# List of Iranian Azerbaijanis

Iranian Azerbaijanis are Iranians of Azerbaijani ethnicity, who may speak Azerbaijani, a Turkic language. They are mainly settled in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region, including provinces of East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and West Azerbaijan, and in smaller numbers, Kurdistan, Qazvin, Hamadan, Gilan, Markazi, and Kermanshah. They also constitute a significant minority in Tehran, Karaj, and other regions. They are known by variant and similar names in Persian and Azerbaijani languages, depending on the identity and self-preference, including "Azeri," "Azari," "Azerbaijani," or "Turk," with the prefix of "Iranian" or "Persian" to distinguish from the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
This is a list of Iranian Azerbaijani notable people by birth or ancestry, ethnicity or nationality, arranged by main profession then birthdate. For similar reasons related to ethnogenesis and national identity, this list starts from the early modern history of Azerbaijan and Iran, when the Safavids established a national state officially known as Persia or Iran and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article and references showing the person is Azerbaijani and Iranian.

## Arts and entertainment
### Music
#### Singers

* Fatma Mukhtarova – (6 March 1893 or 1898, Urmia – 19 October 1972, Baku) opera singer; Iran-born Soviet Azerbaijani, paternal Iranian Azeri, maternal Tatar.
* Rubaba Muradova – (21 March 1930, Ardabil – 28 August 1983, Baku) opera and folk singer; of Iranian Azeri descent.
* Aref – (10 August 1940, Tehran) pop singer and former actor; of Ardabili Azeri descent.
* Homeyra – (17 March 1945, Tehran) pop singer.
* Sattar – (19 November 1949, Tehran) pop and classical singer; father of Iranian Azeri descent.
* Googoosh – (5 May 1950, Tehran) singer and actress; parents were Soviet Azerbaijani immigrants.
* Mahasti – (16 November 1946, Tehran – 25 June 2007, Santa Rosa, California) pop singer; Iranian Azeri father.
* Hayedeh – (10 April 1942, Tehran – 20 January 1990, San Francisco, California) pop singer; elder sister of Mahasti
* Dariush Eghbali – (4 February 1951, Tehran) singer.
* Hasan Anami Olya – (15 March 1967, Tabriz) opera singer; Baku-based Iranian Azeri.
* Rahim Shahriari – (20 February 1971, Tabriz) singer and songwriter.
* Mansour – (28 July 1971, Tehran) pop singer, actor, and fashion designer.
* Arash – (23 April 1977, Tehran) singer, entertainer, and producer; Swedish Iranian of Azeri descent.
* Sami Yusuf – (21 July 1980, Tehran) singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer; British Iranian born in Tehran to Soviet Azerbaijani parents
* Omid Hajili – (24 September 1983, Tehran) pop singer and composer.
* Fatma Mukhtarova (1893–1972)
* Aref (1940)
* Homeyra (1945)
* Sattar (1949)
* Googoosh (1950)
* Dariush Eghbali (1951)
* Mansour (1971)
* Arash (1977)

#### Composers and instrumentalists

* Gholamhossein Bigjekhani – (1918, Tabriz – 13 April 1987, Tabriz) tar player.
* Ali Salimi – (1922, Baku – 22 April 1997, Tabriz) composer and tar player; Bakuvian of Iranian Azeri descent.
* Samin Baghtcheban – (1923, Tabriz – 19 March 2008, Istanbul) composer, author and literary translator.
* Farhad Fakhreddini – (11 March 1939, Gədəbəy) composer and conductor; Iranian of Soviet Azerbaijani descent.
* Nasrollah Nasehpour – (24 October 1940, Ardabil) composer and singer.
* Mahmud Shaterian – (1944, Tabriz – 22 September 2006, Tabriz) composer and tar player.
* Naser Cheshmazar – (31 December 1950, Ardabil – 4 May 2018, Tehran) composer and pianist.
* Hossein Alizadeh – (23 August 1951, Tehran) composer and multi-instrumental; maternal Persian, paternal Azeri from Urmia.
* Dariush Pirniakan – (13 April 1955, Gargar) composer and tar player.
* Davood Azad – (6 October 1963, Urmia) singer, multi-instrumental musician, and composer.
* Samin Baghtcheban (1923–2008)
* Farhad Fakhreddini (1939)
* Naser Cheshmazar (1950–2018)
* Hossein Alizadeh (1951)
* Dariush Pirniakan (1955)
* Davood Azad (1963)

### Visual arts
#### Calligraphers

* Ali Reza Abbasi (?, Tabriz –c. 1616) calligrapher.
* Abd al-Baghi Tabrizi – (? – 1629, Tabriz) calligrapher.
* Ala' al-Din Tabrizi – (16th-century) calligrapher and painter.
* Mohammad Hossein Tabrizi – (16th-century) calligrapher.
* Ali Adjalli – (8 February 1939, Miyaneh) calligrapher, painter, poet and educator.

#### Filmmaking
##### Actors

* Mustafa Mardanov – (10 March 1894, Mianeh – 28 December 1968, Baku) actor; Iran-born Soviet Azerbaijani.
* Jamileh Sheykhi – (29 April 1930, Zanjan – 23 May 2001, Tehan) actress.
* Ebrahim Abadi – (15 August 1934, Tabriz – 31 October 2019, Tehran) stage and film actor.
* Reza Beyk Imanverdi – (15 June 1936, Tehran – 13 September 2003, Laveen Village, Arizona) actor and director; maternal Qazwini and paternal Bakuvian, Iranian-American.
* Behrouz Vossoughi – (11 March 1938, Khoy) actor.
* Cihangir Ghaffari – (9 September 1940, Baku) actor and film producer.
* Reza Naji – (26 December 1942, Tabriz) actor.
* Valiollah Momeni – (31 May 1943, Ardaibl – 29 December 2015, Karaj) actor and voice actor.
* Jamshid Hashempour – (23 March 1944, Tehran) actor.
* Atash Taqipour – (1945, Khoy) theater, cinema and TV actor.
* Mina Jafarzadeh – (4 February 1947, Khoy) actress.
* Jalil Farjad – (9 March 1952, Marand) actor.
* Alireza Khamseh – (29 January 1953, Tehran) comedian, cinema and television actor.
* Jahangir Almasi – (9 June 1955, Tehran) actor; of Zanjani Azeri descent.
* Parviz Parastui – (24 June 1955, Kabudrahang) actor.
* Atila Pesyani – (30 March 1957, Tehran) actor; maternal Azeri, son of Jamileh Sheykhi.
* Afsar Asadi – (16 January 1958, Mianeh) actress and make-up artist.
* Akbar Abdi – (26 August 1960, Tehran) actor.
* Shirin Bina – (20 August 1964, Marand) theater, cinema and TV actress.
* Farhad Ghaemian – (1965, Ardabil) theater and cinema actor.
* Marjaneh Golchin – (21 February 1969, Tehran) actress; paternal Azeri, maternal Mazandarani.
* Rambod Javan – (22 December 1971, Tehran) actor, director and TV peresenter.
* Keyhan Maleki – (24 August 1968, Tehran) actor.
* Mir Taher Mazloomi – (26 February 1975, Tehran) actor and voice actor.
* Amir Aghaei – (1 August 1975, Urmia) actor and author.
* Hadi Hejazifar – (21 June 1976, Khoy) actor, director and screenwriter.
* Hadi Kazemi – (4 November 1976, Tehran) actor.
* Behnam Tashakkor – (24 January 1977, Bandar Anzali) actor.
* Mohammad Reza Golzar – (21 March 1977, Tehran) actor, TV host, presenter and model.
* Hossein Abedini – (1980, Zanjan) actor.
* Maryam Palizban – (6 October 1981, Urmia) film and stage actress.
* Hesam Manzour – (9 December 1980, Tehran) actor; of Urumian descent.
* Ruhollah Zamani – (15 August 2005, Nowjeh Deh, Ardabil) actor.
* Mustafa Mardanov (1894–1968)
* Jamileh Sheykhi (1930–2001)
* Reza Beyk Imanverdi (1936–2003)
* Behrouz Vossoughi (1938)
* Reza Naji (1942)
* Jamshid Hashempour (1944)
* Alireza Khamseh (1953)
* Parviz Parastui (1955)
* Jahangir Almasi (1955)
* Atila Pesyani (1955)
* Afsar Asadi (1958)
* Akbar Abdi (1960)
* Shirin Bina (1964)
* Marjaneh Golchin (1969)
* Rambod Javan (1971)
* Hadi Hejazifar (1976)
* Mohammad-Reza Gulzar (1977)
* Maryam Palizban (1981)

##### Directors

* Valiollah Khakdan – (1923, Baku – 9 September 1996, Tehran) art director and scenic designer.
* Yadollah Samadi – (17 November 1952, Maraga – 25 September 2018, Shiraz) film director.
* Rasoul Mollagholipour – (1955, Tehran – 6 March 2007, Nowshahr) film director.
* Majid Gharizadeh – (1955, Tehran) film director.
* Tahmineh Milani – (6 September 1960) film director and feminist activist; paternal Persian and maternal Azeri.
* Kamal Tabrizi – (28 October 1959, Tehran) film director.
* Jafar Panahi – (11 July 1960, Mianeh) film director, screenwriter and film editor.
* Ebrahim Hatamikia – (23 September 1961, Tehran) film director, screenwriter, cinematographer and actor.
* Reza Mirkarimi – (27 January 1967, Tehran) screenwriter and film director.
* Masoud Dehnamaki – (29 December 1969, Ahar) conservative activist, filmmaker, and former journalist; paternal Persian, maternal Azeri.
* Ali Samadi Ahadi – (9 February 1972, Tabriz) filmmaker and scriptwriter; Iranian-German.
* Valiollah Khakdan (1923–1996)
* Yadollah Samadi (1952–2018)
* Rasoul Mollagholipour (1955–2007)
* Kamal Tabrizi (1959)
* Tahmineh Milani (1960)
* Ja'far Panahi (1960)
* Ebrahim Hatamikia (1961)

#### Painters, photogeraphers and cartoonists

* Sadiqi Beg – (1533, Tabriz – 1610, Isfahan) painter, miniaturist, poet and writer.
* Ibrahim Mirza – (April 1540 – 23 February 1577) Safavid prince, miniaturist and poet
* Mihr 'Ali – (1795 – c. 1830) court painter.
* Ahmad Aali – (1935, Tabriz) photographer.
* Mansoor Ghandriz – (2 March 1936, Tabriz – 26 February 1966) painter.
* Aydin Aghdashloo – (30 October 1940, Rasht) painter, graphist and art curator; Iranian of Soviet Azerbaijani descent.
* Haydar Hatemi – (3 March 1945, Gargar) painter, sculptor; Iranian-American of Azeri descent.
* Reza Deghati – (26 July 1952, Tabriz) photojournalist; Iranian-French of Azeri descent.
* Javad Alizadeh – (9 January 1953, Ardabil) comic artist, cartoonist, art writer and blogger.
* Khosrow Hassanzadeh – (1963, Tehran) painter, installation artist and ceramist.
* Aydin Aghdashloo (1940)
* Reza Deghati (1952)
* Javad Alizadeh (1952)

#### Sculptors

* Ahad Hosseini – (4 August 1944, Tabriz) sculptor and painter.
* Akbar Behkalam – (16 September 1944, Tabriz – 7 February 2025, Berlin) painter and sculptor; Iranian-German.

## Branches of science
### Applied science

* Javad Heyat – (24 May 1925, Tabriz – 12 August 2014, Baku) surgeon, journalist and writer.
* Rahim Rahmanzadeh – (13 June 1934, Shabestar) academic, physician and surgeon; Iranian-German of Azerbaijani descent.
* Abass Alavi – (1938, Tabriz) physician-scientist specializing in the field of molecular imaging; Iranian-American.
* Javad Hay'at (1925-2014)

### Formal science

* Mohsen Hashtroodi – (13 January 1908, Tabriz – 4 September 1976, Tehran) mathematician and poet.
* Lotfi A. Zadeh – (4 February 1921, Baku – 6 September 2017, Berkeley) mathematician, computer scientist, electrical engineer, artificial intelligence researcher, and professor of computer science; of Iranian Azerbaijani and Russian Jewish descent.
* Maryam Sadeghi – (1980, Miyaneh) computer scientist and businesswoman in the field of medical image analysis; Iranian-Canadian of Azerbaijani descent.
* Mohsen Hashtroodi (1908–1976)
* Maryam Sadeghi (1980)

### Natural sciences

* Ali Javan – (26 December 1926, Tehran – 12 September 2016, Los Angeles) physicist and inventor; Iranian-American of Tabrizi Azerbaijani descent.
* Ali Javan (1926–2016)

### Social science

* Alexander Kazembek – (22 July 1802, Rasht – 27 November 1870, St.Petersburg) orientalist, historian, philologist; Iranian-Russian of Azeri descent.
* Hasan Rushdiya – (4 July 1851, Tabriz – 12 December 1944, Qom) educational theorist, schoolteacher, journalist and writer.
* Jabbar Baghtcheban – (9 May 1886, Yerevan – 25 November 1966, Tehran) educational theorist, schoolteacher, inventor and writer.
* Ahmad Kasravi – (29 September 1890, Tabriz – 11 March 1946, Tehran) linguist, nationalist, religious reformer and historian.
* Hamid Notghi – (11 September 1920, Tabriz – 16 July 1999, London) public relation theorist, lawyer, poet, academic and essayist.
* Ali Murad Davudi – (1922, Shams Abad – 11 November 1979, Tehran) educational philosopher; Iranian Azeribaijani of Georgian descent.
* Homa Nategh – (26 May 1934, Urmia – 1 January 2016, Arrou, France) historian.
* Dariush Shayegan – (24 January 1935, Tabriz – 22 March 2018, Tehran) Iranologist and philosopher; of Georgian and Azeri descent.
* Shireen Hunter – (1945, Tabriz) political scientists; Iranian Azeri-American.
* Javad Tabatabai – (14 December 1945, Tabriz – 28 February 2023, Irvine, California) philosopher and political scientist.
* Farideh Heyat – (20 June 1949, Tehran) anthropologist and a writer; British-Iranian of Azeri descent.
* Alexander Kazembek (1802–1870)
* Hassan Rushdiyah (1851–1944)
* Jabbar Baghtcheban (1886–1966)
* Ahmad Kasravi (1890–1946)
* Dariush Shayegan (1935–2018)
* Javad Tabatabai (1945–2023)

## Literature
### Literary scholars

* Mohammad-Amin Riahi – (1 June 1923, Khoy – 15 May 2009, Tehran) literary scholar, historian, writer, poet and statesman.
* Reza Seyed-Hosseini – (15 October 1926, Ardabil – 1 May 2009, Tehran) literary translator.
* Jaleh Amouzgar – (4 December 1939, Khoy) linguist, literary scholar and academic.
* Naser Manzuri – (1953, Mianeh) linguist and novelist.
* Mohammad-Amin Riahi (1923–2009)
* Jaleh Amouzgar (1939)

### Non-fiction writers

* Mohammad Hossein bin Khalaf Tabrizi – (1600, Tabriz – 1651, ?) lexicographer.
* Mirza Abu Taleb Khan – (1752, Lucknow – 1805, Bundelkhand) writer and poet; Indian-Iranian of Azerbaijani descent.
* Abbasgulu Bakikhanov – (21 June 1794 – 31 May 1847) writer, linguist and poet; Qajar Iranian-Imperial Russian.
* Fatali Akhundov – (12 July 1812, Nukha – 9 March 1878, Tiflis) author, playwright, ultra-nationalist, philosopher; Qajar Iranian Azerbaijani.
* Abd al-Rahim Talibov – (1834, Tabriz -11 March 1911, Temir-Khan-Shura) political writer, essayist and translator.
* Jalil Mammadguluzadeh – (22 February 1869, Nakhchivan – 4 January 1932, Baku) literary journalist, teacher and writer; Russian/Soviet Azerbaijani of Iranian Azeri descent.
* Ismail Amirkhizi – (1873, Tabriz – 16 February 1966, Tehran) writer, politician and poet.
* Mohammad Ali Modarres Khiabani – (1878, Tabriz – 5 April 1954, Tabriz) writer and linguist.
* Mirza Ibrahimov – (15 October 1911, Eyvaq, Sarab – 17 December 1993, Baku) writer, playwright, and public figure;Soviet Azerbaijani of Iranian Azeri descent.
* Abbas Zaryab – (13 August 1919, Khoy – 3 February 1995, Tehran) historian, translator, literature Professor and Iranologist.
* Fath-Ali Akhundov (1812–1878)
* Abd al-Rahim Talibov (1834–1911)
* Ismail Amirkhizi (1873–1966)
* Mirza Ibrahimov (1911–1993)
* Abbas Zaryab (1919–1995)

### Fiction writers

* Ganjali Sabahi – (1906, Marand – 6 September 1990, Tehran) novelist, short story writer, poet and literary critic.
* Mir Jalal Pashayev – (26 April 1908, Andabil, Ardabil – 28 September 1978, Baku) short story writer and literary critic.
* Gholam-Hossein Bigdeli – (16 March 1919, Durakhlu – 16 August 1998, Karaj) literary scholar, linguist, historian, writer and poet; of Begdili descent.
* Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi – (15 January 1936, Tabriz – 23 November 1985, Paris) fiction and non-fiction writer.
* Samad Behrangi – (24 June 1939, Tabriz – 31 August 1968, Aras River) short story writer, teacher and poet.
* Fariba Vafi – (21 January 1963, Tabriz) novelist and short story writer.
* Mohammadreza Bayrami – (born 1965), short story writer and novelist.
* Ganjali Sabahi (1906–1990)
* Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi (1936–1985)
* Samad Behrangi (1939–1968)
* Mohammadreza Bayrami (1965)

### Poets

* Habibi – (1470, Bərgüşad- 1519, Constantinople) Azerbaijani-language poet.
* Alqas Mirza – (15 March 1516, ? – 9 April 1550, Khiav) Safavid prince and Persian poet.
* Bahram Mirza – (7 September 1517, Surluq, Maragha – 11 October 1549) Safavid prince and Persian poet.
* Qovsi Tabrizi – (1568, Tabriz – 1640, Tabriz) Azerbaijani-language poet.
* Saib Tabrizi – (1592, Tabriz – 1676, Isfahan) Persian-language poet.
* Tarzi Afshar – (? – 1679) Azerbaijani-language poet.
* Khasta Qasim – (1684, Tekmeh Dash – 1760, Shamakhi) Azerbaijani-language poet.
* Vali Vidadi – (17 March 1709, Shamkir – 13 May 1809, near Gazakh) Azerbaijani-language poet.
* Panah Vaqif – (1717, Yukhary Salahly – 1797, Shusha) Azerbaijani-language poet.
* Gasim bey Zakir – (1786, Panahabad – 1857, Shusha) Azerbaijani-language poet; Iranian-Russian.
* Shafi' Vazeh – (1794, Ganja – 16 November 1852, Tiflis) bilingual poet and teacher.
* Abu al-Qasim Nabati – (1812, Ushtabin – 1873, Ushtabin) bilingual poet.
* Aghabeyim agha Javanshir – (1780, Shusha – 1832, Tehran) poet and Qajar royal consort.
* Khurshidbanu Natavan – (6 August 1832, Shusha – 2 October 1897, Shuha) bilingual poet; Imperial Russian of Iranian Azeri descent.
* Nasrollah Bahar Shirvani – (1834, Shamakhi – 1883, Tabriz) poet and linguist.
* Heyran Khanim – (1790, Khaneqah Sorkh – 1848, Urmia or Tabriz) bilingual poet; of Donboli tribe.
* Mirza Ali Khan La'li – (1845, Yerevan – 1907, Tabriz) poet and physician.
* Ali Mojuz – (26 February 1874, Shabestar – 3 September 1934, Shahrud) Azerbaijani-language poet.
* Iraj Mirza – (October 1874, Tabriz – 14 March 1926, Tehran) Persian-language poet.
20th-century births:
* Habib Saher – (1903, Tark, Meyaneh – 1988, Tehran) Azerbaijani-language poet and writer.
* Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar – (2 January 1906, Tabriz – 18 September 1988, Tabriz) bilingual poet.
* Ali Nazem – (24 November 1906, Tabriz – 23 August 1941, Baku) poet, writer and literary critic.
* Mohammad Biriya – (1914, Tabriz – 1985, Tabriz) poet and politician.
* Aziz Dowlatabadi – (1922, Tabriz – 0 April 2009, Tabriz) poet, literary scholar and writer.
* Habibollah Chaichian – (1923, Tabriz – 30 November 2017, Tehran) poet.
* Bulud Qarachorlu – (1926, Maragha – 10 April 1979, Tehran) Azerbaijani-language poet.
* Madina Gulgun – (17 January 1926, Baku – 17 February 1991, Baku) poet and activist; Azerbaijani-Iranian.
* Yadollah Maftun Amini – (12 June 1926, Hulasu – 1 December 2022, Tehran) bilingual poet.
* Reza Baraheni – (13 December 1935, Tabriz – 25 March 2022, Toronto) Persian-language poet, novelist and literary critic; Iranian-Canadian.
* Esmail Khoi – (30 June 1938, Mashhad – 25 June 2021, London) Persian-language poet and writer; of Azeri Khoyian descent.
* Heydar Abbasi – (1943, Maragheh) poet, translator and writer.
* Hossein Monzavi – (1946, Zanjan – 5 May 2004, Tehran) bilingual poet, essayist and translator.
* Jafar Ebrahimi – (14 October 1951, Ardabil) Persian-language children's poet and writer.
* Piruz Dilanchi – (16 May 1965, Tehran) political activist, journalist, Azerbaijani-language poet and writer; Iranian Azerbaijani-Canadnian.
* Rasoul Yunan – (1969, Urmia) bilingual poet and translator.
* Ali La'li (1845–1907)
* Iraj Mirza (1874–1926)
* Habib Saher (1903–1988)
* Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar (1906–1988)
* Bulud Qarachurlu (1926–1979)
* Reza Baraheni (1935–2004)
* Esmail Khoi (1938–2021)

## Media
### Broadcasters

* Mübariz Alizade – (1911, Tabriz – 1994, Baku) activist and radio broadcaster.
* Bahman Hashemi – (24 July 1962, Tehran) TV presenter and actor.
* Javad Khiabani – (18 November 1966) journalist, football commentator, television show host and presenter; Karaj-born of Azerbaijani descent.
* Sibel Edmonds – (18 January 1970, Tabriz) journalist and writer; Iranian-American of Azeri and Turkish descent.
* Reza Rashidpour – (9 August 1975, Tehran) TV presenter, producer, actor and director.

### Journalists

* Mohammad Ali Tarbiat – (26 May 1877, Tabriz – 17 January 1940, Tehran) journalist, writer, parliamentarian and government official.
* Taqi Rafat - (1885, Tabriz – 15 September 1920, Tabriz) journalist, poet and playwright.
* Mohammad-Ali Tarbiat (1877–1940)
* Taqi Raf'at (1885–1920)

## Military

* Mohammad Taqi Pessian – (1892, Tabriz – 3 October 1921, Quchan) gendarme, fighter pilot, warlord and politician.
* Ghulam Yahya Daneshian – (1906, Sarab – 2006, Baku) Commander of National Army of the Azerbaijan People's Government.
* Abbas Gharabaghi – (1 November 1918, Tabriz – 14 October 2000, Paris) chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces.
* Javad Fakoori – (3 January 1936, Tabriz – 29 September 1981, Kahrizak) commander of the Iranian Air Force (1980–81) and 4th defence minister of Iran.
* Mehdi Bakeri – (1954, Miandoab – 16 March 1985, Al-Qurna) Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander.
* Nouraddin Afi – (1964, Khelejan, Tabriz) Basiji personnel of the Iran–Iraq War and memoirist.
* Muhammad-Taqi Pessian (1892–1921)
* Abbas Gharabaghi (1918–2000)
* Javad Fakoori (1936–1981)

## Politics and government
### Activists

* Zainab Pasha – (c. 1884, Tabriz – 17 March 1921, Karbala) political activist.
* Razieh Gholami-Shabani – (21 April 1925, Tabriz – 28 January 2013, Cologne) politician and activist.
* Taqi Arani – (5 September 1903, Tabriz – 4 February 1940, Tehran) communist and journalist.
* Narges Mohammadi – (21 April 1972, Zanjan) human rights activist.
* Saleh Kamrani – (31 December 1972, Ahar) lawyer, human rights defender, and politician; Swedish-Iranian of Azerbaijani descent.
* Alireza Farshi – (17 October 1978, Marand) ethnic-cultural activist.
* Said Matinpour – (September 22, 1976, Zanjan) cultural activist, journalist and ex-political prisoner who was sentenced to 8 years in jail by the decision of Tehran Revolutionary Court in 2009.
* Zainab Pasha (1884–1921)
* Taqi Arani (1903–1940)
* Narges Mohammadi (1972)
* Saleh Kamrani (1972)

### Officials

* Hassan Taqizadeh – (27 September 1878, Tabriz – 28 January 1970, Tehran) politician and diplomat.
* Mir Bashir Gasimov – (1879, Dash Bolagh – 23 April 1949, Baku) revolutionary and statesman; Soviet Azerbaijani born in Iran.
* Mohammad Sa'ed – (28 April 1881, Maragheh – 1 November 1973, Tehran) diplomat and 27th Prime Minister of Iran.
* Abbas Adham – (1885, Tabriz – 31 October 1969, Tehran) physician and official.
* Mehdi Bazargan – (1 September 1907, Tehran – 20 January 1995, Zürich) Islamic scholar, academic and nationalist politician; of Iranian Azeri descent from Tabriz.
* Rahmatollah Moghaddam Maraghei – (1921, Maragheh – 2012) official and parliamentarian.
* Sadegh Khalkhali – (27 July 1926, Givi – 26 November 2003, Tehran) Ja'fari jurist, qadi and politician.
* Hadi Khosroshahi – (1939, Tabriz – 27 February 2020, Tehran) Ja'fari jurist, religious politician and member of Fada'iyan-e Islam.
* Javad Khamenei – (7 December 1895, Najaf – 5 July 1986, Mashhad) Shia cleric; Iranian Azeri from Khameneh and father of Ali Khamenei.
* Ali Khamenei – (19 April 1939, Mashhad) Supreme Leader of Iran and founding member of Islamic Republican Party.
* Mir-Hossein Mousavi – (2 March 1942, Khameneh) reformist politician, artist and architect.
* Hossein Hashemi – (7 July 1953, Mianeh) industrial engineer and politician.
* Masoud Pezeshkian – (29 September 1954, Mahabad) Parliamentarian, reformist politician and President-elect of Iran.
* Mohsen Mehralizadeh – (30 September 1956, Maragheh) reformist politician and government official.
* Abdolnaser Hemmati – (1957, Kabudarahang) academic, politician and economist.
* Ali Nikzad – (1961, Ardabil) conservative politician, parliamentarian, academic and official.
* Hassan Taqizadeh (1878–1970)
* Mohammad Sa'ed (1881–1973)
* Mehdi Bazargan (1907–1995)
* Sadegh Khalkhali (1926–2003)
* Ali Khamenei (1939)
* Mir-Hossein Mousavi (1942)
* Masoud Pezeshkian (1954)
* Mohsen Mehralizadeh (1956)
* Abdolnaser Hemmati (1957)
* Ali Nikzad (1961)

### Parliament and party members

* Sattar Khan – (20 October 1866, Besh Shāy – 17 November 1914, Tehran) revolutionary, nationalist, constitutionalist and a member of Moderate Socialists Party.
* Baqir Khan – (1870, Tabriz – November 1916, Qasr-e Shirin) revolutionary, nationalist and constitutionalist and a member of Moderate Socialists Party.
* Hossein Ardabili – (1880, Ardabil – 29 June 1918, Ardabil) journalist, poet and parliamentarian.
* Mohammad Khiabani – (1880, Khameneh – 13 September 1920, Tabriz) Ja'fari jurist, political leader, parliamentarian and a member of Democrat Party.
* Haydar Khan Amo-oghli – (20 December 1880, Urmia – 15 October 1921, Gilan) left-wing revolutionary, constitutionalist and founding member of Communist Party, former member of Democrat Party and Social Democratic Party.
* Rabiollah Kabiri – (1889, Maragheh – 1947) Azerbaijani Democratic Party politician.
* Ja'far Pishevari – (August 1892, Zaviyeh-ye Sadat, Khalkhal – 11 June 1947, Baku) communist politician who most-notably founded and led the Azerbaijani Democratic Party, the founding and ruling party of the Azerbaijan People's Government in 1945.
* Jafar Kavian – (1895, Tabriz – 1975, Baku) Azerbaijani Democratic Party politician.
* Salamullah Javid – (1898, Khalkhal – 1986, Tehran) Azerbaijani Democratic Party politician.
* Khalil Maleki – (1901, Tabriz – 13 July 1969, Tehran ) nationalist politician and socialist.
* Nosratollah Jahanshahlou – (1913, Tehran – 2012, Berlin) Azerbaijani Democratic Party politician.
* Asghar Parsa – (1919, Khoy – 5 February 2007, Tehran) National Front member.
* Safar Ghahremani – (4 May 1921, Shishavan – 10 November 2002, Tehran) leftist dissident and a member of the Tudeh Party of Iran.
* Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili – (28 January 1926, Ardabil – 23 November 2016, Tehran) Ja'fari jurist, politician, qadi and one of founding member of Islamic Republican Party.
* Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari– (1937, Shabestar – 17 November 2021, Tehran) Combatant Clergy Association politician, Ja'fari jurist and parliamentarian.
* Marzieh Ahmadi – (1941, Osku – 26 April 1974, Tehran) poet, teacher, revolutionary, and a prominent female member of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas.
* Alireza Nabdel – (1944, Tabriz – 1971, Tehran) poet, teacher, social critic, leftist activist and one of the founders of Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas.
* Reza Moridi – (1945, Urmia) Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2007 to 2018; Iranian-Canadian of Azerbaijani descent.
* Hassan Shariatmadari – (1947, Tabriz) opposition politician, journalist and founding member of Muslim People's Republic Party and United Republicans of Iran
* Hadi Khamenei – (26 January 1948, Mashhad) Association of Combatant Clerics politician.
* Hadi Ghaffari – (25 June 1950, Tufarqan) Association of Combatant Clerics politician.
* Aziz Akbarian – (12 March 1957, Hashtrud) parliamentarian and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander.
* Nader Ghazipour – (1958, Urmia) conservative politician and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel.
* Kamaladdin Pirmoazzen – (1959, Ardabil) reformist politician.
* Noraladin Pirmoazzen – (1959, Ardabil) politician, lung and breast surgeon.
* Safar Naeimi – (22 March 1959, Raz, Ardabil) parliamentarian.
* Mohammad Esmaeili – (1960, Mianeh) parliamentarian.
* Gholam Hosein Shiri Aliabad – (30 April 1961, Hashtrud) parliamentarian.
* Shakur Akbarnejad – (1961, Tabriz) parliamentarian.
* Mohammad Hossein Farhanghi – (1961, Tabriz) parliamentarian.
* Mohammad Esmaeil Saeidi – (1961, Tufarqan) parliamentarian and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel.
* Bashir Khaleghi – (1961, Khalkhal) parliamentarian.
* Younes Asadi – (1961, Khiav) parliamentarian.
* Salman Khodadadi – (1962, Malekan) parliamentarian and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander.
* Mohammad Alipour Rahmati – (1962, Chaldoran) politician.
* Ahmad Hakimipour – (1963, Zanjan) reformist politician and former militant.
* Arsalan Fathipour – (1965, Kaleybar) parliamentarian.
* Zia-Allah Ezazi Maleki – (1965, Miandoab) parliamentarian.
* Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh – (1970, Qezeljeh, Bostanabad) parliamentarian.
* Movayyed Hoseini Sadr – (1970, Khoy) parliamentarian.
* Hojjat Kalashi – (1979, Khoy) Pan-Iranist Party member.
* Mohammad Hassannejad – (6 September 1981, Ahar) parliamentarian.
* Sattar Khan (1866–1914)
* Mohammad Khiabani (1880–1920)
* Haydar Amu'ughli (1880–1921)
* Ja'far Pishevari (1892–1947)
* Marzieh Ahmadi (1941–1974)
* Alireza Nabdel (1944–1971)
* Hassan Shariatmadari (1947)

## Religion

* Kamal al-Din Ilahi Ardabili – (c. 1475, Ardabil – 1543, Ardabil) Islamic philosopher, sufi and writer.
* Ahmad Muhaqiq Ardabili – (c. 1500, Ardabil – 1585, Najaf) Ja'fari jurist, writer and teacher.
* Rajab Ali Tabrizi -(?, Tabriz – c. 1670) Islamic philosopher, writer and poet.
* Zeynalabdin Shirvani – (16 August 1780, Shirvan — 1837, Khulays) Islamic scholar, sufi, writer and poet.
* Táhirih – (1814, Qazvin — 16–27 August , 1852, Tehran) influential poet, women's right activist and theologian of the Bábí faith; member of Baraghani Qazvini family.
* Fazil Iravani – (1782, Yerevan – 3 March 1885, Yerevan) Ja'fari jurist.
* Javad Maleki Tabrizi – (1857, Tabriz – 3 July 1925, Qom) Ja'fari jurist and islamic scholar.
* Ali Thiqat al-Islam Tabrizi – (19 January 1861, Tabriz – 31 December 1911, Tabriz) Ja'fari jurist, Shaykhi leader, writer and constitutionalist activist.
* Ali Qazi Tabatabaei – (27 March 1869, Tabriz – 28 January 1947, Najaf) Ja'fari jurist, teacher and writer; Azerbaijani of Tabatabaei descent.
* Mohammad-Hojjat Kooh Kamari – (17 March 1893, Tabriz – 19 January 1953, Qom) Ja'fari jurist, teacher and writer.
* Mohammad Hadi al-Milani – (1 July 1895, Najaf – 7 August 1975, Mashhad) Ja'fari jurist, writer and teacher; Iranian-Iraqi of Azerbaijani Oskuvian Husseini Hejazi descent.
* Javad Khamenei – (7 December 1895, Najaf – 5 July 1986, Mashhad) Ja'fari jurist; Iranian of Azerbaijani descent, member of Husseini Khamenei family.
* Shahab ud-Din Mar'ashi Najafi – (21 July 1897, Najaf – 29 August 1990, Qom) Ja'fari jurist and writer; Iranian-Iraqi of Mar'ashi descent.
* Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei – (19 November 1899, Khoy – 8 August 1992. Kufa) Ja'fari jurist, teacher and writer; Azerbaijani of Musawi Arab descent, Iranian-Iraq.
* Abd al-Hussein Amini – (1902, Sarab – 3 July 1970, Tehran) Ja'fari jurist and religious writer.
* Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai – (17 March 1904, Shadbad-e Mashayekh, Tabriz – 15 November 1981, Qom) Islamic scholar and religious philosopher; Azerbaijani of Tabatabaei descent.
* Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari – (5 January 1906, Tabriz – 3 April 1986, Tehran)Ja'fari jurist.
* Mir Asadollah Madani – (1914, Tufarqan – 11 September 1981, Tabriz) Ja'fari jurist and politician.
* Mohammad Ali Qazi Tabatabaei – (22 January 1915, Tabriz – 2 November 1979, Qom) Ja'fari jurist, writer and politician; Azerbaijani of Tabatabaei Arab descent.
* Moslem Malakouti – (5 June 1924, Sarab) Ja'fari jurist .
* Ibrahim al-Musawi al-Zanjani – (1925, Sain Qaleh – 13 November 1999, Zanjan) Ja'fari jurist and writer; Iranian Azerbaijani of Al-Musawi Arab descent.
* Rahim Moazzen Zadeh Ardabili – (23 October 1925, Ardabil – 25 May 2005, Tehran) muezzin.
* Mohammad-Taqi Ja'fari – (15 August 1925, Tabriz – 15 November 1998, London) Islamic philosopher and writer.
* Ja'far Sobhani – (9 April 1929, Tabriz) Ja'fari jurist, teacher and writer.
* Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari – (1936, Shabestar) philosopher, jurist and hermeneutist.
* Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani – (23 December 1941, Zanjan) Ja'fari jurist, parliamentarian and Association of Combatant Clerics member.
* Abd al-Rahim Aqiqi Bakhshayishi – (1942, Bakhshayesh – 5 April 2012, Qom) Islamic religious writer, journalist and translator.
* Ali Thiqat al-Islam Tabrizi (1861–1911)
* Mohammad-Hadi al-Milani (1895–1975)
* Shahab ud-Din Mar'ashi (1897–1990)
* Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei (1899–1992)
* Abd al-Hussein Amini (1902–1970)
* Muhammad-Husayn Tabatabai (1904–1981)
* Mohammad-Kazem Shariatmadari (1906–1986)
* Mohammad-Taqi Ja'fari (1925–1998)
* Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (1936)
* Asadollah Bayat Zanjani (1941)
* Abd al-Rahim Aqiqi Bakhshayishi (1942–2012)

## Sports
### Executives and administrators

* Ali Fathollahzadeh – (9 January 1959, Khoy) businessman and football administrator.

### Individual sports
#### Combat sports

* Hamid Reza Gholipour – (26 June 1988, Karaj) wushu and sanshou practitioner.

##### Taekwondo

* Yousef Karami – (22 March 1983, Meyaneh) taekwondo athlete.
* Kimia Alizadeh – (10 July 1998, Karaj) Taekwondo athlete; Karaj-born of Zonuzi descent.
* Mirhashem Hosseini– (28 October 1998, Miyaneh) taekwondo practitioner.
* Kimia Alizadeh (1998)

##### Wrestling

* Gholamreza Takhti – (27 August 1930, Tehran – 7 January 1968, Tehran) Olympic Gold-Medalist wrestler, Varzesh-e Bastani practitioner, philanthropist and folk hero; of Hamadani Turkic descent.
* Ayoub Baninosrat – (10 January 1968, Tabriz) wrestler and academic.
* Masoud Hashemzadeh – (21 September 1981, Mianeh) wrestler.
* Saman Tahmasebi – (26 July 1985, Sanandaj) wrestler; Iranian Kurdish-naturalized Azerbaijani.
* Arash Keshavarzi – (16 February 1987, Tehran) volleyball player.
* Afshin Biabangard – (1 August 1987, Parsabad) wrestler.
* Parviz Hadi – (16 November 1987, Basmenj) wrestler.
* Gholamreza Takhti (1930–1968)
* Ayub Bani-Nusrat (1968)

##### Weightlifting

* Saeid Azari – (21 March 1968, Isfahan) retired weightlifter, coach and football chairman; Isfahan-born of Iranian Azerbaijani descent.
* Hossein Rezazadeh – (12 May 1978, Ardabil) weightlifter.
* Rouhollah Dadashi – (24 January 1982, Meyaneh – 16 July 2011, Karaj) powerlifter, bodybuilder and strongman.
* Sajjad Anoushiravani – (12 May 1984, Ardabil) weightlifter.
* Saeid Alihosseini – (2 February 1988, Ardabil) retired super heavyweight weightlifter.
* Hossein Rezazadeh (1978)
* Sajjad Anoushiravani (1984)

#### Paralympic athletes

* Hamed Heidari – (26 March 1991, Kolowr) Paralympian athlete and javelin thrower.
* Hamed Heidari (1991)

### Team sports
#### Football

* Hossein Sadaghiani – (1 January 1903, Salmas – 1 December 1982, Tehran) football player and manager.
* Aziz Asli – (9 April 1938, Tabriz – 23 April 2015, Düsseldorf) football goalkeeper, manager and actor.
* Büyük Vatankhah – (1 February 1942, Tabriz) retired football player.
* Nasser Hejazi - (14 December 1949, Tehran) retired goalkeeper and coach for Esteghlal
* Parviz Ghelichkhani – (4 December 1945, Tehran) retired football player, journalist and political activist; Iranian-French.
* Reza Vatankhah – (9 February 1947, Tabriz) retired football player.
* Nasser Mohammadkhani – (7 September 1957, Ray) retired football striker and coach.
* Farshad Pious – (12 January 1962, Tehran) retired football player.
* Ali Akbar Ostad-Asadi – (17 September 1965, Tabriz) football player.
* Javad Zarincheh – (23 July 1966, Tehran) former football player, coach and a football administrator.
* Hamid Estili (1 April 1967, Tehran) football coach and former player; Tehran-born of Estelu Sarabi descent.
* Ali Daei – (21 March 1969, Ardabil) football manager and former player.
* Sirous Dinmohammadi – (2 July 1970, Tabriz) football player.
* Payan Rafat – (9 September 1970, Astara) retired football player.
* Yahya Golmohammadi (19 March 1971, Minabad, Ardabil) retired footballer and coach.
* Saket Elhami – (24 May 1971, Ardabil) former football player and football manager.
* Mehdi Tartar – (24 September 1972 , Tabriz) football coach and former player.
* Esmail Halali – (13 August 1973, Tabriz) retired football player and manager.
* Mehdi Pashazadeh – (27 December 1973, Tehran) former football defender, football coach.
* Alireza Akbarpour – (10 May 1973, Tabriz) former footballer and coach.
* Karim Bagheri – (20 February 1974, Tabriz) football coach and former player.
* Sattar Hamedani – (7 June 1974, Tabriz) retired football player.
* Ali Baghmisheh – (8 September 1975, Tabriz) retired football player.
* Younes Bahonar – (12 April 1977, Tabriz) retired football player.
* Reza Jabbari – (28 August 1977, Tehran) retired football player.
* Abbas Aghaei – (2 September 1977, Sarab) retired football player.
* Rasoul Khatibi – (22 September 1978, Tabriz) football coach and former player.
* Morteza Asadi – (24 February 1979, Tehran) football defender and coach.
* Moharram Navidkia – (1 November 1982, Isfahan) football player.
* Mehdi Rahmati – (3 February 1983, Tehran) football coach and former player.
* Mojtaba Jabbari – (16 June 1983, Robat Karim) retired football player.
* Mostafa Ekrami – (21 June 1983, Tehran) football player.
* Hashem Beikzadeh – (22 January 1984, Tehran) former football defender and assistant coach.
* Meysam Naghizadeh – (20 May 1986, Marand) football player.
* Babak Hatami – (15 August 1986, Tabriz) football player.
* Jaber Ansari – (10 January 1987, Abhar) football player.
* Katayoun Khosrowyar – (21 March 1987, Tulsa, Oklahoma) football coach and player; Iranian-American of Azerbaijani descent.
* Mohsen Delir – (3 July 1988, Marand) football player.
* Fereshteh Karimi – (6 February 1989, Tehran) futsal player; Tehran-born of Zanjani descent.
* Karim Ansarifard – (3 April 1990, Ardabil) football player.
* Ali Ghorbani – (18 September 1990, Savadkuh) football player.
* Saman Nariman Jahan – (18 April 1991, Bonab) football player.
* Payam Sadeghian – (29 February 1992, Tabriz) football player.
* Farshad Ahmadzadeh – (23 September 1992, Urmia) football player.
* Alireza Ramezani – (3 June 1993, Abhar) football midfielder.
* Arash Rezavand – (5 October 1993, Tehran) football midfielder.
* Shahriyar Moghanlou – (21 December 1994 , Zanjan) football player.
* Saeid Aghaei – (9 February 1995, Tabriz) football player.
* Aziz Asli (1938–2015)
* Parviz Ghelichkhani (1945)
* Javad Zarincheh (1966)
* Hamid Estili (1967)
* Ali Daei (1969)
* Yahya Golmohammadi (1971)
* Mehdi Tartar (1972)
* Mehdi Pashazadeh (1973)
* Karim Bagheri (1974)
* Rasoul Khatibi (1978)
* Moharram Navidkia (1982)
* Mehdi Rahmati (1983)
* Mojtaba Jabbari (1983)
* Hashem Beikzadeh (1984)
* Katayoun Khosrowyar (1987)
* Payam Sadeghian (1992)
* Farshad Ahmadzadeh (1992)

#### Volleyball

* Behnam Mahmoudi – (25 April 1980, Meyaneh) former volleyball player.
* Morteza Sharifi - (27 May 1999, Urmia) volleyball player.
* Saeid Marouf – (20 October 1985, Urmia) volleyball setter.
* Shahram Mahmoudi – (20 July 1988, Mianeh) volleyball player.
* Purya Fayazi – (12 January 1993, Tehran) volleyball player.
* Amir Hossein Toukhteh – (9 April 2001, Urmia) volleyball player.
* Bardia Saadat (12 August 2002, Urmia) volleyball player.
* Saeid Marouf (1985)

## Miscellaneous

* Rizali Khajavi – (24 February 1931, Mianeh – 2 December 2017, Tabriz) farmer and folk courage hero.
* Esmail Rangraz – (1975, Moghan – 19 September 2017, Moghan) serial killer.
* Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani – (1967, Tabriz) convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and adultery, victim of human rights abuse.
* Hadis Najafi – (5 January 2000, Karaj – 21 September 2022, Karaj) victim of violence during Mahsa Amini protests.
* Asra Panahi – (5 March 2007, Ardabil – 12 October 2022, Ardabil) victim of violence during Mahsa Amini protests.