List of Afghans

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&ndash;1978)
* Zalmay A. Gulzad
* Abdul Hai Habibi (1910&ndash;1984)
* Faiz Mohammad Katib Hazara
* Omara Khan Massoudi geographer, historian
* Abdul Shakoor Rashad (1921&ndash;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&ndash;2009)
*Fariba Nawa (born 1973)
*Nelofer Pazira
*Sayed Ihsanuddin Taheri
*Mahmud Tarzi (1865&ndash;1933)
*Sakena Yacoobi
*Rahnaward Zaryab
*Ahmad Javeed Ahwar

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

## Sportspeople
* Rashid Khan Cricketer
* Hashmatullah Shahidi 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&ndash;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