pashtuns. *

Yoram Cohen Yoram Cohen ( he, יורם כהן; born 1960) is a retired Israeli security person who served as the Director of Shin Bet, from May 15, 2011 until May 8, 2016, when he was replaced by Nadav Argaman. Biography Cohen was born in Israel to Moshe a ...

born to Afghan Jewish parents, director of Israel's internal security service "Shin Bet" * Zablon Simintov Afghan Jewish carpet trader and restaurateur; widely known for being thought as the last Jew remaining in Afghanistan *

Malalai of Maiwand Malalai of Maiwand ( ps, د ميوند ملالۍ), also known as Malala ( ps, links=no, ملاله), or Malalai Anna ( ps, links=no, ملالۍ انا, meaning ''Malalai the " Grandmother"'') is a national folk hero of Afghanistan who ralli ...

national folk hero of Afghanistan also known as "Afghan Jeanne d'Arc"; rallied the Pashtun fighters to fight against the British invaders in the

Battle of Maiwand The Battle of Maiwand (Dari: نبرد میوند, Pashto: د ميوند جگړه), fought on 27 July 1880, was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Under the leadership of Ayub Khan, the Afghan forces defeated a much smal ...

causing an Afghan victory *

Trapusa and Bahalika Trapusa and Bahalika (alternatively Bhallika) are traditionally regarded as the first disciples of the Buddha. The first account of Trapusa and Bahalika appears in the Vinaya section of the Tripiṭaka where they offer the Buddha his first meal a ...

first two lay disciples of the Buddha * Durkhanai Ayubi Afghan-Australian food expert, restaurateur, and prize-winning cookbook author * Mohammad Sharif Razai medical doctor and researcher *

Roxana Roxana (c. 340 BC – 310 BC, grc, Ῥωξάνη; Old Iranian: ''*Raṷxšnā-'' "shining, radiant, brilliant"; sometimes Roxanne, Roxanna, Rukhsana, Roxandra and Roxane) was a Sogdian or a Bactrian princess whom Alexander the Great married ...

princess that Alexander the Great married, either born in Bactria (Balkh) or Sogodia *

Faiz Ahmad Faiz Ahmad (1946 – 12 November 1986) ( fa, فیض احمد) was an Afghan revolutionary and the founding leader of the Afghanistan Liberation Organization (ALO), a Marxist–Leninist organization established in Kabul. Biography Ahmad was ...

Marxist–Leninist Afghan revolutionary and the founding leader of the Afghanistan Liberation Organization (ALO) *

Baysunghur Ghiyath ud-din Baysunghur, commonly known as Baysonqor or Baysongor, Baysonghor or (incorrectly) as Baysunqar, also called Sultan Bāysonḡor Bahādor Khan (1397 – 1433) was a prince from the house of Timurids. He was known as a patron of arts ...

prince from the house of Timurids

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Afghans *

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