The most famous people from Kurdistan

There are plenty of famous people from Kurdistan like everywhere else. Some of them are famous worldwide but you may not know that they are from Kurdistan. These famous Kurds come from different backgrounds and different fields. They may include actors, politicians, singers, and filmmakers.

We can define a famous person as someone who is widely recognized and well-known in society and gets a good degree of public and media attention.

Some of the famous Kurdish people were born into noble and revolutionary families and because of their families, they were able to gain good media and public attention.

Some others have become famous for their outstanding work and achievements internationally in different fields. Social media platforms have inspired many people from Kurdistan to become famous and get fame worldwide, such as Kurdish YouTuber Iamhaks.

Kurdish culture is rich in music, art, and sports, and has produced some of the most talented and renowned individuals in these fields. In this blog, we will look at some of the most famous Kurdish singers and artists, as well as footballers.

List of the most famous people from Kurdistan:

Masoud Barzani

Masoud Barzani is a politician, military commander and former president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. He was born in 1946 in the former Republic of Mahabad to a notable and revolutionary family. He served as the first president of Iraqi Kurdistan from 2005 to 2017.

Masoud Barzani played a great role in the fight against Saddam Hussein’s government and the ISIS war. He led Kurdish peshmerga forces in Iraq and Syria in the war against ISIS. His pro-independence stance has made him famous worldwide. In 2017 He led and supervised the independence referendum for which 93% of Kurdistan’s population voted.

Under his leadership, Kurdistan enjoyed a high level of security, and gained high level of international recognition, diplomacy and development. He’s the second oldest son of legendary Kurdish national leader Mustafa Barzani.

Today Masoud Barzani is regarded as one of the most prominent political figures in the Middle East and even in the world.

Jalal Talabani

Jalal Talabani also known as Mam Jalal, was a Kurdish politician, military commander and former president of Iraq. Talabani was the first non-Arab president of Iraq. He was born in 1933 in Koya, Iraqi Kurdistan to a prominent religious family. He led Peshmerga forces in their wars against Iraqi governments from 1970s till 1991. After Saddam Hussein regime was overrun in 2003, He served as the sixth president of Iraq till 2012. Talabani had an active role in Kurdish politics, and He acted as peacemaker between Iraqi shias and Iraqi sunis during Iraqi sectarian war in 2006. Due to his active role and efforts in building new Iraq, Iraqis consider him as one of the most loved Iraqi politicians.

Herro Mustafa

Herro Mustafa Garg is an American Kurdish diplomat, politician and human rights activist. She was born in 1973 in Erbil, the Kurdish capital. Her father was a political activist and opponent of Iraqi regime. Due to Iraq’s oppression against Kurdish people, Her family sought asylum in the United States in 1976. Garge joined United States foreign services in 1999. She later served as a political officer for human rights and trafficking in Greece . Since 2017, She has served as US embassador to several countries including Portugal, Bulgaria and Egypt.

Leyla Zana

Leyla Zana is a Kurdish politician and human rights activist from Turkey. She was the first Kurdish woman elected to the Turkish parliament in 1991. Following her Inauguration in Kurdish, Zana was arrested, leading to her being charged with terrorism and imprisoned for ten years. In addition to her political career, She has been an active member of Women’s right organisations in Turkey. She has received numerous international awards for her work in promoting human rights.

Cauchar Birkar

Cauchar Birkar(emigrant mathematician) is a Kurdish mathematician، scientist and professor. He was born in 1978 in Ney village of Marivan province to a farming family. Cauchar is the third child of six children. He started his primary education in Marivan and graduated from Tehran University, later He received his PhD in 2004 from the University of Nottingham.

Birkar is a great contributor to modern birational geometry, In 2010 Cauchar received the Leverhulme Prize in mathematics and statistics for his contributions to algebraic geometry. In 2018 Cauchar Birkar was awarded the Fields Medal after he proved the boundedness of Fano and contributions to the minimal model program.

While receiving the Fields Medal, He said that He wish his success would make 40 million Kurds smile. In addition to the Fields, He has carried out dozens of scientific researchs in mathematics and physics.

Cauchar is regarded as one of the most prominent mathematicians in the world and Middle East.

Bahman Ghobadi

Bahman Ghobadi is a Kurdish producer, film director, actor and writer. He’s one of the most famous film directors in the Middle East and the world. He was born in 1969 in the city of Baneh, Eastern Kurdistan and later moved to Sanandaj.

After a brief career in industrial photography, He founded Mij Film, a company which produced films about The Kurds.

In 2000, He produced “A Time for Drunken Horses” which was the first Kurdish film to be produced in Iran.

Later The film won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Ghobadi’s second film was “Maroon in Iraq” which brought him the Gold Plaque from the Chicago International Film Festival.

In 2004, Ghobadi directed and produced the film “Turtles can fly” which is one of the most popular Kurdish films.

The film’s plot is about three refugee children, on the border of Iraq-Turkey, waiting for the Americans to overrun Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The film influenced the 2007-2009 Gundam anime series Mobile Suit Gundam 00. And won many international awards including:-

Special Mention by the Youth Jury, Berlin International Film Festival, 2005. And Golden Seashell, Best Film.

In addition to awards, The film was on the list of best war movies of all time by Jacob Osborn and Meagan Drillinger.

Mazhar Khaleghi

Mazhar Khaleghi is a Kurdish composer and musician from Eastern Kurdistan . He is one of the most influential figures in Kurdish music and is known for his contributions to the development of Kurdish classical music. During his lifetime, Khaleghi composed a large number of Kurdish songs that have been performed and recorded by numerous Kurdish artists.

Zara Mgoyan

Zara is a Russian pop singer, actress, and social activist of Kurdish origin. She was born to a Kurdish family in Armenia then at a very young age, She moved to Russia. Zara was awarded the title of Merited Artist of the Russian Federation in 2016. Although Zara never has been to Kurdistan, She has always confirmed that she is a proud Kurdish.

In May 2023, Zara released “Klama dilê min” words of My Heart which is her first Kurdish album.

In 2021, She produced her first Kurdish song Keça Kurd[Kurdish girl] with fellow Kurdish singer Shivan Perwer which became popular very soon.

Dr Azad Najar

Dr Azad Najar is a Kurdish physician, and surgeon from Zakho who invented an artificial heart pump called “Real Heart.

He is a senior consultant physician living in Västerås, Sweden.Since the 1990s, He has developed an artificial heart pump that generates the same oxygenation and pulses as a functional heart produces in a healthy body.

Dr. Najar is one of the most famous doctors in the world, He is earning praise and fame from all over the world for his unique invention which saved thousands of lives.

Dr. Sabat Islambouli

Sabat Islambouli was a Kurdish Jew doctor from Syria, born to a Kurdish family in the capital city of Damascus. In 1890 She got a medical degree from the first women’s college of medicine in the US and became one of the first female doctors around the world.

Later She returned to Syria and then moved to Egypt. Sabat Islambouli died in 1941.

Hamdi Ulukaya

Hamdi Ulukaya is a Kurdish American businessman who is CEO and founder of Chobani Greek yogurt. He was born to a dairy-farming Kurdish family in 1972 in the city of İliç. Due to the Turkish state’s oppression of Kurdish people, He fled Turkey and moved to USA in 1994. During an interview with CNN, He said that He was very serious about Kurdish issues. Since 2014, He has donated 700 million dollars to Kurdish refugees. In 2017 Ulukaya was named as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Wirya Ghafouri

Wirya Ghafouri is a famous Kurdish footballer who played for several Iranian clubs.

He was born in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, Iranian Kurdistan. He made 28 appearances with the Iranian national football team.

Waria is Known for his pace and great crosses. He is regarded as one of the best right-backs in Iran’s football history.

Due to his stance against the Iranian government, He has faced strong opposition from Iran’s high officials. Ghafouri has always expressed his support for the right of women to attend football matches in Iran.

Waria Ghafouri is regarded as one of the most famous people from Kurdistan and Iran.

Hawar Mulla Muhammad

Hawar Mulla Muhammad is a former Kurdish footballer who played for the Iraqi national football team and many clubs.

After scoring a goal in the championships league for Anorthosis Famagusta Club, He became the first Iraqi and Kurdish footballer to score in the Champions League.

He was the first Iraqi footballer to play with a European club and the first Iraqi to appear in the European champions league. Hawar Mulla Muhammad was a key player in Iraq’s Asian Cup victory in 2007.

Hawar Mulla Muhammad is considered one of the best Iraqi footballers in History.

During his career, He scored 20 goals for the Iraqi national football team.

In conclusion, Kurds have made significant contributions in different fields, including politics, literature, and music. These famous Kurds have left a lasting impact on the region’s culture and history and continue to inspire generations of Kurds around the world.