List of Kurds

This is a list of well known Kurdish people. The most influential of all may have been Saladin, who became the first Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt and Syria in the Middle Ages.

Iran

For prominent Iranian Kurds see: List of Iranian Kurds

Iraq

Poets, writers and journalists

• Nali, Kurdish poet.
• Mahwi, Kurdish poet and sufi.
• Mawlawi Tawagozi, Kurdish poet and sufi.
• Abdulla Goran, Kurdish poet.
• Haji Qadir Koyi, Kurdish poet.
• Dildar, Kurdish poet
• Sheikh Reza Talabani, Kurdish poet
• Piramerd, Kurdish poet, writer, novelist and journalist.
• Muhamed Amin Zaki, writer, historian and politician.
• Muhamad Salih Dilan, One of the founders of modern Kurdish poetry.
• Taufiq Wahby, writer and linguist.
• Nuri Barzinji
• Rafiq Hilmi, Kurdish writer, literary analyst and politician.
• Ibrahim Ahmad, Kurdish writer, novelist and translator.
• Husein Muhammed, Kurdish writer.
• Ahmad Hardi, Kurdish poet.
• Maruf Khaznadar, academic and researcher.
• Abdulla Pashew, contemporary Kurdish poet.
• Farhad Pirbal, Kurdish writer and academic.
• Jamal Nebez, writer, linguist and researcher.
• Sherko Bekas, Kurdish poet.
• Rauf Hassan, Kurdish writer and journalist.
• Latif Halmat, Kurdish poet.
• Mahabad Qaradaghi, Kurdish writer, poet and translator.
• Rafiq Sabir, Kurdish poet.
• Farhad Shakely, poet, writer and academic.
• Khalil Duhoki, Kurdish writer.
• Khalil Rashow, Kurdish writer and academic.
• Jalal Barzanji, writer, poet and journalist.
• Fawaz Hussain, writer and translator.
• Zeynelabidin Zinar, Kurdish writer, researcher and specialist in Kurdish folklore.
• Najiba Ahmad, Kurdish writer and poet.
• Nazand Begikhani, Kurdish writer, poet and researcher.
• Kajal Ahmad , Kurdish poet, writer and journalist.
• Choman Hardi, Kurdish poet, researcher and painter.
• Jalal Dabagh, Kurdish writer and journalist.
• Lezgin Chali, Kurdish physician, administrator, writer.
• Nazand Begikhani, Kurdish writer, poet and researcher.
• Sardasht Osman, Journalist

Academics and Researchers

• Saad Eskander, academic and researcher, director of the Iraq National Library and Archive.
• Yona Sabar, Kurdish-Jewish scholar and linguist.
• Mulla Effendi , Islamic philosopher, scholar, astronomer, politician.
• Ibn Khallikan, Muslim judge and author of a classic Arabic
• Hadhrat Mawlânâ Khâlid-i Baghdâdî, founder of a significant branch of the Naqshbandi Sufi order - named Khalidiyya after him
• Daniel Ali, convert to Christianity, scholar, theologian and author.

Musicians

• Ali Merdan, singer.
• Tahir Tewfiq, musician and singer.
• Tara Jaff, musician and singer.
• Dilshad Said, musician and composer.
• Adnan Karim, singer
• Chopy Fatah, singer
• Darin Zanyar, Swedish pop singer.

Politicians and political activists

• Saladin, Founder of Ayyubid dynasty and the great Muslim leader who defeated crusaders in Battle of Hattin conquered Jerusalem.
• Sulaiman Shah, Commander in chief of the Caliphate army, Governor of Kurdistan
• Shaikh Mahmood Barzenji, First King of Kurdistan and leader of the Kurdish nationalist movement in Iraq.
• Mustafa Barzani, Kurdish leader and founder of KDP
• Idris Barzani, former Prime Minister of the Kurdish Autonomous Region
• Massoud Barzani, is the President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
• Nechervan Idris Barzani, former Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraqi Kurdistan.
• Jalal Talabani, Kurdish politician, current President of Iraq and secretary general of PUK.
• Mahmoud Othman , Founder and former Secretary General of the Kurdish Socialist Party.
• Nawshirwan Mustafa, politician, writer and diarist. Former Deputy Secretary General of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
• Latif Rashid, Kurdish Politician, Iraqi Minister of Water.
• Barham Salih, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq. Also a senior member of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
• Shahab Sheikh Nuri, founder of the Komalay Ranjdaran Party.
• Leyla Qasim, Kurdish politician and Peshmerga.
• Abdul Karim Qassim, (Half Kurdish) first President of Iraq.
• Nadhim Zahawi, British Conservative politician and current MP for Stratford-on-Avon.
• Widad Akrawi, activist and Chair of Defend International
• Herro Mustafa, diplomat, Senior Advisor on the Middle East to Vice President Biden, US.
• Houzan Mahmoud, women rights and anti-war activist.
• Rowsch Shaways, former vice president of Iraq in the interim government of 2004 and Parliament speaker in the KRG.
• Dlawer Ala'Aldeen, Kurdish academic, physician, lobbyist, political writer.

Film directors and actors

• Hiner Saleem, Film director.
• Hisham Zaman, Film director.
• Shero Rauf, Actor

Sports people

• Hawar Mulla Mohammed, Iraqi football player
• Halgurd Mulla Mohammed, Iraqi football player

Others

• Rizgar Mohammed Amin , Chief Judge of the Iraqi Special Tribunal setup to judge Saddam Hussein.

Turkey

Poets and writers

• Ali Hariri, Kurdish poet.
• Mahmud Bayazidi, Kurdish writer, translator and historian.
• Ahmad Khani, Kurdish poet and a Muslim scholar, author of Mem û Zîn.
• Malaye Jaziri, Kurdish poet and sufi.
• Faqi Tayran, poet
• Jaladat Ali Badirkhan, linguist, journalist and politician, founder of the Latin-based Kurdish alphabet.
• Ahmade Bate, Kurdish poet and Muslim cleric.
• Ali Taramakhi, linguist and writer.
• Arab Shamilov, Kurdish writer and novelist.
• Osman Sabri, Kurdish poet, writer and journalist.
• Cigerxwîn, Kurdish poet and writer.
• Qedrîcan, Kurdish poet and writer.
• Emînê Evdal, Kurdish writer and linguist.
• Hecîyê Cindî, Kurdish writer, linguist and researcher.
• Qanate Kurdo, Kurdish writer, linguist and academic.
• Mehmed Emin Bozarslan, Kurdish writer.
• Mehmed Uzun, writer and novelist
• Mahmud Baksi, Kurdish writer and journalist.
• Rojen Barnas, Kurdish poet and writer.
• Reşo Zîlan, Kurdish writer, translator and linguist.
• Zeynelabidin Zinar , Kurdish writer, researcher and specialist in Kurdish folklore.
• Yekta Uzunoglu, Kurdish writer, translator and entrepreneur.
• Hesenê Metê, Kurdish writer, novelist and translator.
• Mustafa Aydogan, Writer, novelist and translator.
• Firat Cewerî, Kurdish writer, translator and journalist.
• Serdar Roşan, writer, poet and translator.
• Yaşar Kemal, Turkish writer and novelist.
• Evdile Koçer, Kurdish writer.
• Azad Zal, Kurdish poet, writer, journalist, translator and linguist.

Academics and Researchers

• Edip Yuksel, Kurdish/American writer and activist.

Musicians

• Şivan Perwer, singer.
• Nizamettin Arıç, singer, composer and director.
• Ahmet Kaya, musician
• Şehrîbana Kurdî, singer.
• Rojhan Beken, singer and composer of Rock music.
• Aynur Doğan, singer.
• Rojda Aykoç, singer and dengbêj.
• Ibrahim Tatlıses, Turkish singer and TV personality (Arab father and Kurdish mother)

Religious figures

• Ali ibn al-Athir, Islamic historian.
• Said Nursi, Kurdish Islamic thinker.

Politicians and political activists

• İsmet İnönü,(1884–1973), Second President of Turkey (of Kurdish origin).
• Turgut Özal, former Prime Minister and the 8th President of Turkey.
• Medet Serhat, Kurdish lawyer and politician.
• Ahmet Türk, Chairman of the Democratic Society Party in Turkey
• Abdullah Öcalan, one of the founders of PKK.
• Murat Karayilan, acting leader of the PKK.
• Selim Sadak, Kurdish politician, MP in Turkey and Mayor of Şırnak.
• Osman Öcalan, one of the founders of PKK.
• Leyla Zana, human-rights activist and the first Kurdish woman MP in Turkey.
• Aysel Tuğluk, Kurdish rights activist and MP in Turkey from 2007 to 2009.
• Nalin Pekgul, former member of Swedish Parliament.
• Osman Baydemir, current mayor of Diyarbakır, Turkey.
• Nurettin Demirtaş, member of the DTP and MP in Turkey.
• Sebahat Tuncel, Member of the Turkish National Assembly.
• Feleknas Uca, Yazidi-Kurd and MEP for the left German Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS).

Film directors and actors

• Yilmaz Güney (1937–1984), Turkish film director.

Syria

• Zaradachet Hajo, Kurdish linguist and academic.
• Şahînê Bekirê Soreklî, Kurdish writer, poet and translator.
• Cankurd, Kurdish writer and poet.
• Keça Kurd, poet, writer and linguist.

Azerbaijan

• Shamil Asgarov, poet, researcher on the history and culture of the Kurds in Azerbaijan, translator.

Armenia

• Ordîxanê Celîl, academic and linguist
• Celîlê Celîl, Historian and Kurdologist.
• Eskerê Boyîk, Kurdish poet.
• Tosinê Reşîd, Kurdish writer.
• Têmûrê Xelîl, translator and journalist.