Afghanistan

Famous Afghani People: Afghani Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

The following people made their mark on both the local and international scenes. They are just some of many famous Afghani people who have made a difference in our world.

:: List of Famous People from Afghanistan ::

Sayed Jamalludin Afghan

Sayed Jamalludin Afghan was a scholar born near Kabul in the year 1838. He spent his life working for the unity of the Muslims and was considered as the founder of the modernization of Islam. He traveled and studied in India when he was 18 years of age and was inspired by the ideas put forth by Sayed Ahmad Khan. His inspiration led to the publication of his book, “The Truth About the Neichari Sect and an Explanation of the Necharis.” It was first printed in Hyderabad in 1881 and later translated in Arabic by Muhammad Abduh and given a different title – “The Refutation of the Materialists.” The translated version was published in Beirut in 1886. He spent some time in Istanbul and in Egypt before deciding to give lectures and classes in Egypt from 1871 to 1879.

He became the special adviser to Shah Nasirruddin of Iran in 1886 but he had a difference of opinion in some of the political policies of the Shah. The conflict led to Sayed Jamalludin Afghan to move to Russia for a three-year stay in Russia. On his way to Paris via Munich he again met the Shah of Iran and was again offered a high position. Although he accepted the position he still expressed his different views on the political policies of the Shah. And in 1891 Sayed Jamalludin was finally was deported and stayed in Istanbul. He was accused in 1896 of murdering the Shah of Iran. On March 9, 1897 Sayed Jamalludin died of cancer in Istanbul. His remains were transferred from Istanbul to Kabul, Afghanistan in 1944. A mausoleum was built for him and there were many learning institutions erected in his honor. One of these is The Sayed Jamalludin Afghan School, Kabul’s biggest school.

Maulaana Jalalludin Balkhi

Maulaana Jalalludin Balkhi was born in Balkh, Mazir-i Sharif in the northern region of Afghanistan in 1207. The Mongolian invasion led to his family moving to Turkey where Maulaana Jalalludin became known as “Rumi.” This father was a mystic, practiced theology and was a legal expert. He was also the first teacher of Maulaana Jalalludin. During his travels he met a Persian mystic and poet known as Attar who was so impressed by Maulaana because according to some records Attar saw Rumi’s future as a spiritual leader. At the same time Attar made a deep impression on Rumi and the book that Attar gave to Rumi, the “Asrarnama” became his inspiration.

Rumi traveled extensively as he and his family preached. He married twice and had two son by his first marriage. Sultan Walad was the first born and his second son was named Ala-eddin Chalabi. After the death of his wife Rumi remarried and begot a son whom he named Amir Alim Chalabi as well as a daughter who was named Malakeh Khatun.

Rumi’s father was the head of a religious school and practiced Sufism, the inner and mystical side of Islam. The other name for Sufi is Dervish. Rumi succeeded him after his death. One of his father’s students continued Rumi’s training in “Tariqa” or Islamic religious order to find the ultimate truth as well as on “Shariah”, the Islamic code of conduct or Islam’s religious law. His travels to Damascus in 1244 led to a meeting with Shams-e Tabrizi, a dervish. He became Rumi’s mentor and spiritual friend and most of Rumi’s poetry referred to him. Rumi wrote several masterpieces including the six volumes of “Masnavi.” Rumi was able to predict his own death when he fell ill in December of 1273 and died on the 17th of that month. His death is celebrated by followers of Sufism up to this day. The whirling dervishes commemorate his death by going to the mausoleum built on Rumi’s honor and hold a song and dance event from the 10th to the 17th of December of each year, whirling from right to left just like how Maulaana Jalalludin did it. The event is again repeated for one day every 3rd of May to celebrate his coming from Karma.

The whirling dervish dance is performed in 2 parts. During the first part the dancers wear black cloaks representing graves and long cone caps on their head representing tomb stones. They perform the Sima Ceremony by circling around the chamber slowly 3 times. The circling with the black cloaks represent the personal revival in God’s presence, followed by the follower seeing God and thirdly entering the stage where the follower is able to be in God’s presence. The black cloaks are discarded after this first stage to show the white cloaks underneath. This time the sequence is composed of 4 circles or whirling to represent the vision of God, accept His greatness, level of knowledge and finally the coming together in God’s presence.

Khushal Khan Khattak

An outstanding poet writing in Pashtun, Khushal Khan Khattak, who was born circa 1613 was also a chief of their Khattak tribe and a warrior. He encouraged Afghan solidarity and unity to fight the Mongols through his poems. Prior to being a poet he was a celebrated warrior. His family, from the time of his grandfather, actually served the Mongol Empire. After his father’s death Shah Jehan, Emperor of the Mogul Empire appointed him as successor and he started to serve the Mongols. But the successor of the Shah, Aurangzeb was suspicious of Khushal and ordered him exiled in Delhi. When he was allowed to return to his tribe, he led the revolt against the Mongols. The revolt lasted for more than 2 years. Although the Mongols were able to take control of some areas, due to bribery and diplomacy tactics devised by Aurangzeb, they were not able to completely subdue the rebels. However, Khuskal was believed to have gone on an expedition to Tirah but died along the way. February 25, 1689 was the recorded date of his death. Historians who have done research on Khushal Khan Khattak’s works indicated that he wrote over 45,000 poems and over 200 books. Some of the books include Farrah Nama, Fazal Nama, Baz Nama and Distar Nama.

Zalmai Araa

His name is sometimes spelled as Zalmay Araa, an Afghan singer and comedian who presently resides in California. Zalmai was born in the 1950s in Kabul. He immigrated to the United States in the 1990s, married an Afghan girl and settled in Fremont, a city in California, USA.

He achieved worldwide fame for his comedic performances, which include singing, short comedic situations and stand-up comedy, sometimes laced with sexual humor without help from other actors or comedians. His shows all relate to Afghanistan. His early shows usually start with humorous accounts about life and people in his native country but his most recent shows are now more focused on the travails of living a life of exile as an Afghan in America.

Rohullah Nikpai

Rohullah Nikpai, 24 years of age is the first Afghan to win a medal in any Olympic event. His sport is taekwondo, which he started to learn at the age of 10 in his hometown of Kabul. His family was forced to stay in an Afghan refugee camp in Iran where he and some of his fellow Afghan refugees formed a taekwondo team. The Afghan government provided an Olympic training facility upon his return to Kabul sometime in 2004. He first competed in the Asian Games held in Doha, Qatar as a flyweight in 2006 but he was defeated by Thailand’s Nattapong Tewawetchapong in the 16th round. During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing he was in the 58-kilogram category. He was able to defeat Spain’s Juan Antonio Ramos, a two-time world champion to win his first Olympic bronze medal. He also won a bronze medal in the Asian Taekwondo Championships in 2008 held in Luoyang, China, competing in the same weight division. He earned his third bronze medal in May 2011 when he competed in the flyweight division in the 2011 World Taekwondo Championships in Gyeongju, South Korea.

For his Olympic performance, Ruhollah got a personal congratulatory phone call from President Hamid Karzai who gave him a house paid for by the Afghan government.

Sarban

His full name was Abdul-Rahim Sarban, shortened to just Sarban, a singer from Kabul who became popular for his unique voice and his musical style that is said to still be incomparable up to this day. He also gained fame in Tajikistan and in Iran. His songs were in the soft rock and classical category. Not much is known about Sarban’s childhood and he died an impoverished man in Pakistan. His remains were transferred to Kabul 12 years after his death. It was documented that Sarban has a chronic drinking problem which eventually affected his career and caused his downfall. While he had recorded hundreds of songs, the Gul Parast’, or Flower Worshiper in English was the most memorable. Sarban was also attributed to be the first singer to pen lyrics for the song played for brides during their wedding entitled “Auhista Boro” which means Go Slowly in English.

Zalmay Khalilzad

Zalmay Khalilzad was born in Mazar-i Sharif in Afghanistan on March 22,1951. His father was a Sunni Pashtun, a government official during the reign of Mohammed Zahir Shah. Khalilzad is fluent in Arabic, English, Dari and Pashto. He first came to the United States as an exchange student in high school through the Intercultural Programs of the American Field Service. He earned his bachelor’s and masters degrees in Lebanon, enrolling in the American University of Beirut before moving back to the United States to get his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Now a US citizen, Khalilzad currently serves as a counselor for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. The CSIS is a think tank for foreign policy. Khalilzad is also the president of his own international business consulting company, Khalilzad Associates, which is also based in Washington. This company provides consulting services for companies interesting in investing in Afghanistan and Iraq. When George W. Bush was president of the United States, Khalilzad was appointed as the US Ambassador to the United Nations. He was also became the US Ambassador to Afghanistan and US Ambassador to Iraq during the Bush administration. Khalilzad also is a member of the board of the American Abroad Media, the Middle East Studies Center of the RAND Corporation, the American University of Afghanistan, American University of Iraq and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Abdul Ahad Mohmand

Born on January 1, 1959, Abdul Ahad Mohmand was a former Air Force pilot in Afghanistan. He holds the distinction of being the first Afghan to be an Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut who spent 9 days in 1988 in the Mir space station. He earned his pilot degree from the Air Force Academy of Afghanistan and served the Air Force. He trained to be a professional astronaut and pilot in the Soviet Union. The government of Afghanistan was supportive of his efforts and when he was in space, President Mohammad Najibullah even had his mother invited to the his office so she can talk with Abdul Ahad to reassure her. His feat earned him a Hero of the Soviet Union title. When the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan Mohmand sought asylum in Germany and applied for citizenship, which was granted in 2003.

Ahmad Zahir

Ahmad Zahir was a very famous singer, composer and songwriter who was considered as the King of Afghan Music. His songs are mostly based on well-known poems in Persian and recorded his songs in Persian as well. He was born on June 14, 1946 to Abdul Zahir, a minister of health, royal court doctor and one-time Prime Minister of Afghanistan. His father was a very influential political figure during the time of Zahir Shah and even helped with the writing of their constitution.

Ahmad Zahir started his singing in high school bands but went to a teacher’s college before going to India to get a degree to be able to teach English. But music beckoned and started his career as a singer, writing his own compositions, some of which have political undertones that criticized the Afghan government and recording more than 30 albums during his career. He died on his birthday in 1979. His death was attributed by his son as an assassination ordered by a communist official but the official report claimed that Ahmad Zahir’s death was due to a car accident. He was hailed a national hero and his music and his family background paved the way for the establishment in 1974 of the Kabul Music School.

Farhad Darya Nasher

He is an established music producer, composer and singer who hails from Kabul but now lives in Virginia, USA with his wife and son. He is known for his patriotism and most of his songs are aimed at helping his countrymen unite. He formed bands while still in school but started a professional band named the Rain band when he was already in college. For a time he taught western classical music at the Polytechnical University of Kabul before going to Europe. He met his future wife in Paris. He sings in different languages such as English, Uzbek, Urdu, Persian and Pashto; has recorded about 24 albums and had won the Best Singer of the Year in Afghanistan and also in Copenhagen.

Atiq Rahimi

Born on February 26.1962 in Kabul, Atiq Rahimi sought political asylum in France after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He studied at Sorbonne and worked for a Paris-based production house after graduation. He produced several commercials and 7 documentaries for French TV. He took time off from being a producer to concentrate on his writing. His first bestseller in was entitled Earth and Ashes which was published in 2000 and became an instant hit in South America and Europe. A film based on his book was directed by him. It won the Prix du Regard vers l’Avenir during the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. The film was entered in 50 other film festivals and managed to win 25 awards. It was the best feature film at the Zanzibar International Film Festival and received the Golden Dhow award.

His book entitled Syngue Sabour won the Prix Goncourt award in November 2008. The English translation of the book was entitled Stone of Patience. He went back to Afghanistan in 2002 and worked as Senior Creative Advisor for Moby Group, the largest media group in Afghanistan. The conglomerate owns a magazine, an FM radio station, a recording company, a production company and TV stations. Rahimi develops programs and different styles of the various media concerns of Moby group including training budding Afghan directors and filmmakers while shuttling back and forth between Paris and Afghanistan. A film version of his book Syngue Sabour, based on his own screenplay is also directed by him. It was already in the pre-production stage in 2010.

Fahim Fazli

Fahim Fazli was born in Kabul on May 30, 1966. His family was affluent and he did not lack for anything until he was 12 years old. When the Russian invaded Afghanistan, he was left behind together with his father and a younger brother while his mother, his older brother and his younger sisters fled to the United States. Fahim backed the resistance movement and later joined the freedom fighters. During the course of their involvement with the resistance movement they were able to reach Pakistan. They had to wait 6 yeas before they were able to leave and join the rest of their family in the US. Fahim dreamt of becoming a movie star but had to work to help support his family. He did get his break in the movies and on TV, mainly being cast as a bad guy. He was seen in Season 6 of the hit TV series 24, making Jack Bauer’s life more difficult. He played the terrorist in Iron Man. In 2009 he went back to Afghanistan after 30 years to work as interpreter for the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines of the India Company stationed in the southern part of Afghanistan.

Siyar Bahadurzada

Siyar Bahadurzada hails from Kabul where he was born on April 17, 1984. Siyar is a mixed martial arts artist. He currently reigns as the Light Heavyweight Champion in Shooto. Siyar now fights in the middleweight category and uses the nickname Siyar, the Great in MMA. He is also called by other nicknames such as Afghan Killa, Aumid and The Killer. He said that his fighting sense and ability as well as his character was shaped by the constant war in Afghanistan where he lived for 15 years before his family decided to migrate to the Netherlands. He was able to beat up kids older than him when he was younger, which prompted his grandfather to call him The Killer.

In the Netherlands he started training at the Tatsujin dojo under the tutelage of Martijn de Jong who was a well-known and respected authority figure for mixed martial arts in the Dutch community. Bahadurzada immediately became the top student of De Jong. In his 25 professional matches, he had 20 wins, 4 losses and one draw. Of his 20 wins, ten were by knockout, 6 by submission and 4 by decision. He lost two matches each by decision and by submission.

Hammasa Kohistani

Hammasa Kohistani was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan where her Afghan parents lived to escape the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. She was born in 1987. They returned to Kabul when the Russian left but had to leave again when the Taliban started to rule most of Afghanistan in 1996. They settled in the United Kingdom and her father started a restaurant in Southall. Hammasa and her parents eventually acquired British citizenship which allowed Hammasa to be crowned in 2005 as Miss England, and became the first Muslim beauty contestant to do so. She represented England in the 2005 Miss World competition that was held in China.

Zamarai Kamgar

He is considered one of Afghanistan’s wealthiest, with an estimated net worth of $400 million. He is the president of the first privately-owned airline company. His family went through several wars – with the British, with the Russians and with the Taliban, and managed to survive. His godfather is a leader of an Uzbek ethnic party and a warlord, General Abdul Rashid Dostrum. During the war with the Taliban in 1998, Kamgar was the supplier of food and fuel to the army led by his godfather. After the war, the food and fuel bill had amounted to $3 million. His godfather did not have the cash to pay Kamgar and instead gave him a $2 million-worth Boeing 727 from which he started his Kam Air. Initially the plane was never allowed to leave the ground due to some political conflicts with President Hamid Karzai. In 2003, Kam Air had its maiden voyage with capital infused by Kamgar Trading Group, with serving routes such as Mazar, Herat, New Delhi, Dubai, Iran and Istanbul. The airline is performing quite nicely, netting $5 million in 2006.

:: References ::

http://www.afghan-network.net/biographies/
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Afghanistan-FAMOUS-AFGHANS.html
http://afghanland.com/history/jamaluddin.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2390252/bio
http://members.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0226/070.html