List of Kurdish people
Encyclopedia
This is a list of well known and notable Kurdish people. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are of Kurdish background.
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Poets and writers
The following is a list of people who have contributed to the Kurdish-language literature.- Nizami Ganjavi (1141-1209), Persian epic poet. (Kurdish mother)
- Ali HaririAli HaririAli Hariri was among the first well-known Kurdish poets who wrote in Kurdish. He was from the Hakkari region of Turkey.- References :...
(1425–1495), the first well-known Kurdish poet. - Ahmade BateAhmade BateMala Ahmade Bate was a Kurdish poet and cleric. His real name was Hussein. He belonged to the Artushi tribe...
(Ehmedê Batê), (1417–1491), Kurdish poet and Muslim cleric, HakkariHakkariHakkâri , is a city and the capital of the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The name Hakkâri is derived from the Syriac word, Akkare, meaning farmers...
region. - Malaye JaziriMalaye JaziriMalaye Jaziri , was a Kurdish writer, poet and mystic.He was born in Jazira , the capital of Bohtan principality. Here the first school of classical Kurdish poetry in the Kurmanji dialect was established. Malaye Jaziri was the leading representative of this school and, one can add, a fine...
(Melayê Cizîrî),(1570–1640), Kurdish poet and sufi - Faqi TayranFaqi TayranFaqi Tayran is considered as one of the great classic Kurdish poets and writers. His real name was "Mir Mihemed". He was born in a village called "Miks" in the Hakkari region of the Ottoman Empire...
(Feqîyê Teyran), (1590–1660), poet, author of Sheik San'an and Battle of DimDim. - Ali TaramakhiAli TaramakhiAli Taramakhi or Elî Teremaxî, was a Kurdish linguist and writer in 16th century. He is credited for writing the first Arabic grammar book in the Kurdish language in 1591. His book is titled, Serfa Kurmancî or Tesrîf. He wrote the book in order to allow Kurdish pupils to learn and study Arabic...
(Elî Teremaxî), (16th century), linguist and writer. - Mustafa BesaraniMustafa BesaraniMustafa Besarani , was an Iranian-Kurdish poet who wrote in Hewrami dialect.He was from the village Bêseran in western Iran.-External links:* *...
, (1642-1701),Kurdish poet - Ahmad Khani (Ehmedê Xanî), (1651–1707), Kurdish poet and a Muslim scholar, author of Mem û Zîn.
- Khana QubadiKhana QubadiKhana Qubadi or , , was a Kurdish poet. He wrote his poems in the Hawrami dialect. He belonged to the Hawrami school of poetry in the Ardalan principality.-Works:...
(Xana Qubadî), (1700–1759), Kurdish poet, author of Şîrîn û Xesrew. - Mahmud BayazidiMahmud BayazidiMahmud Bayazidi , was an Kurdish polymath from Bayazid in the Ottoman Empire.-Early life:He was born in Bayazid in 1797. He started his studies by reading the Koran, and then Arabic, Persian, Ottoman and Kurdish. He then moved to Tabriz in north-western Iran to continue his studies...
(1797–1859), Kurdish writer, translator and historian. - NaliNaliNalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî Nalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî Nalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî (1800-1873 in Istanbul, Turkey, was a Kurdish polymath, who is considered to be one of the greatest Kurdish poet in Kurdish...
(1797–1869), Kurdish poet. - Mastoura Ardalan (1805–1848), Kurdish poet and historiographer.
- Mawlawi TawagoziMawlawi TawagoziEbdulrehîm Mela Seîd Mawlawi Tawagozi, , was a Kurdish poet and sufi. His pen name was Madum or Madumi, but he is also known as Mewlewi Kurd.-Early life:...
(1806–1882), Kurdish poet and sufi. - Haji Qadir KoyiHaji Qadir KoyiHaji Qadir Koyi , , was a Kurdish poet. He carried on the nationalistic message of Ahmad Khani in his writings. He wanted to enlighten the people and help them to remedy the problems of illiteracy and backwardness and ideas which result from lack of knowledge and religious fanaticism...
(1817–1897), Kurdish poet. - Sherefxan BidlisiSherefxan BidlisiSharaf Khan Bidlisi or Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi, , was a medieval Kurdish Emir and a politician from the Emirate of Bitlis....
(1543–1599), historian and poet, author of Sharafnama in Persian. - MahwiMahwiMahwi or Mehwî , , was one of the most prominenet classical Kurdish poets and sufis from Iraq. He studied in Sablakh and Sanandaj in Iranian Kurdistan. He became a judge in the court of Sulaimaniya, in today's Iraq, in 1862, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. He travelled to Istanbul and...
(1830–1906), Kurdish poet and sufi. - Sheikh Rezza TalabaniSheikh Rezza TalabaniSheikh Riza Talabani , a celebrated Kurdish poet from Kirkuk, Iraq. Talabani wrote his poetry in Kurdish, Turkish, Persian, and Arabic. Some of Sheikh Riza's poems considered by some historian as a credible testimony to the history of the city of Kirkuk...
(1835–1910), Kurdish, Iraq. - WafaeiWafaeiWafaei or Wefayî, , was a Kurdish poet. His real name was Abdorrahim. He was born in Mahabad in present-day north-western Iran. He finished religious studies in Mahabad and became a cleric, and a teacher in the local school. He moved to Sulaimaniya in 1900 and stayed there for a while. He travelled...
(1844–1902), Kurdish poet, Iran. - EdebEdebMisbaholdiwan Adab was the pen name of Kurdish poet Abd-Allah Beg b. Ahmed Beg Babamiri, , also known by his title Misbah al-Diwan.He was born in the village of Armaniblaxi around Bukan in northwestern Iran, ....
(1860–1918), Kurdish poet, Iran - PiramerdPiramerdTawfeq Mahmoud Hamza or Piramerd, , , was a Kurdish poet , writer, novelist and journalist. He was born in the Gwêje neighborhood of Sulaimaniya city in Iraq. In 1926, he became the editor of the Kurdish newspaper Jîyan...
(1867–1950), Kurdish poet, writer, novelist and journalist, Iraqi KurdistanIraqi KurdistanIraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. - Muhamed Amin ZakiMuhamed Amin ZakiMuhamed Amin Zaki, , was a Kurdish writer, historian, statesman and politician. He was born in Sulaimaniya, attended the Military and Staff College at Istanbul and served as a staff officer in the Ottoman army. He also served in the Iraqi administration under the British mandate in the 1920s and...
(1880–1948), writer, historian and politician, Iraqi KurdistanIraqi KurdistanIraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. - Taufiq WahbyTaufiq WahbyTaufiq Wahby was a prominent Kurdish writer, linguist and politician. He first served in the Ottoman army as a colonel, but after the creation of Iraq by the British in 1920, he became an influential officer in the new Iraqi army. He also served eight terms in ministerial posts in the Iraqi...
(1891–1984), writer and linguist, Iraq. - Celadet Bedir Khan (Celadet Alî Bedirxan), (1893–1951), linguist, journalist and politician, founder of the Latin-based Kurdish alphabetKurdish alphabetThe Kurdish language is written either using a variant of the Latin alphabet, according to a system introduced by Jeladet Ali Bedirkhan in 1932 , or using a variant of the Persian alphabet, the so-called Sorani alphabet, named for the city of Soran, Iraq.The Hawar is used in Turkey, Syria and...
. - Nuri BarzinjiSheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih Sheikh Ghani BarzinjiSheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih Sheikh Ghani Sheikh Abdul Qadir was an Iraqi Kurdish newspaper editor, activist, and poet. He was from the Barzinji tribe of Kurdistan....
(1896–1958), poet, Iraqi Kurdistan. - Arab ShamilovArab ShamilovArab Shamilov , , was a Kurdish novelist. He was born in the city of Kars in a Yazidi family in present-day north-eastern Turkey. During the World War I, from 1914 to 1917, he served as an interpreter for the Russian army. Later on, he became a member of the central committee of the Armenia's...
(Erebê Şemo) (1897–1978), Kurdish writer and novelist, Armenia. - Rafiq HilmiRafiq HilmiRafiq Hilmi was a Kurdish historian, writer and politician born in Kirkuk. He was founder of the Kurdish party Hîwa in 1938 and author of many books on the history of Kurdistan and Kurdish language...
(1898–1960), Kurdish writer, literary analyst and politician, Iraq. - CigerxwînCigerxwînCigerxwîn or Cegerxwîn was a renowned Kurdish polymath, and nationalist.He is known to be one of the most influential Kurdish writers and poets in the Kurdistan region of the Middle East, and his work has been renewed for the creation of hundreds of songs and played a crucial role in the...
(Cegerxwîn), (1903–1984), Kurdish poet and writer, Turkey/Syria. - Abdulla GoranAbdulla GoranAbdulla Goran was a Kurdish poet. He undoubtedly brought about a revolution in Kurdish poetry, and is also called the father of modern Kurdish literature. At this time Kurdish poetry was loaded with hundreds of years of foreign heritage, especially Arabic...
(1904–1962), Kurdish poet. - Osman SabriOsman SabriOsman Sabri , , a Kurdish poet, writer and journalist. He was born in Narînç or Narinc in what was then the eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire...
(1905–1993), Kurdish poet, writer and journalist, Turkey/Syria. - Emînê EvdalEmînê EvdalEmînê Evdal , was a Kurdish writer, linguist and poet. He was born into a Yezidi family in the village of Yamanchayir near Kars which at the time was under Russian control. His village was destroyed during the Turkish-Armenian conflict, and he lost his mother, father and brother...
(1906–1964), Kurdish writer and linguist, Armenia. - Alaaddin SajadiAlaaddin SajadiAlaaddin Sajjadi was a Kurdish writer, poet and academic. He was born in Iran Kurdistan. He finished his religious studies and became a cleric in 1938. He began working in the field of journalism in 1939, and became the Editor-in-Chief of the Kurdish journal Gelawêj in 1941. In 1948, he published...
(1907–1984), Kurdish writer, poet and academic, Iraqi Kurdistan. - Hecîyê CindîHecîyê CindîHecîyê Cindî, or Hajiye Jndi , was a Kurdish writer, linguist and researcher. He was born into a Yezidi family in the village of Emençayîr near Kars. During World War I and Ottoman-Armenian conflict, his family fled to Armenia and settled in the village of Elegez. Later on he lost all his family ...
(1908–1990), Kurdish writer, linguist and researcher, Armenia. - Qanate KurdoQanate KurdoQanate Kurdo or Kanat Kalashevich Kurdoev, , was a Kurdish writer, linguist and academic. He was born in the village of Sûsiz near Kars in north-eastern Turkey. He attended a Kurdish school in Tbilisi. Many other Kurdish writers Qanate Kurdo or Kanat Kalashevich Kurdoev, (Russian: Курдоев, Канат...
(1909–1985), Kurdish writer, linguist and academic, Russia. - QedrîcanQedrîcanQedrîcan or Qedrîcan, , was a Kurdish poet, writer and translator. He was born in Derik, a small village . At a time when schooling was the subject of jokes and when few people studied Qedrîcan's father, known as "Cano" sent him to school...
(1911–1972), Kurdish poet and writer, Turkey/Syria. - Ibrahim AhmadIbrahim AhmadIbrahim Ahmad Ibrahim Ahmad (1914-2000) Ibrahim Ahmad (1914-2000) (Alternatively spelled Ibrahim Ahmed or Ibrahîm Ehmed (Kurdish: ئبراهیم هحمهد), was a Kurdish writer, novelist and translator.-Biography:...
(1914–2000), Kurdish writer, novelist and translator, Iraqi Kurdistan/England. - DildarDildarYûnis Reuf known as Dildar, was a Kurdish poet and political activist. He was born on February 20, 1918 in the town of Koi Sanjaq located in the Mosul Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire . first he started school at [Ranye]. After finishing high school in Kirkuk, he moved to Baghdad, where he studied Law...
, (Yonis Reuf), (1917–1948), Kurdish poet, Iraq - Hejar (Abdurrahman Sharafkandi), (1920–1990), Kurdish poet, writer, translator and linguist, Iran.
- Hemin MukriyaniHemin MukriyaniHemin Mukriyani was the pen name for Seyed Mohammad Amin Shaikholislami Mukri, Kurdish poet, journalist, translator, and literary critic.He was born in the village of Lachin, near Mahabad in 1945...
(Hêmin Mukriyanî), (1921–1986), Kurdish journalist and poet, Iran. - Husein Muhammed (born 1980), Kurdish writer, editor of the Kovara MehnameKovara MehnameKovara Mehname is a Kurdish cultural electronic monthly. It has been published since 1999, focusing especially on translating world classics into Kurdish....
, translator - Ahmad HardiAhmad HardiAhmad Hardi was a prominent Kurdish poet.He was born into an intellectual family in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan. He possessed a deep knowledge of classical Kurdish, Arabic and Persian poetry and has had an enduring influence on the modern Kurdish poetry...
(1922–2006), Kurdish poet, Iraqi Kurdistan/UK. - Yasar KemalYasar KemalYaşar Kemal, is a Turkish writer. He is one of Turkey's leading writers. He has long been a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, on the strength of Memed, My Hawk....
(born 1923), Kurdish writer, Turkey. - Karim HisamiKarim HisamiKarim Hisami or Kerîmî Hisamî, was an Iranian-Kurdish writer. He was born in the village of Beyrem near Mahabad. His real name was Karimi Mirza Hamed. Karim Hisami was his pen-name. At early age, he became involved in politics, and was registered as the 18th member of Komeley Jiyanewey Kurd party...
(1926–2001), Kurdish writer, Iran/Iraq/Sweden. - Muhamad Salih Dilan (1927–1990), One of the founders of modern Kurdish poetry.
- Shamil AsgarovShamil AsgarovShamil Asgarov or Shamil Askerov was an Azeri scholar, poet, and researcher on the history in Azerbaijan. He was the leader of Kalbajar's community, founder and former director of the Museum in Kelbajar...
(1928–2005), poet, researcher on the history and culture of the Kurds in Azerbaijan, translator. - Maruf KhaznadarMaruf KhaznadarMaruf Khaznadar or Marif Xeznedar, , is a contemporary Kurdish academic and writer. He was born in Erbil and received early education in Erbil and Kirkuk. He attended the College of Literature at the University of Baghdad and received his Bachelor degree in Arabic language and literature in 1957....
(born 1930), academic and researcher, Iraqi Kurdistan. - Ordîxanê CelîlOrdîxanê CelîlOrdîxanê Celîl , , was a Kurdish writer and academic. Born in Yerevan, he entered the Philology department of University of Yerevan in 1951 and graduated in 1956. He was appointed as the Kurdish studies chair of University of Lenningrad in 1957...
(1932–2007), academic and linguist, Armenia/Russia. - Jamal NebezJamal NebezJamal Nebez is a Kurdish linguist and mathematician. He studied Islamic law, philosophy, theology, physics and mathematics of the University of Baghdad in the 1950s...
(born 1933), writer, linguist and researcher, Germany. - Mehmed Emin BozarslanMehmed Emin BozarslanMehmed Emîn Bozarslan, , is a Kurdish writer. He was born in Diyarbakır in south-eastern Turkey. He moved to Sweden as political asylum seeker in 1978, and he has been living in Uppsala Sweden since then. The most famous of his early works was Alfabê which was the first ABC-Book for Kurdish...
(born 1935), Kurdish writer, Sweden. - Ahmad GhaziAhmad GhaziAhmad Ghazi is a famous Kurdish writer and translator. He was born in 1936 in Mahabad. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English in Tehran Higher Institute of Languages in 1958. He played an active role in Iranian Kurdistan struggles for political sovereignty in the 1970s, because of which...
(born 1936), writer and translator, Iran. - Celîlê Celîl (born 1936), Historian and Kurdologist, Armenia/Austria.
- Suwara IlkhanizadaSuwara IlkhanizadaSuwara Ilkhanizada , was a Kurdish poet and writer. He was born in the village of Turjan near Bukan in the north-west of Iran. His family relocated to Bukan in the summer of 1954. He went to school in Bukan and continued his studies in Tabriz. In 1962, he enrolled in the judicial law department of...
(1937–1976), Kurdish poet, Iran. - Sherko BekasSherko BekasSherko Bekas , , is a prominent contemporary Kurdish poet. He was born on 2 May 1940 in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan as a son of the Kurdish poet Fayak Bekas....
(born 1940), Kurdish poet. - Eskerê BoyîkEskerê BoyîkEskerê Boyîk, , is a Kurdish poet and writer. He was born into a Yazidi family at the village of Qundexsaz in Armenia. He went to school in his village and later in the village of Elegez. He continued his studies in economics in Yerevan, and graduated in 1966. He has written many articles in...
(born 1941), Kurdish poet, Armenia/Germany. - Tosinê ReşîdTosinê ResîdTosinê Reşîd , , is a contemporary Kurdish Yazidi writer, poet and playwright. He was born in the village of Koorakand in Armenia. He studied physics and chemistry at the Pedagogy Institute and graduated in 1964. After the few years of working as teacher, he continued his studies in 1970 and...
(born 1941), Kurdish writer, Armenia/Australia. - Mahmud BaksiMahmud BaksiMahmud Baksi , , was a Kurdish writer and journalist. He was born in the village of Suphî in Batman Province in Turkey. He began to publish a newspaper titled Batman Gazetesi in 1967. He became the head of the Batman branch of the Workers Party of Turkey. From 1968 to 1970, he became involved in...
(1944–2001), Kurdish writer and journalist, Sweden. - Rauf HassanRauf HassanRauf Hassan is a renowned Kurdish writer who was born in 1945 in the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Iraqi Kurdistan.He was imprisoned during the rule of the Ba'ath Party regime, because of his critical articles he wrote against the Ba'ath Party regime in Iraq...
(born 1945), Kurdish writer and journalist, Iraqi KurdistanIraqi KurdistanIraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. - Rojen BarnasRojen BarnasRojen Barnas is a contemporary Kurdish poet and writer. He was born in the Diyarbakır region in south-eastern Turkey. He became active in Kurdish politics in the 1970s. He has made his home in Sweden since 1981. He started publishing a Kurdish magazine called Tîrêj in the 70's. He has also...
(born 1945), Kurdish poet and writer, Sweden. - Azad ZalAzad ZalAzad Zal is a poet, writer, journalist, translator and linguist of Kurdish origin. He was born in Amed. He is the vice chairman of the Kurdish Writers' Association and he is section editor of The Kurdish Institute of Amed....
(born 1972), Kurdish poet, writer, journalist, translator and linguist, Kurdistan. - Abdulla PashewAbdulla PashewAbdulla Pashew, or Ebdulla Peşêw, is a well-known Kurdish poet. He was born in 1946 in Hewlêr, Iraqi Kurdistan. He studied at the Teachers' Training Institute in Hewlêr , and participated in the Foundation Congress of the Kurdish Writers' Union in Baghdad in 1970. In 1973 he went to the former...
(born 1946), contemporary Kurdish poet. - Şahînê Bekirê SoreklîSahînê Bekirê SoreklîŞahînê Bekirê Soreklî or Shahin Bekir Sorekli or Chahin Baker is a Kurdish writer, poet, journalist and translator.He was born in the village of Mezrê in the Kurdish region of Kobani in Syria. He moved to Australia from Germany in 1968 and studied at Macquarie University...
(born 1946), Kurdish writer, poet and translator, Australia. - Reşo ZîlanReso ZîlanReşo Zîlan is a contemporary Swedish writer, translator and linguist of Kurdish origin. He was born in Turkey and emigrated to Sweden in 1973. He is currently the president of the Language and Literature Department of the Kurdish Institute of Paris. -Books:#Translation of Arhuaco Sierra Nevada, by...
(born 1947), Kurdish writer, translator and linguist, Sweden. - Latif HalmatLatif HalmatLatif Halmat or Letîf Helmet, , is a Kurdish poet. He was born in Kifri near Kirkuk in Iraqi Kurdistan. He worked as a journalist during the 1970s and 1980s. He has published some 20 poetry books...
(born 1947), Kurdish poet, Iraqi Kurdistan. - Keça KurdKeça KurdKeça Kurd is a contemporary Kurdish writer, poet, linguist and translator. She was born in the village of Xirbê Cihûya in northeastern Syria. She received her Bachelor's degree in Al-Qamishli and continued her studies in Kurdish literature at the University of Sulaimani from 1972 to 1974...
(born 1948), poet, writer and linguist, Germany. - Lezgin ChaliLezgin ChaliLezgin Chali , is a physician, administrator. He writes and translates into Kurdish. He worked as a physician and as the Director General of Planning and Health Education in the 3rd and 4th cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Northern Iraq...
(Lezgînê Çalî), Kurdish physician, administrator, writer, Kurdistan. - CankurdCankurdCankurd, , is a contemporary Kurdish poet and writer. He was born in the village of Meydank in the north-east Syria. He completed his studies in Afrin and Aleppo. Due to political activism, he was imprisoned several times, until he left Syria for Germany in 1979. He writes in Kurdish, Arabic and...
(born 1948), Kurdish writer and poet, Germany. - Têmûrê XelîlTêmûrê XelîlTêmûrê Xelîl, , is a contemporary Kurdish journalist, writer and translator.- Biography :He was born in Yerevan and after receiving a bachelor degree in Physics and Mathematics, worked as a math teacher in the Kurdish village of Sipan for three years...
(born 1949), translator and journalist, Sweden. - Zaradachet HajoZaradachet HajoZaradachet Hajo, is a Kurdish writer, linguist and researcher, born in Syria in 1950. He has studied linguistics, German and Iranian languages at the Free University of Berlin, and wrote his doctoral thesis on Indo-Iranian language studies. Since 1982, he has been teaching as the universities of...
(born 1950), Kurdish linguist and academic, Head of the Kurdish PENKurdish PENKurdish PEN or The Kurdish Centre of the International PEN is a branch of International PEN. It was suggested by Kurdish writer Hüseyin Erdem and voted into existence during International PEN's conference in Cambridge in 1988...
, Germany. - Rafiq SabirRafiq SabirRafiq Sabir is a contemporary Kurdish poet.He was born in Qaladzê in Iraqi Kurdistan. In 1974, he received Bachelor of Arts degree from Baghdad University. He moved to Sweden in 1989. He writes in the sorani dialect...
(born 1950), Kurdish poet, Sweden. - Farhad ShakelyFarhad ShakelyFarhad Shakely is a prominent Kurdish writer, poet and researcher. He is one of the founders of modern Kurdish poetry in the post-Goran period. He was born in 1951 in the province of Kirkuk in Iraq. He began publishing poetry in 1968. In the early 1970s he studied in the Kurdish department of the...
(born 1951), poet, writer and academic, Sweden. - Khalil DuhokiKhalil DuhokiKhalil Duhoki or Xelîl Duhokî, , is a Kurdish writer, poet. He was born in Duhok in Iraqi Kurdistan. He began writing poems in 1970. He has been active in several Kurdish journals, such as Berbang published in Sweden. He is a member of the Swedish Writers Union .-Poem:#Gaziyek ji cergê Asya:...
(born 1951), Kurdish writer, poet, Sweden. - Khalil RashowKhalil RashowKhalil Rashow or Xelîl Cindî Reşo is a contemporary Yazidi-Kurdish academic, writer and researcher. He was born in the village of Mam Rasha in district of Sheikhan in Mosul province in northern Iraq. From 1970 to 1974 he studied at the department of Kurdish language and literature of University of...
(born 1952), Kurdish writer and academic, Germany. - Mehmed UzunMehmed UzunMehmed Uzun was a contemporary Kurdish writer and novelist. He was born in Siverek, Urfa, Turkey.Although the Kurdish language was outlawed in Turkey from 1920 to 1990, he started to write in his mother tongue. As a writer, he achieved a great deal towards shaping a modern Kurdish literary...
(1953–2007), writer and novelist, Turkey/Sweden. - Jalal BarzanjiJalal BarzanjiJalal Barzanji is a contemporary Kurdish poet and writer.He has served on the board of Writers' Union and was Executive Director of Ministry of Culture in Iraqi Kurdistan. He left Iraqi-Kurdistan in 1996 due to an ongoing civil war in Kurdistan...
(born 1953), writer, poet and journalist, Canada. - Fawaz HussainFawaz HussainFawaz Hussain or Fawaz Husên , is a contemporary Kurdish writer and translator. He was born in northeastern Syria. He pursued his studies in Sorbonne from 1978 to 1992, and received PhD in French language and literature in 1988. He is a member of Swedish Writers' Union and French Writers' Syndicate...
(born 1953), writer and translator, France. - Zeynelabidin ZinarZeynelabidin ZinarZeynelabidîn Zinar is a Kurdish writer and researcher. He was born in the village of Hedhedk in the district of Reşkotan in 1953. He has been one of the main figures in the area of Kurdish folklore. Moreover, he has changed many classical Kurdish texts from Arabic script to the Kurdish Latin-based...
(born 1953), Kurdish writer, researcher and specialist in Kurdish folklore, Sweden. - Yekta UzunogluYekta UzunogluYekta Uzunoglu or Yekta Geylanî , is a contemporary Turkish writer, translator and entrepreneur of Kurdish origin. In 1971, he moved to France to continue his studies. From 1973 to 1979, he studied general medicine at the University of Prague. He became involved in the resistance movement against...
(born 1953), Kurdish writer, translator and entrepreneur, Czech Republic/Germany. - Najiba AhmadNajiba AhmadNajiba Ahmad is a contemporary Kurdish writer and poet. She was born in Kirkuk, in northern Iraq. She studied Kurdish language and literature at the University of Sulaimaniya and worked as a teacher for many years before she joined the Kurdish liberation movement...
(born 1954), Kurdish writer and poet, Iraq/Iran. - Perwîz CîhanîPerwîz CîhanîPerwîz Cîhanî , is a Kurdish writer and novelist. He was born near Khoy in northwest of Iran. Around 1977-1978, he began writing poems and short stories in Kurdish, and collecting pieces of Kurdish folklore. In 1984, he worked in the Kurdish Radio of Urmia, presenting two cultural programs...
(born 1955), Kurdish writer, poet and novelist, Switzerland. - Fadıl ÖztürkFadil ÖztürkFadıl Öztürk is a Kurdish writer and poet. He continues to write literary and political work. He was jailed for ten years. In 8 December 2004, he took part of the campaigned 'Demands of Kurds in Turkey' that has been published as a half page advert on Herald Tribune...
(born 1955), Kurdish writer and poet, literary and political work - Lokman PolatLokman PolatLokman Polat is a Turkish-Swedish writer of Kurdish origin. Before 1980, he was involved in publishing political commentaries and news. He has been arrested several times due to his activities in the field of Kurdish literature, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia...
(born 1956), Kurdish writer, Sweden. - Hesenê MetêHesenê MetêHesenê Metê, , is a prominent Kurdish writer, novelist and translator. He was born in Erxanî near Diyarbakır in south-eastern Turkey. He has been living in Sweden since 1980's. He has translated works by Pushkin and Dostoyevski into Kurdish....
(born 1957), Kurdish writer, novelist and translator, Sweden. - Mustafa AydoganMustafa AydoganMustafa Aydogan is a contemporary Kurdish writer and translator. He was botn in the district of Qiziltepe in Mardin in southeastern Turkey and relocated to Sweden in 1985...
(born 1957), Writer, novelist and translator, Sweden. - Firat CewerîFirat CewerîFirat Cewerî, is a Kurdish writer, translator and journalist. He was born in the town of Dêrik near Mardin in south-eastern Turkey. In 1980s, he emigrated to Sweden, where he lives now....
(born 1959), Kurdish writer, translator and journalist, Sweden. - Serdar RoşanSerdar RoşanSerdar Roşan , is a contemporary Kurdish writer, poet and translator. He was born in Diyarbakir and after the 1980 coup emigrated to Sweden. He has published two books of poetry and three collections of short stories and Kurdish legends...
(born 1959), writer, poet and translator, Sweden. - Ata NahaiAta NahaiAta Nahai is a well-known Kurdish Iranian novelist and short story writer. He was born in Baneh in 1960. He was graduated from high school in 1978, receiving a diploma of literature. As to the revolutionary atmosphere of Iran in 1979 and the universities being closed for the coming four years he...
(born 1960), writer and novelist, Iran. - Farhad PirbalFarhad PirbalFarhad Pirbal is a Kurdish writer and academic. He was born in the city of Hewlêr in Iraqi Kurdistan. He studied Kurdish language and literature in the University of Salahadin in Arbil. In 1986, he left Kurdistan for France. He continued his studies in University of Sorbonne in the field of...
(born 1961), Kurdish writer and academic, Iraqi Kurdistan. - Nazand BegikhaniNazand BegikhaniNazand Begikhani is a contemporary Kurdish writer, poet and academic researcher, and an active advocate of human rights.Begikhani, born in Koysinjak in Iraqi Kurdistan, has been living in exile since 1987 when she sought refugee status in Denmark...
(born 1964), Kurdish writer, poet and researcher, UK. - Mahabad QaradaghiMahabad QaradaghiMahabad Qaradaghi or Mehabad Qeredaxî , is a Kurdish writer, poet and translator. She was born in Kifri, a town near Kirkuk. Her first collections of poems were published in 1980, and was imprisoned by the Ba'athist regime from 1980 to 1981. In 1993, she emigrated to Sweden...
(born 1966), Kurdish writer, poet and translator, Sweden. - Kajal AhmadKajal AhmadKajal Ahmad or Kejal Ehmed, , is a contemporary Kurdish poet, writer and journalist.She was born in Kirkuk. She began writing poetry in 1986, and became a journalist in 1992. In addition to poetry, she also writes commentary and analysis on social issues, women issues and politics. Her poems have...
(born 1967), Kurdish poet, writer and journalist, Iraqi Kurdistan. - Choman HardiChoman HardiChoman Hardi , is a contemporary Kurdish poet, translator and painter. She was born in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan. In 1975 her family fled to Iran after the Algiers Accord but returned to Iraq after a general amnesty in 1979. They were forced to move again in 1988 during the Anfal campaign...
(born 1974), Kurdish poet, researcher and painter, UK. - Evdile KoçerEvdile KoçerEvdile Koçer , is a Kurdish writer.He studied at the Anadolu University. Later he studied at Uppsala University in Kurdish language and literature....
(born 1977), Kurdish writer, Germany. - Noori Kaka Hama Attar(1920-1995), Kurdish poet, writer and historian, Iraqi Kurdistan
Academics and scholars
- Nadir NadirovNadir NadirovNadir Nadirov, , is a Kurdish academic and scientist from Kazakhstan. He was born in Nakhchivan and his family were deported to Kazakhstan in 1933. He is the president of association of Kurds in Kazakhstan and the first vice-president of the Engineering Academy of Kazakhstan. He is also director...
(born 1932), Vice president of Engineering Academy and Member of Academy of Sciences, Kazakhstan. - Yona SabarYona SabarYona Sabar, , is a Kurdish Jewish scholar, linguist and researcher. He was born in the town of Zakho in the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq. His family moved to Israel in 1951. He received a B.A. in Hebrew and Arabic from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1963 and a Ph.D. in Near Eastern...
(born 1938), Kurdish-Jewish scholar and linguist, USA. - Amir HassanpourAmir HassanpourAmir Hassanpour, , is a prominent Iranian Kurdish scholar and researcher. He was born in Mahabad, in north-western Iran. He received Bachelor of Arts degree in English language in 1964 from University of Tehran. He taught in the secondary schools of Mahabad in the period of 1965-66.In 1968, he...
(born 1943), Kurdish scholar and researcher, Canada. - Abbas ValiAbbas ValiProfessor Abbas Vali is a distinguished Kurdish political and social theorist specialising in modern and contemporary political thought and modern Middle Eastern Politics.-Biography:...
(born 1950), political scientist, UK/Iraqi Kurdistan. - Dlawer Ala'AldeenDlawer Ala'AldeenDlawer Ala'Aldeen دلاوهر عبدالعزيز علاءالدين, MD, PhD, FRCPath, is the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq...
(born 1960), Kurdish academic, physician, lobbyist, political writer, UK. - Edip YukselEdip YukselEdip Yuksel is an American intellectual considered one of the prime figures in the modern Islamic reform and Qur'an alone movements...
(born 1957), Kurdish/American writer and activist, UK/Turkey/USA. - Hashim AhmadzadehHashim AhmadzadehHashem Ahmadzadeh is a well-known Iranian and Kurdish scholar, presently a lecturer in the Kurdish Studies Centre of the University of Exeter.- Biography :...
(born 1961), Kurdish writer, translator and academician, UK. - Saad EskanderSaad EskanderSaad Eskander is a contemporary Kurdish academic and researcher. He was born in Baghdad, joined the Kurdish Peshmerga in 1981 and lived in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan for four years, then moved to Iran and Syria.He received his B.A...
(born 1962), academic and researcher, director of the Iraq National Library and Archive, Iraq/UK. - Mehrdad IzadyMehrdad IzadyMehrdad Michael R.S.C. Izady , is a contemporary writer on ethnic and cultural topics, particularly the Greater Middle East, and Kurds. He was born to a Kurdish father and a Belgian mother, and spent much of his youth in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Korea, as his diplomat parents moved from one...
(born 1963), academic and historian, USA. - Hamid HassaniHamid HassaniHamid Hasani is an Iranian scholar and researcher, concentrated on Persian lexicography, dictionary-making, and Persian corpus linguistics, also an expert on Persian, Arabic, and Kurdish...
(born 1968), linguistic scholar and researcher. - Bakhtiar SajjadiBakhtiar SajjadiBakhtiar Sadjadi is a Kurdish academician, writer and translator.He got his BA degree in English Language and Literature from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran in 1998 and his MA in the same field from Tehran University in 2000...
(born 1976), academic, writer and translator, Iran. - Erfan QaneifardErfan QaneifardErphan Qaneeifard is an Iranian journalist, linguist and translator.He majored in linguistics and earned a PhD degree from Cambridge University...
(born 1976), linguist, journalist and translator, Iran. - Hussein KhaliqiHussein KhaliqiHussein Khaliqi or Huseyn Xelîqî or Hossein Khalighi or Ḥusayn Khalīqī , is a contemporary Kurdish writer. He was born in Iranian Kurdistan. He studied philosophy , history and sociology in University of Tabriz...
, writer and head of the Kurdish Institute of Stockholm.
Musicians=
- The Kamkars, musical ensemble of seven brothers and a sister, Iran.
- Karapete XacoKarapete XacoKarapetê Xaço or Karabêtê Xaço or Gerabêtê Xaço , was an Armenian singer of traditional Kurdish dengbêj music....
(1902–2005), musician and dengbêj, Armenia. - Ali MerdanAli MerdanAli Merdan is a Kurdish musician who was born in Kirkuk, Kurdistan, widely regarded as the man who revolutionized the maqam. He launched the Kurdish Radio Station in 1939 in Baghdad...
(1904–1981), singer, Iraq. - Hasan Zirak (1921–1972), singer, Iran.
- Mohammad Mamle (1925–1999), musician and singer, Iran.
- Tahir TewfiqTahir TewfiqTahir Tewfiq, also Tayer Tofiq, was a popular Kurdish musician and singer.He was born in the city of Koya around Arbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan...
(1922–1987), musician and singer, Iraq.
- Mazhar Khaleqi (born 1939), musician singer, Iran/UK.
- Shahram NazeriShahram NazeriShahram Nazeri is a contemporary Iranian tenor of Kurdish ancestry who sings classical Persian music from Kermanshah. He is one of Iran's most respected vocalists...
(born 1951), tenor, Iran. - Ibrahim TatlisesIbrahim Tatlises-References:...
(born 1952), pop-folk singer. - Şivan PerwerSivan PerwerŞivan Perwer is a Kurdish poet, writer, musical teacher, singer, and performer on the tembûr . Şivan currently lives in exile after fleeing Turkey in 1976 because of his music...
(born 1955), singer, Turkey/Germany. - Nizamettin ArıçNizamettin AriçNizamettin Ariç, Nîzamettîn Arîç, is a contemporary Kurdish singer, composer and director. He was born in Ağrı in eastern Turkey. He was exposed to traditional Kurdish bard music or Dengbêj at an early age. After the military coup in 1980, he was arrested for singing Kurdish songs in public and...
(born 1956), singer, composer and director, Turkey/Germany. - Ciwan HacoCiwan HacoCiwan Haco is a Kurdish singer. He was born near Qamishlo in Syria. His grandfather was originally from Mardin, Turkey. After finishing high school, he left for Germany in order to continue his studies. He studied music at the University of Bochum for three years...
(born 1957), musician, singer and songwriter, Syria/Norway. - Ahmet KayaAhmet KayaAhmet Kaya was a celebrated Turkish-Kurdish singer who died on November 16, 2000 in exile in Paris. He formerly sang in Turkish...
(1957–2000), musician, Turkey - Ali Akbar MoradiAli Akbar MoradiAli Akbar Moradi,, born 1957 is a well known Iranian Kurdish musician and composer. He was born in the Iranian city of Kermanshah...
(born 1957), musician, Iran. - Merziye FeriqiMerziye FeriqiMerziye Feriqi or Marziya Fariqi , was a Kurdish singer. She was born in Mariwan in west of Iran. Her family were originally from Sine. From a very early age, she was interested in music and singing, and was taking part in the local school music bands...
(1958–2005), singer, Iran/Sweden. - Tara JaffTara JaffTara Jaff is an Iraqi Kurdish musician who has been exposed to many influences. Her father was an Iraqi diplomatr from Halabja. Over the years, she experimented with different string instruments, but it was her fascination with the ancient harps of Sumeria, Assyria and Elam, dating as far back as...
(born 1958), musician and singer, UK. - Dilshad SaidDilshad SaidDilshad Said , is a prominent Iraqi Kurdish musician and composer, who is considered to be a significant influence on contemporary Kurdish music. He was born in Dohuk, Iraqi Kurdistan. After graduating from the music institute of Baghdad, he worked as an assistant of the conductor at Baghdad...
(born 1958), musician and composer, Austria. - Adnan KarimAdnan KarimAdnan Karim is a prominent Kurdish singer from Kirkuk, Iraq.He was born in 1963 in Kirkuk, an ancient and oil rich city in Kurdistan, with a significant Kurdish minority. Although coming from a financially challenged family, he received a high level of education...
(born 1963), singer, Kirkuk/Sulaimaniya, Iraq. - Kayhan KalhorKayhan KalhorKayhan Kalhor , born 24 November 1963, is an Iranian kamancheh player, composer and master of classical Kurdish and Persian music.-Youth and studies:...
(born 1963), kamancheh player and composer, Iran. - Gani MirzoGani MirzoGani Mirzo is a contemporary Kurdish musician. He was born in Qamishlo in northeastern Syria and studied music at the Aleppo Conservatory and taught lute and composition in Syria. He moved to Spain in 1993 and worked on flamenco at the Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona from 1994 to 2000...
(born 1968), musician, Syria/Spain. - Mahsun KırmızıgülMahsun KirmizigülMahsun Kırmızıgül is a Kurdish singer–songwriter, actor and a film producer from the minority Zaza ethnic group. Mahsun Kırmızıgül is also known as a businessman owning one of the leading music production companies, Prestij Müzik, in Turkey....
(born 1969), singer-songwriter, Turkey. - Şehrîbana KurdîSehrîbana KurdîŞehrîbana Kurdî , , is a singer from Turkey of Kurdish origin. She was born in İzmir in western Turkey. Her family are originally from Kiziltepe, Mardin. She began singing at the age of 14 in 1987 at local school bands, and since 1991 she has become a professional singer...
(born 1973), singer, Turkey. - Rojhan BekenRojhan BekenRojhan Beken , is a Kurdish musician and singer. His family background is from Mardin. He studied at Trakya University, and established a music band while studying university. For a number of years, he worked with the Turkish musician Haluk Levent, and sang several songs in his albums. Rojhan's...
(born 1974), singer and composer of Rock music, Turkey. - Aynur DoğanAynur DoganAynur Doğan is a contemporary Kurdish singer and musician from Turkey. She was born in Çemişgezek, a small mountain town in Tunceli Province in southeastern Turkey. Her family fled to İstanbul in 1992 during the conflict between the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers Party...
(born 1975), singer, Turkey. - Rojda AykoçRojda AykoçRojda Aykoç née Kadriye Şenses, , is a contemporary Kurdish singer. She was born in the village of Tutun a Misirca in the province of Siirt in southeastern Turkey. After finishing primary school, she moved to Istanbul in 1991 and began working and singing in local music bands along with her brother...
(born 1978), singer and dengbêj, Turkey. - Sohrab PournazeriSohrab PournazeriSohrab Pournazeri is an Iranian musician, virtuoso and composer born in 1982 in Kermanshah. He plays Kamancheh and tanbour.-Life:...
(born 1982), musician, Iran. - Chopy FatahChopy FatahChopy Fatah [Kurdish:Çopî Fetah / چۆپی فەتاح] more commonly known as Chopyis a contemporary Kurdish singer. She was born in Kirkuk, Iraq in 1983 and her family emigrated to The Netherlands in 1988...
(born 1983), singer, Iraq / The Netherlands. - Darin ZanyarDarin ZanyarDarin Zanyar more commonly known as Darin is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter of Kurdish descent and one of Sweden's best-selling artists, with numerous chart topping songs and music albums.-Early life:...
(born 1987), pop singer, Sweden. - Qale MereQale MereQadir Abdullahzada also known as Qale Mere or Mame Qale born in village of Kulice in northwestern Iran, is one of the best known Kurdish traditional musicians. He played Shimshal/Ney , a Kurdish traditional music instrument. He started to play shimshal as a young and homeless man aiming to earn...
, traditional musician, Iran/Iraq. - ZaraZara (Turkish singer)Zara is a popular Turkish folk singer and actress of Kurdish origin....
(born 1976), singer, Turkey - ZaraZara (singer)"Zara" Pashaevna Mgoyan was born on July 26, 1983, in Otradnoye, Leningrad Oblast, USSR. Zara is a Russian pop singer and actress. In 2004 she married Sergei Matvienko, the son of Saint Petersburg governor Valentina Matvienko. They divorced a year later.Zara is from Armenia and is of ethnic...
(born 1983), singer, Russia - AzadAzad (rapper)Azad Azadpour is a German rapper of Kurdish descent based in Frankfurt am Main.-Career:After having arrived in Germany from Iran as young as 10, he was into hip hop, rap, beatboxing and graffiti. In 1988 he joined D-Flame , A-Bomb, and Combad in Cold-N-Locco...
, singer, Germany. - JamshidJamshidJamshid is a mythological figure of Greater Iranian culture and tradition.In tradition and folklore, Jamshid is described as having been the fourth and greatest king of the epigraphically unattested Pishdadian dynasty . This role is already alluded to in Zoroastrian scripture Jamshid (Middle-...
, singer, Iran.
Religious figures
- Jaban SahabiJaban SahabiJaban Sahabi, Jaban Sahabi, or Jaban al-Kurdi , was a companion of prophet Muhammad.In the year 18 after Hijra, he came back to Kurdistan to preach Islam in his homeland....
, (6/7th AD), companionSahabaIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
of MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. - Ali ibn al-AthirAli ibn al-AthirAbu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad, better known as Ali 'Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari was a Kurdish Muslim historian from the Ibn Athir family...
(1160–1233), Kurdish/Islamic historian, born in Jazira (Cizîre) region. - Ibn KhallikanIbn KhallikanShams al-Dīn Abū Al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad Ibn Muḥammad Ibn Khallikān was a 13th Century Shafi'i Islamic scholar of Kurdish origin.-Biography:...
(1211–1282), Muslim judge and author of a classic Arabic - Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252–1334), founder of the Safaviyya.
- Asenath BarzaniAsenath BarzaniTanna’it Asenath Barzani was a renowned Kurdish Jewish woman who lived in Mosul, Iraq. She was the daughter of the illustrious Rabbi Samuel Barzani. She studied Kabbalah.-The life of Tanna’it Asenath:...
(1590–1670), The first Jewish woman Rabbi in history, MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, Iraq. - Hadhrat Mawlânâ Khâlid-i BaghdâdîHadhrat Mawlânâ Khâlid-i BaghdâdîHadhrat Mawlânâ Khâlid-i Baghdâdî was an Iraqi sufist, the founder of a branch of the Naqshbandi Sufi order - named Khaledi after him - that has had a profound impact not only on his native Kurdistan but also on many other regions of the western Islamic world...
(1779–1827), founder of a significant branch of the NaqshbandiNaqshbandiNaqshbandi is one of the major Sufi spiritual orders of Sufi Islam. It is considered to be a "Potent" order.The Naqshbandi order is over 1,300 years old, and is active today...
Sufi order - named KhalidiyyaKhalidiyyaNaqshbandiyya Khalidiyya, or Khalidiyya, is the title of a branch of the Naqshbandiyya Sufi lineage, from the time of Khalid al-Baghdadi until the time of Shaykh Ismail ash-Shirwani....
after him - Mulla EffendiMulla EffendiMulla Abu Bakr Effendi, also Mulla Effendi , also Abu Bakr IIII or Küçük Mulla was a senior Kurdish Muslim cleric, Islamic philosopher, scholar, astronomer, politician, and a prominent Iraqi personality from Arbil, Iraq.Mulla Effendi was born into a respected and intellectual family of Islamic...
(1863 - December 31, 1942), Islamic philosopher, scholar, astronomer, politician, and a prominent Iraqi personality from ErbilErbilArbil may refer to:* Arbil, fourth largest city in Iraq* Arbil Governorate* Arbil International Airport...
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. - Said NursîSaid NursîBediuzzaman Said Nursî ,commonly known as Bediüzzaman , which means "The Wonder of the Age" was a Muslim scholar who wrote the Risale-i Nur Collection, a body of Qur'anic commentary exceeding six thousand pages. . He was born in Nurs, a village in the Ottoman Bitlis Province in eastern Anatolia. He...
formerly known as Said Kurdî (1876–1960), Kurdish Islamic philosopher, Turkey. - Hajj NematollahHajj NematollahHajj Nematollah was born in Jeyhounabad, Persia and is considered one of the greatest leaders and mystics in Kurdish and Ahl-e Haqq history. Two of his most famous works of poetry and history are Furqān al-Akhbar and Ḥaqq al-Ḥaqāyiq yā Shāhnāmah-ʾi Ḥaqīqat...
(1871–1919), mystic and poet. - Nur Ali ElahiNur Ali ElahiNur Ali Elahi was a spiritual thinker, musician, philosopher and jurist who dedicated his life to investigating the metaphysical dimension of human beings....
(1895–1974), Spiritual leader of the Ahl-e HaqqAhl-e HaqqThe Ahl-e Haqq or Yârsân , are members of a religion founded by Sultan Sahak in the late 14th century in western Iran. The total number of members is estimated at around 1,000,000, primarily found in western Iran and Iraq, mostly ethnic Kurds and Laks, though there are also smaller groups of Luri,...
religion, Iran. - Daniel AliDaniel AliDaniel Ali is an Iraqi Kurdish author, speaker and Islamic scholar. He was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and lived through the ethnic cleansing and Anfal campaign during the Baathist period from 1975 to 1988. He has written two books Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics Daniel Ali (born 1959) is an Iraqi...
(born 1959), convert to Christianity, scholar, theologian and author, USA. - Ahmad Moftizadeh (1933–1993) Sunni Islamic Kurdish leader in Iran.
Politicians and leaders
- Al-Fadhl ibn MuhammadAl-Fadhl ibn MuhammadAl-Fadhl ibn Muhammad al-Shaddadi Al-Fadhl ibn Muhammad al-Shaddadi Al-Fadhl ibn Muhammad al-Shaddadi (also al-Fadl ibn Muhammad, Fadl ibn Muhammad, Fadlun ibn Muhammad, Fadhlun ibn Muhammad, or Fadl I was the Shaddadid emir of Arran from 985-1031. Of Kurdish origin , al-Fadhl was called "Fadhlun...
, ShaddadidShaddadidThe Shaddadids were a Kurdish dynasty who ruled in various parts of Armenia and Arran from 951-1174 AD. They were established in Dvin. Through their long tenure in Armenia, they often intermarried with the Bagratuni royal family of Armenia....
emir of ArranArran-Geography:* Arran , historical region * Isle of Arran, Scotland* Arranmore island, County Donegal, Ireland* Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland* Arran, former township now in Arran-Elderslie, Ontario, Canada...
from 985-1031. - ShirkuhShirkuhAsad ad-Din Shirkuh bin Shadhi , also known as Shêrko or "Shêrgo" was an important Kurdish military commander, and uncle of Saladin....
(d. 1169), Kurdish military commander, uncle of Saladin. - SaladinSaladinṢalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
(1138–1193), Founder of Ayyubid dynasty and the MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
leader who defeated crusaders in Battle of HattinBattle of HattinThe Battle of Hattin took place on Saturday, July 4, 1187, between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the forces of the Ayyubid dynasty....
conquered Jerusalem. - Al-Adil IAl-Adil IAl-Adil I was an Ayyubid-Egyptian general and ruler of Kurdish descent. From his honorific "Sayf al-Din" he was sometimes known to the Frankish crusaders as "Saphadin".- Life :...
(1145-1218), brother of Saladin, Ayyubid ruler and general. - Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-DinAl-Afdal ibn Salah ad-DinAl-Afdal ibn Salah ad-din popularly known as Al-Afdal was one of seventeen sons of Saladin. He succeeded his father as the second emir of Damascus. He was the leader of the Ayyubids in the Battle of Cresson.-Biography:...
(1169-1225), son of Saladin, second emir of Damascus, Ayyubid leader. - Al-AshrafAl-AshrafAl-Ashraf Musa Abu'l-Fath al-Muzaffar ad-Din, called Al-Ashraf was a ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty. The son of Sultan Al-Adil I, Al-Ashraf was installed by his father in Harran in 1201 as Governor of the Jezireh...
(1178-1237), ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty. - Al-KamilAl-KamilAl-Kamil was a Kurdish Ayyubid sultan who ruled North Africa. During his tenure as sultan, the Ayyubids defeated two crusades. In a temporary agreement with the Crusaders, he ceded Jerusalem to the Christians.-Biography:He was the son of sultan al-Adil, a brother of Saladin...
(1180-1238), Ayyubid sultan, ruler of North AfricaNorth AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. - Al-Adil IIAl-Adil IISaif ad-Dīn al-Malik al-ʿĀdil Abū Bakr b. Nāṣir ad-Dīn Muḥammad was the Ayyubid sultan of Egypt from 1238 to 1240.When his father al-Kamil, nephew of Saladin, died in 1238, al-Adil II followed him somewhat unprepared. When the country plunged into anarchy, his exiled half-brother, as-Salih Ayyub,...
(1216-1248), Ayyubid sultan of Egypt from 1238 to 1240. - An-Nasir YusufAn-Nasir YusufAn-Nasir Yusuf An-Nasir Yusuf (Arabic: الناصر يوسف ) An-Nasir Yusuf (Arabic: الناصر يوسف ) (Royal Name: al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf (Arabic: الملك الناصر صلاح الدين يوسف )(1228–1260 ) was the Ayyubid ruler of most of Syria, including Aleppo (1236–1260) and Damascus (1250–1260)...
(1228-1260), Ayyubid ruler. - Dayfa KhatunDayfa KhatunDayfa Khatun was the regent ruler of Aleppo from 1237 to 1244 during the reign of her grandson an-Nasir Yusuf. She achieved an unprecedented measure of autonomous political influence, becoming the first Ayyubid female regent, and played a major role in architectural patronage in Aleppo, being...
, first female Ayyubid regent. - Sulaiman ShahSulaiman ShahShahab al Din Sulaiman shah, , was governor of Kurdistan and an Abbasid officer who was later promoted to commander in chief of the Caliphate army following the battle of Anbar....
(d. 1258), Commander in chief of the Caliphate army, Governor of Kurdistan. - Al-Afdal MuhammadAl-Afdal MuhammadAl-Afdal Muhammad , was the last Ayyubid governor of Hama in central Syria, reigning from 1332 to 1341. The Ayyubid sultanate in Syria collapsed in 1260 with the advent of the Mongols, however the Mamluks of Egypt drove them out and allowed Ayyubid rule to be maintained in the principality Hama...
, Ayyubid governor of HamaHamaHama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria north of Damascus. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. Hama is the fourth-largest city in Syria—behind Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs—with a population of 696,863...
. - Amir Khan LepzerinAmir Khan LepzerinEmîr Xan Lepzêrîn was a Kurdish ruler of Bradost near Urmia. In 1609 he rebuilt the ruined structure of the Dimdim castle. He tried to get more independence of his expanding principality in the face of both Ottoman and Safavid penetration into the region...
(d. 1610), leader of the Kurds during the Battle of DimDimBattle of DimDimThe Battle of DimDim is the name for the battle between the Safavid Empire and the Sunni Kurds of Ottoman Empire between 1609 and 1610.-Location:...
. - Bedirhan BeyBedirhan BeyBadr Khan Beg was the last emir and mutesellim of Cizre Bohtan Emirate.He began to lose his power due to the centralist policies of the Ottoman Empire, which culminated in the Tanzimat Edict of 1839 and its application the following year....
(1803-1868), Kurdish emir. - Seyid RizaSeyid RizaSeyid Rıza , was born in 1863 in Lirtik, a village in Dersim...
(1863-1937), leader of the Zazas and Kurds during the Dersim RebellionDersim RebellionThe Dersim rebellion was an uprising against the Turkish government in the Dersim region of eastern Turkey, which includes Tunceli Province, Elazığ Province, and Bingöl Province...
. - Sheikh SaidSheikh SaidSheikh Said, also spelled Shaikh and/or Sa'id, Sa'īd, Saïd, Saeed may refer to:-People:*Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan*Sa'id ibn Zayd, companion of Muhammad...
(1865-1925), Kurdish leader during the Sheikh Said RebellionSheikh Said rebellionSheikh Said Rebellion was a rebellion of a Kurdish clergy Sheikh Said and a group of former Kurdish Hamidieh soldiers in 1925.-Background:The Azadî was dominated by officers from the former Hamidiye, a Kurdish tribal militia established...
. - Shaikh Mahmood Barzenji (1878–1956), First King of Kurdistan and leader of the Kurdish nationalist movement in Iraq.
- Ibrahim HeskiIbrahim HeskiIbrahim Heski or Ibrahim Pasha Haski Tello , was a Kurdish Jalali tribesman, soldier and politician.-Life:...
(?-1931), Kurdish soldier and politician, President of the Republic of AraratRepublic of AraratThe Republic of Ararat or Kurdish Republic of Ararat was a self-proclaimed Kurdish state. It was located in the northeasten part of modern Turkey, being centered on Karaköse Province...
. - İsmet İnönüIsmet InönüMustafa İsmet İnönü was a Turkish Army General, Prime Minister and the second President of Turkey. In 1938, the Republican People's Party gave him the title of "Milli Şef" .-Family and early life:...
, Turkish politician of Kurdish descent(1884–1973), Second President of Turkey. - Simko ShikakSimko ShikakSimko Shikak also Ismail Agha Shikak ) was a Kurdish chieftain of the Shakak tribe...
(1887–1930), Kurdish politician. - Halis ÖztürkHalis ÖztürkHalis Öztürk , Kurdish chieftain and Turkish politician.-Life:...
(1889-1977), Kurdish soldier, politician. Member of the Grand National Assembly of TurkeyGrand National Assembly of TurkeyThe Grand National Assembly of Turkey , usually referred to simply as the Meclis , is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
. - FerzendeFerzendeFerzende or Ferzende Beg , Kurdish Heseni tribesman, soldier, politician.-Sheikh Said Rebellion:...
(?-1939?), Kurdish soldier and politician. - Celadet Ali Bedirxan (1893-1951), Kurdish politician.
- Ihsan Nuri (1893-1976), Ottoman and Turkish officer, Kurdish politician, generalissimoGeneralissimoGeneralissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...
of the Kurdish National Forces. - Qazi MuhammadQazi MuhammadQazi Muhammad was a nationalist and religious Kurdish leader and the Head of the Republic of Kurdistan, the second modern Kurdish state in the Middle East ....
(1893–1947), President of the Kurdish Republic of MahabadRepublic of MahabadThe Republic of Mahabad , officially known as Republic of Kurdistan and established in Iranian Kurdistan, was a short-lived, Kurdish government that sought Kurdish autonomy within the limits of the Iranian state. The capital was the city of Mahabad in northwestern Iran...
in 1946. - Mustafa BarzaniMustafa BarzaniMustafa Barzani also known as Mullah Mustafa was a Kurdish nationalist leader, and the most prominent political figure in the modern Kurdish politics. In 1946 he was chosen as the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to lead the Kurdish revolution against Iraqi regimes...
(1903–1979), Kurdish leader and founder of KDP - Turgut ÖzalTurgut ÖzalHalil Turgut Özal was Prime Minister of Turkey and President of Turkey . As Prime Minister, he transformed the economy of Turkey by paving the way for the privatization of many state enterprises.-Early life and career:...
(1927–1993), former Prime Minister and the 8th President of Turkey. - Moshe BarazaniMoshe BarazaniMoshe Barazani, also Barzani , was an Iraqi Kurdish Jew and a member of Lehi . He was born in Baghdad to a Jewish family from Northern Iraq that moved to Jerusalem when he was an infant. He joined Lehi at an early age and took part in sabotage operations...
(1928–1947), Kurdish Jew and a member of Lehi (The Freedom Fighters of Israel). - Abdul Rahman GhassemlouAbdul Rahman GhassemlouAbdul Rahman Ghassemlou was a Kurdish political leader.Ghassemlou was the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran from 1973 to 1989, when he was assassinated by perpetrators thought to be agents of the Islamic...
(1930–1989), Kurdish politician, Iran. - Jalal TalabaniJalal TalabaniJalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
(born 1933), Iraqi Kurdish politician, current President of IraqPresident of IraqThe President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...
and secretary general of PUKPatriotic Union of KurdistanThe Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...
. - Medet SerhatMedet SerhatMedet Serhat was a Turkish lawyer of Kurdish descent, from an aristocratic family of Igdir branch of widely spread Retkan tribe. He was involved in the Susurluk scandal...
(1934–1994), Kurdish lawyer and politician, Turkey. - Sadegh SharafkandiSadegh SharafkandiSadegh Sharafkandi was a Kurdish political activist and the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran ....
(1938-1992), Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of IranKurdistan Democratic Party of IranThe Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan , abbreviated as PDKI, KDPI, PDK-I, is a Kurdish political party in Iranian Kurdistan which seeks the attainment of Kurdish national rights within a democratic federal republic of Iran....
. - Mahmoud OthmanMahmoud Othman- Timeline :*1954 - Joined the Kurdish Struggle*1962 - Became a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party .*1968 - Became Mustafa Barzani's Deputy dealing with foreign affairs of the revolution....
(born 1938), Founder and former Secretary General of the Kurdish Socialist Party. Now a member of parliament. - Ahmet TürkAhmet TürkAhmet Türk is a Kurdish politician in Turkey. He was the chairman of the former pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party in Turkey and was a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. On December 11, 2009, the Constitutional Court of Turkey voted to ban the DTP, accusing it of connection with PKK...
(born 1942), Chairman of the Democratic Society PartyDemocratic Society PartyThe Democratic Society Party was a Kurdish Kurdish nationalist political party in Turkey. The party considered itself social democratic, and had observer status in the Socialist International. It was considered to be the successor of the Democratic People's Party...
in Turkey - Nawshirwan MustafaNawshirwan MustafaNawshirwan Mustafa in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan is the chairman of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.- Early life :...
(born 1944), politician, writer and diarist. Former Deputy Secretary General of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Leader of the "Gorran" 'Change' movement. Chairman of the "Wusha" corporation. - Latif RashidLatif RashidDoctor Abdul Latif Rashid is the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources under the government of Nouri al-Maliki. He previously served as Minister of Water Resources under the Iraqi Transitional Government and as Minister of Irrigation under the Iraqi Interim Government. Dr Rashid was formerly a...
(born 1944), Kurdish Politician, Iraqi Minister of Water. - Bahaedin Adab (1945-2007), politician, Iran.
- Mustafa HijriMustafa HijriMustafa Hijri Mustafa Hijri Mustafa Hijri (Kurdish: Mistefa Hicrî, (born 1945) is the current General Secretary of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) and is based in Northern Iraq.-Political life:...
(born 1945), Secretary General of Kurdistan Democratic Party of IranKurdistan Democratic Party of IranThe Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan , abbreviated as PDKI, KDPI, PDK-I, is a Kurdish political party in Iranian Kurdistan which seeks the attainment of Kurdish national rights within a democratic federal republic of Iran....
(KDPI). - Sedigh KamangarSedigh KamangarSedigh Kamangar known as Kak Sedigh was a lawyer and one of the founders and leaders of Komalah, a left-wing Kurdish political party...
(1946-1989), founder and leader of KomalahKomalahKomala or Komalah is a Kurdish political party in Iran . The word Komele in Kurdish is derived from Komel and means "association".-Political background:...
. - Massoud BarzaniMassoud BarzaniMassoud Barzani is the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran, during the rule of the Republic of Mahabad...
(born 1946), is the President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. - Foad Mostafa SoltaniFoad Mostafa SoltaniFoad M. Soltani, or Kak Foad Foad Mostafa Soltani was one of the founders of the Revolutionary Organisation of the Toilers of Kurdistan, popularly known as Komala. He is popularly known as “kak Foad”—meaning “brother” Foad...
(1948-1979), revolutionary, Iran. - Abdullah ÖcalanAbdullah ÖcalanAbdullah Öcalan , Kurdish founder of the terrorist organization called Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978.Öcalan was captured in Nairobi and extradited to the Turkish security force, and sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which concerns the formation of armed gangs...
(born 1948), one of the founders of PKK. - Murat KarayilanMurat KarayilanMurat Karayılan is the current acting leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party.He has been the PKK's acting leader ever since its original founder and leader, Abdullah Öcalan, was captured in 1999....
, acting leader of the PKK. - Jalal DabaghJalal Dabagh- Life :Jalal Dabagh was born on May 12, 1939, in Silêmanî city in south Kurdistan. He is one of nine children, five sons and four daughters.- Education and Profession :...
(born 1939), Kurdish politician, Iraq. Kurdistan Communist Party-Iraq - Shahab Sheikh NuriShahab Sheikh NuriShahab Nuri Salih Barzinji was a Kurdish politician born in the city of Suleimani in 1932. Shahab Nuri was the son of renowned Kurdish poet, Sheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih Sheikh Ghani Barzinji...
(1932–1976), founder of the Komalay Ranjdaran Party. - Leyla QasimLeyla QasimLeyla Qasim was a Kurdish activist against the Iraqi Ba'ath regime who was executed in Baghdad. She is known as a national martyr among the Kurds.-Birth and Childhood:...
(1952–1974), Kurdish politician and Peshmerga. - Selim SadakSelim SadakSelim Sadak, is a Turkish politician of Kurdish origin, currently the mayor of Siirt.Selim Sadak graduated from the Mathematics department of Diyarbakır Eğitim Enstitüsü...
(born 1954), Kurdish politician, MP in Turkey and Mayor of ŞırnakSirnakŞırnak is a town in southeastern Turkey. It is the capital of Şırnak Province, a new province that split from the Hakkari province...
. - Abdul Karim QassimAbdul Karim QassimAbd al-Karim Qasim , was a nationalist Iraqi Army general who seized power in a 1958 coup d'état, wherein the Iraqi monarchy was eliminated. He ruled the country as Prime Minister of Iraq until his downfall and death in 1963....
(1958–1963), first President of Iraq. - Osman ÖcalanOsman OcalanOsman Öcalan is a former Kurdish militant leader.The younger brother of Abdullah Öcalan, Osman studied at teachers’ training college before joining the PKK when it was founded in 1978 and spending two years in Libya...
(born 1958), one of the founders of PKK. - Barham SalihBarham SalihBarham Ahmad Salih is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. He is currently the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is married and has a daughter who attended Princeton University and a son who graduated from King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan and currently attends Columbia.-Early life:Dr....
(born 1960), Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq. Also a senior member of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. - Soraya SerajeddiniSoraya SerajeddiniSoraya Serajeddini , was a Kurdish-Iranian human rights activist. She was born in Tehran to a respected family of Naqshbandi Sufis. Her family fled Iran in 1980 and sought refuge in Sulaimaniya and Baghdad for two years, and then moved to the United States in 1982...
(1960–2006), Kurdish human rights activist, United States. - Leyla ZanaLeyla ZanaLeyla Zana , is a Kurdish politician, who was imprisoned for 10 years for her political actions which were claimed to be against the unity of Turkey. When she was a member of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, she was banned from joining any political party for five years with the Constitutional...
(born 1961), human-rights activist and the first Kurdish woman MP in Turkey. - Aysel TuğlukAysel TuğlukAysel Tuğluk is a Zaza speaking Kurdish politician of the former Democratic Society Party in Turkey. She graduated in law from Istanbul University and then worked as a lawyer...
(born 1965), Kurdish rights activist and MP in Turkey from 2007 to 2009. - Roya TolouiRoya TolouiRoya Toloui is a prominent Kurdish-Iranian journalist, human rights activist and feminist, currently residing in US. She was born in Baneh in western Iran...
(born 1966), Kurdish journalist and human rights activist, Iran. - Nechervan Idris BarzaniNechervan Idris BarzaniNechirvan Idris Barzani , or ) is a Kurdish politician in Iraqi Kurdistan. He served as the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government from March 2006 to August 2009...
(born 1966), former Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraqi KurdistanIraqi KurdistanIraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. - Nadhim ZahawiNadhim ZahawiNadhim Zahawi is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010, after the retirement of previous MP John Maples....
, (born 1967), British Conservative politician and current MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Stratford-on-Avon. - Nalin PekgulNalin PekgulNalin Pekgul is a Swedish Social Democratic politician. She was born in Batman, in Turkey. Between 1994-2002, Pekgül was a member of the Swedish parliament. She was now chairwoman of Social Democratic Women in Sweden 2003-2011....
(born 1967), former member of Swedish Parliament. - Widad AkrawiWidad AkrawiWidad Akrawi, , is a Kurdish author, lecturer, senior lobbyist, human rights defender and currently the President of Defend International.-Early years:Akrawi was born in Akre, Iraq and has been residing in Denmark since 1992...
(born 1969), activist and Chair of Defend International, Iraq/Denmark. - Amineh KakabavehAmineh KakabavehAmineh Kakabaveh is a Swedish Left Party politician. She has been a member of the Parliament of Sweden since 2008.-External links:* at the Riksdag website...
(born 1970), Swedish Left PartyLeft PartyThere are several socialist political parties with the name Left Party:* Estonian Left Party, in Estonian: Eesti Vasakpartei, 1990–2008* Estonian United Left Party in Estonian: Eestimaa Ühendatud Vasakpartei, formed in 2008...
politician, member of Swedish Parliament. - Osman BaydemirOsman BaydemirOsman Baydemir is a Kurdish politician, lawyer and human rights activist in east Turkey. He is the current mayor of his home town of Diyarbakır and member of the Peace and Democracy Party .-Life and career:...
(born 1971), current mayor of Diyarbakır, Turkey. - Nurettin DemirtaşNurettin DemirtaşNurettin Demirtaş is a contemporary Zaza speaking Kurdish politician of the Peace and Democracy Party .He grew up and attended secondary school in Diyarbakır. He then studied business at university in Muğla, where he was arrested in 1993 for his political activities. He spent the following 12...
(born 1971), member of the DTP and MP in Turkey. - Herro MustafaHerro MustafaHerro K. Mustafa is an American diplomat.Mustafa's family story was the subject of the documentary film American Herro. She is multilingual and speaks English, Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish, Spanish and Greek.-Early life and education:...
(born 1973), diplomat, Senior Advisor on the Middle East to Vice President Biden, US. - Houzan MahmoudHouzan MahmoudHouzan Mahmoud , is a renowned Kurdish women rights and anti-war activist born in Iraqi Kurdistan. She was the main speaker at the anti-war rally in March 2003 in London and the Co-founder of Iraqi Women’s Rights Coalition. She has led an international campaign against Sharia law and oppression...
(born 1973), women rights and anti-war activist, UK. - Sebahat TuncelSebahat TuncelSebahat Tuncel is a Kurdish politician, women’s rights advocate, former nurse and member of Parliament in Turkey.She was born in Malatya and studied Cartography and Land Surveying in Mersin University and began her political career through the Women’s Branch of the Party of People’s Democracy in...
(born 1975), Member of the Turkish National Assembly, Turkey. - Feleknas UcaFeleknas UcaFeleknas Uca is a German Die Linke politician of Kurdish ancestry. From 1999 to 2009 she was member of the European Parliament from Germany...
(born 1976), Yazidi-Kurd and MEPMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for the left German Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). - Farzad KamangarFarzad KamangarFarzad Kamangar was a 32-year-old Iranian Kurdish teacher, poet, journalist, human rights activist and social worker from the city of Kamyaran, Iran who was executed on May 9, 2010. - The Accusations and the Courts :Kamangar was prosecuted on charges of mohareb "enmity towards God"...
(1978-2010), human rights activist, Iran. - Idris BarzaniIdris BarzaniIdris Barzani was a Kurdish politician in Kurdistan. He was the brother of Massoud Barzani, a well-known Kurdish figure, and the father of Nechervan Idris Barzani. He was often on diplomatic trips for the KDP. He died on January 31, 1987, of a heart attack....
, (died 1987), former Prime Minister of the Kurdish Autonomous Region - Walid JumblattWalid JumblattWalid Jumblatt is a Lebanese politician and the current leader of the Progressive Socialist Party . He is the most prominent leader of Lebanon's Druze community.-Family:...
, leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon and leader of the DruzeDruzeThe Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
community. - Derwich Ferho, chairman of Kurdish Institute Brussels
- Rowsch ShawaysRowsch ShawaysRowsch Nuri Shaways is a Kurdish politician who first served as Prime Minister of the KDP-controlled part of Kurdistan. After the invasion he served as one of Iraq's two vice presidents in the interim government established in 2004...
, former vice president of Iraq in the interim government of 2004 and Parliament speaker in the KRG. - Mohammad Seddigh Kaboudvand, activist and journalist, Iran.
Film directors and actors
- Ghotbeddin SadeghiGhotbeddin SadeghiGhotbeddin Sadeghi is an Kurdish-Iranian theatre director, playwright, stage and film actor.-Education:He got his B.A from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran in 1975. Later, he did his Masters in Dramatic Arts at Sorbonne University and completed it in 1979...
(born 1952), Iran - Behrouz GharibpourBehrouz GharibpourBehrouz Gharibpour is a renowned Iranian theatre director and pioneer of traditional Persian puppet theatre.He studied theatre at Tehran University and at Dramatic Arts Academy in Rome . He founded Tehran and Esfahan puppet theatre centres and changed the Tehran’s slaughterhouse into the greatest...
- Yilmaz GüneyYilmaz GüneyYılmaz Güney, was a Kurdish film director, scenarist, novelist and actor from Turkey. Many of his works are devoted to the plight of ordinary, working class people in Turkey.- Biography :...
(1937–1984), Turkey. - Hiner SaleemHiner SaleemHuner Saleem, also transliterated as Huner Salim, , is an Iraqi–Kurdish film director. He was born in the town of Aqrah in Iraqi Kurdistan. He left Iraq at the age of 17, and soon made his way to Italy, where he completed school and attended university. Later on, he moved to France where he lives now...
(born 1964), France. - Yılmaz ErdoğanYilmaz ErdoganYılmaz Erdoğan is a Turkish filmmaker, actor and poet, who is most famous for his box-office record-breaking debut comedy film Vizontele and the television series Bir Demet Tiyatro ....
(born 1967), Turkey - Bahman GhobadiBahman GhobadiBahman Ghobadi is an Iranian film director of Kurdish ethnicity. He was born on February 1, 1969 in Baneh, Kurdistan Province. Ghobadi belongs to the so called "new wave" of Iranian cinema.-Biography:...
(born 1969), Iran. - Jamil RostamiJamil RostamiJamil Rostami born 1971 in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, Iran) is an Iranian film director of Kurdish origin.In 2002 he made his first short film titled The Trouble of Being a Boy in Kurdish, which was screened in 24 domestic and international Festivals and was awarded several prizes.He made his...
(born 1971), Iran. (born 1971). - Shahram AlidiShahram AlidiShahram Alidi is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He is also a painter, illustrator, and graphic designer. Alidi is part of a generation of filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave. These filmmakers share many common techniques including the use of poetic dialogue and...
(born 1971), Iran. - Hisham ZamanHisham ZamanHisham Zaman, , is a contemporary Kurdish-Norwegian filmmaker. He graduated from The Norwegian Film School at Lillehammer in 2004. He has made several award winning short films, most notably Bawke which has received more than 20 national and international awards.-Filmography:# The Bridge, 2003# The...
(born 1974), Iraq. - Shero RaufShero RaufShero Rauf is a Kurdish-Iraqi actor and stuntman. He is the first Kurdish Iraqi to work as an actor, stuntman, 3D visual effects animator, lead artist, and assistant director in Hollywood movies.-Career:...
(born 1979), Iraq
Sport
- Bijan ZolfagharnasabBijan ZolfagharnasabBijan Zolfagharnasab is a retired Iranian football player and currently a football manager.He started his professional career with Pas Tehran, before changing to Persepolis F.C. in 1974. There he could win the Iranian championship in 1976 and reach runner-up position in 1975, in 1977 and in 1978...
, retired football player and current football manager. - Hawar Mulla MohammedHawar Mulla MohammedHawar Mulla Mohammed Taher Zebari is an Iraqi Kurdish football player, who plays as Winger and Wingback positions for Zob Ahan in Iran. Hawar is known to be one of the best players in Iraqi national team and was a key figure in Iraq 2007 Asian Cup glory...
, Iraqi football player. - Mohammad OrazMohammad OrazMohammad Oraz , , born 1969 in Naghadeh, Iran – died September 6, 2003, Islamabad, Pakistan) was an Iranian mountain climber. He was the second Iranian climber to conquer Mount Everest on 1998. The first Iranian is Iranian-American climber Hooman Aprin who stood on top of Everest oct.5,...
, Iranian mountain climber. - Amar SuloevAmar SuloevAmar Suloev is a Russian-Yazidi-Armenian mixed martial artist with a record of 24–7–0. He is a kickboxer/wrestler who has last fought Jacek Buczko at M-1 Challenge, where he won by a TKO...
(born 1976), Yezidi mixed martial artist. - Ziaeddin NiknafsZiaeddin NiknafsZiaeddin Niknafs , is an Iranian football defender who currently plays for Sanat Naft in Iran Pro League. He is a young left footed defender who can play as both a left back and central defender.-Club career:...
(born 1986), Iranian football player. - Aram KhaliliAram KhaliliAram Khalili is a Iranian-Norwegian football striker who currently plays for Bodø/Glimt.-Early life:He was born in Bukan, Iran, but came to Kristiansand, Norway in 1997.-Club:...
(born 1989), Norwegian football player.
Others
- ZiryabZiryabAbu l-Hasan ‘Ali Ibn Nafi‘ , nicknamed Ziryab , was a Black African or Persian or Kurdish polymath: a poet, musician, singer, chemist, cosmetologist, fashion designer, trendsetter, strategist, astronomer, botanist and...
(789-857), Kurdish polymath. - Rizgar Mohammed AminRizgar Mohammed AminRizgar Mohammed Amin is the former chief judge of the Iraqi Special Tribunal's Al-Dujail trial. He is the only judge whose name was revealed on the trial's opening on 19 October 2005, the names of the other four judges and all but two of his four colleagues faces not allowed to be shown during...
(born 1958), Chief Judge of the Iraqi Special Tribunal setup to judge Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. - Aslan UsoyanAslan UsoyanAslan Usoyan aka Grandpa Hassan is an ethnic Yezidi mobster and thief in law began his career operating in Georgia, continued in Moscow, Ural, Siberia, Uzbekistan, Krasnodar, Sochi, and other parts of ex-USSR.Starting in 2007, Usoyan was embroiled in a gang war with Georgian mobster Tariel...
, Moscow-based crime boss - Sardasht Osman, (1987–2010) Journalist, Kurdistan - Iraq.