The following is a list of notable Afghan people, which includes all the ethnic groups of the modern state of Afghanistan. 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.
Faridoon Angar

Monarchs

Presidents

 
 Daoud Khan
 Nur Muhammad Taraki 
 Mohammad Najibullah
 Burhanuddin Rabbani
 Habibullah Kalakani
 Hamid Karzai
 Ashraf Ghani

Politicians and diplomats

 Mohammad Siddiq Chakari

Scientists

 Sayed Hassan Akhlaq philosopher
 Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani philosopher
 Hedayat Amin Arsala economist
 Mohammad Amin Fatemi physician
 Nake M. Kamrany professor of economics
 Habib Mangal physician
 Abdul Ahad Mohmand astronaut
 Abdul Karim Mustaghni
 M. Ishaq Nadiri professor of economics
 Ghulam Faroq Nijrabi physician
 Abbas Noyan engineer
 Hamidullah Qalandarzai engineer
 Mohammad Qayoumi engineer; president of San Jose State University
 Daud Shah Saba geologist
 Sima Samar physician
 Habiba Sarobi hematologist
 Nazif Shahrani professor of anthropology
 Kabir Stori psychologist
 Zemaryalai Tarzi archeologist
 Abdul Qayum Tutakhail physician
 Ghulam Sediq Wardak inventor

Entrepreneurs

 Fatema Akbari
 Ehsan Bayat
 Sherkhan Farnood
 Fauzia Gailani, Gilani ethnic Pashtun
 Dawood Jabarkhyl
 Mahmud Karzai
 Roya Mahboob
 Sher Khan Nashir

Historians

 Hafiz-i Abru
 Abu Mansour al-Hosein ibn Muhammad al-Marghani
 Hamid Naweed
 Akram Assem
 Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar (1898–1978)
 Zalmay A. Gulzad
 Abdul Hai Habibi (1910–1984)
 Faiz Mohammad Katib Hazara
 Omara Khan Massoudi geographer, historian
 Abdul Shakoor Rashad (1921–2004)

Media people (including actors and film directors)

 Latif Ahmadi director of Afghan Film, Afghanistan's state-run film company
 Humayoon Shams Khan actor 
 Leena Alam actress
 Siddiq Barmak (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 (2010)
 Zohre Esmaeli (born 1985) model, author, designer
 Josh Gad
 Azita Ghanizada
 Marina Golbahari
 Nelufar Hedayat
 Haji Kamran
 Kader Khan
 Ahmed Latif
 Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada
 Mamnoon Maqsoodi (born 1966)
 Anisa Wahab
 Abdul Wahid Nazari (born 1953)
 Nelofer Pazira
 Leena Alam
 Soosan Firooz
 Ali Olomi

Writers (including journalists)

Mohammad Jan Fana (born 1932)
Nelufar Hedayat 
Khaled Hosseini (born 1965)
Qiamuddin Khadim
Sultan Munadi (1976–2009)
Fariba Nawa (born 1973)
Nelofer Pazira
Sayed Ihsanuddin Taheri
Mahmud Tarzi (1865–1933)
Sakena Yacoobi
Rahnaward Zaryab
Ahmad Javeed Ahwar

Poets

 Jami (1414–1492)
 Rumi (1207–1273)  originally from the Balkh city of Afghanistan
 Qahar Asi (1335)
 Hamza Baba (1907–1994)
 Rahman Baba (1650–1715)
 Wasef Bakhtari
 Khalilullah Khalili (1907–1987)
 Ghani Khan (1914–1996)
 Khushal Khan Khattak (1613–1689)
 Parween Pazhwak (born 1967)
 Pir Roshan (1525–1582/1585)
 Sana Safi
 Layla Sarahat Rushani (died 2004)
 Hakim Sanai (1080–1131)
 Kabir Stori (1942–2006)
 Mahmūd Tarzī (1830–1900)
 Nazo Tokhi
 Matiullah Turab

Sportspeople

 Rashid Khan Cricketer
 Javed Ahmadi Cricketer
 Sandjar Ahmadi Footballer
 Raees Ahmadzai Cricketer
 Yamin Ahmadzai Cricketer
 Shamsuddin Amiri Footballer
 Jan Alam Hassani Volleyballer
 Qaher Hazrat Cyclist
 Gulbudeen Naib Cricketer
 Nasratullah Nasrat Cricketer
 Ahmad Nasir Safi Footballer
 Dawlat Zadran Cricketer
Siyar Bahadurzada UFC Fighter
 Nadia Nadim Footballer

Musicians (including composers)

 Omar Akram Grammy Award-winning Afghan-American recording artist, composer and pianist
 Farhad Darya
 Soosan Firooz actress and rapper
 Mozhdah Jamalzadah
 Miri Maftun
 Latif Nangarhari
 Nasrat Parsa
 Dawood Sarkhosh
 Aryana Sayeed
 Ahmad Zahir

Women activists

 Aryana Sayeed women's rights activist and famous singer 
 Roqia Abubakr
 Sitara Achakzai women's rights activist
 Jamila Afghani founder of Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organization (NECDO)
 Safia Ahmed-jan women's rights activist
 Khadija Ahrari 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
 Mariam Ghani artist and advocate for women's rights
 Laila Haidari (born 1978)
 Malalai Joya (born 1978)
 Fawzia Koofi 
 Anahita Ratebzad (born 1930)
 Masuma Esmati Wardak
 Manizha Wafeq

Others

 Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād painter
 Sharbat Gula (born 1972)
 Mir Masjidi Khan (died 1841) Afghan resistance leader
 Youssof Kohzad writer, painter, playwright, artist, poet and actor
 Ali-Shir Nava'i poet, writer, politician, linguist, mystic and painter
 Abdul Majid Zabuli (1896–1998) founder of Bank-e-Melli Afghanistan
 Zallascht Sadat model
 Vida Samadzai model
 Khwaja Usman Mughal opponent, Baro-Bhuyan chieftain 
 Abdul Latif Pedram professor of literature
 Azizullah Royesh social activist

Related pages
 Demographics of Afghanistan
 Lists of people by nationality
 List of Pashtuns
 List of Tajik people

References

Afghan