In the news
Authors
- Mehdi Akhavan-Sales, poet
- Zhaleh Amouzegar
- Attar, poet
- Mohammad-Taghi Bahar, poet
- Ahmad Kasravi
- Masoud Behnoud, historian
- Abolfazl Beyhaghi, historian
- Najaf Daryabandari, translator and writer
- Ali Akbar Dehkhoda, linguist
- Mirzadeh Eshghi, poet
- Forough Farrokhzad, poet
- Ferdowsi, poet
- Houshang Golshiri, writer
- Hafez, poet
- Mohammad Ali Jamalzadeh, writer
- Jami, poet
- Sadegh Hedayat, writer
- Mohsen Kadivar
- Omar Khayyam, poet, mathematician, and astronomer
- Emad Khorasani
- Naser Khosrow, writer and poet
- Zabihollah Mansoori, translator
- Gholamhossein Mosahab, encyclopedist
- Fereydoun Moshiri
- Morteza Motahhari, theologian
- Ebrahim Nabavi, satirist
- Azar Nafisi, teacher and writer
- Nezami, poet
- Nima, poet
- Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi (aka Mowlavi), poet
- Kioumars Saberi Foumani
- Sa'di, poet
- Marjane Satrapi, graphic novelist
- Sohrab Sepehri, poet
- Ahmad Shamlou, poet and writer
- Ali Shariati, sociologist
- Abdolkarim Soroush
Cinema artists
Actors
- Shohreh Aghdashloo
- Ezzatollah Entezami
- Reza Kianian
- Jamshid Mashayekhi
- Parviz Parastooyi
- Sussan Taslimi
Filmmakers
Journalists
- Hashem Agha-Jari
- Christiane Amanpour
- Rudi Bakhtiar
- Emadeddin Baghi
- Mohammad Taghi Bahar
- Masoud Behnoud
- Ali Akbar Dehkhoda
- Masoud Dehnamaki
- Hossein Derakhshan
- Mirzadeh Eshghi
- Akbar Ganji
- Mohammad Ghouchani
- Saeed Hajjarian
- Sina Motallebi
- Ebrahim Nabavi
- Ali Reza Nourizadeh
- Kioumars Saberi Foumani
- Shadi Sadr
- Ahmad Shamlou
- Mashallah Shams-ol-vaezin
- Hossein Shariatmadari
- Jahangir Khan Soor-Esrafil
Leaders and politicians
Historical (pre-Pahlavi)
- Abu Muslim
- Amir-Kabir, prime minister
- Gha'em-Magham Farahani, prime minister
- Nizam al-Mulk, statesman and vizier
Modern (post-Qajar)
Served in Pahlavi government
- Asadollah Alam, prime minister
- Ali Amini, prime minister
- Jamshid Amouzegar, prime minister
- Gholam Reza Azhari, prime minister
- Shapour Bakhtiar, prime minister
- Manouchehr Eghbal, prime minister and head of National Iranian Oil Company
- Amir Abbas Hoveida, prime minister
- Hassan-Ali Mansour, prime minister
- Hassan Modarres, member of parliament
- Mohammad Mosaddegh, prime minister
- Abdollah Riazi, first speaker of parliament
- Jafar Sharif-Emami, first speaker of senate and prime minister
- Fazlollah Zahedi, prime minister
Served in Islamic Republic government
- Mohammad Ali Abtahi, vice president
- Emad Afrough, member of parliament
- Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad, mayor of Tehran
- Hossein Allah-Karam
- Ayatollah Amini, deputy chair of Assembly of Experts
- Hossein Ansari-Rad, member of parliament
- Mohammad Reza Aref, first vice president
- Hamid Reza Assefi, foreign affairs spokesman
- Habibollah Asgarowladi, member of parliament
- Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
- Ayatollah Azari-Ghomi
- Asadollah Badamchian
- Mohammad Javad Bahonar, prime minister
- Mohammad Reza Bahonar, vice speaker of parliament
- Abolhassan Banisadr, president
- Mehdi Bazargan, prime minister
- Mohammad Beheshti, head of judiciary
- Ghorbaan'Ali Dorri-Najafabadi, minister of information
- Masoumeh Ebtekar, vice president
- Hassan Ghafourifard
- Saeed Hajjarian, Tehran council member
- Hassan Habibi, first vice president
- Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, speaker of parliament
- Fatemeh Haghighatjou, member of parliament
- Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, president
- Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, head of judiciary
- Elias Hazrati, member of parliament
- Nasrollah Jahangard, chair of Supreme Council of ICT
- Ahmad Jannati, chair of Council of Guardians
- Gholamhossein Karbaschi, mayor of Tehran
- Mehdi Karroubi, speaker of parliament
- Sadegh Khalkhali
- Kamal Kharrazi, minister of foreign affairs
- Ali Khamenei, supreme leader
- Hadi Khamenei, member of parliament
- Ahmad Khatami
- Mohammad Khatami, president
- Mohammad Reza Khatami, deputy speaker of parliament
- Ruhollah Khomeini, supreme leader, founder of the Islamic Republic
- Elaheh Koulai, member of parliament
- Ali Larijani, president of IRIB
- Mohammad Javad Larijani, member of parliament
- Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani
- Alireza Mahjoub
- Ali Meshkini, chair of Assembly of Experts
- Mohsen Mirdamadi, member of parliament
- Ata'ollah Mohajerani, minister of culture and Islamic guidance
- Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, member of parliament
- Hossein-Ali Montazeri
- Saeed Mortazavi
- Morteza Motahhari
- Mir-Hossein Mousavi, prime minister
- Ayatollah Mousavi-Ardabili
- Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari, minister of interior
- Behzad Nabavi, vice speaker of parliament
- Bizhan Namdar-Zangeneh, minister of oil
- Mohammad Bagher Nobakht
- Abdollah Noori, minister of interior
- Mohammad Ali Rajai, president
- Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, government spokesman
- Hassan Rowhani deputy speaker of parliament
- Mohammad Salamati
- Ayatollah Sane'i
- Abolghasem Sarhaddizadeh, member of parliament
- Mohammad Sattarifar, vice president
- Ali Shamkhani, minister of defence
- Ayatollah Jalaleddin Taheri
- Mostafa Tajzadeh, deputy minister of interior
- Ahmad Tavakkoli, minister of labour
- Behzad Nabavi, deputy speaker of parliament
- Mohammad Yazdi, head of judiciary
- Ebrahim Yazdi, foreign minister
- Ali Younessi, minister of information
- Ezzatollah Zarghami, president of IRIB
- Alireza Noori, member of parliament
See also: List of current Iranian officials
Not served or opposition
- Hashem Aghajari
- Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
- Jalaleddin Farsi
- Mohsen Kadivar
- Abolghasem Kashani
- Farrokh Negahdar
- Alireza Rajaei
- Maryam Rajavi
- Masoud Rajavi, militant opposition leader
- Ezzatollah Sahabi
- Yadollah Sahabi
- Ali Shariati, sociologist
- Azam Taleghani
- Mahmoud Taleghani
Musicians and Singers
Electronic
Pop
- Asef (Faramarz Asef)
- Delkash
- Ebi
- Faramarz Aslani
- Farhad (Farhad Mehrad)
- Fereydoon Foroughi
- Golpa (Akbar Golpaygani)
- Googoosh
- Kourosh Yaghmaei
- Leila Forouhar
- Mansoor
- Shahram Shabpare
Traditional
Western Classical
Religious figures
- Bab
- Bahaullah
- Jamal al-Din Asadabadi
- Muhammad ibn Ismail ad-Darazi
- Haik Hovsepian, bishop and Christian martyr
- Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic / politician
- Mani, founder of Manichaeism
- Zoroaster, prophet
Royalty
Pre-Islam
Igehalkid dynasty
- Ige-Halki (c. 1350 - c. 1330 BCE)
- Pakhir-Ishshan (c. 1330 - c. 1310 BCE)
- Attar-Kittakh (c. 1310 - c. 1300 BCE)
- Khuman-Numena (c. 1300 - c. 1275 BCE)
- Untash-Naprisha (c. 1275 - c. 1240 BCE)
- Unpatar-Naprisha (c. 1240 - c. 1235 BCE)
- Kiddin-Khutran (c. 1235 - c. 1210 BCE)
Shutrukid Dynasty
- Khallutush-In-Shushinak (c. 1205 - c. 1185 BCE)
- Shutruk-Nahhunte (c. 1185 - c. 1155 BCE)
- Kutir-Nahhunte III (c. 1155 - c. 1150 BCE)
- Shilkhak-In-Shushinak (c. 1150 - c. 1120 BCE)
- Khutelutush-In-Shushinak (c. 1120 - c. 1110 BCE)
- Shilhana-Hamru-Lagamar (c. 1110 - 1100 BCE)
The Median empire
The Achaemenid empire
- Achaemenes of Anshan.
- Teispes of Anshan.
- Cyrus I of Anshan.
- Ariaramnes of Persia.
- Cambyses I of Anshan.
- Arsames of Persia.
- Cyrus II the Great (550 - 530 BC).
- Cambyses II (530 - 521 BC).
- Smerdis (521 BC).
- Darius I (521 -486 BC).
- Xerxes I (486 -465 BC).
- Artaxerxes I (464 - 424 BC).
- Xerxes II, ( 424 - 423 BC).
- Sogdianus ( 424 - 423 BC).
- Darius II (424 - 404 BC).
- Artaxerxes II (404 - 358 BC).
- Cyrus the Younger, General
- Artaxerxes III (358 - 338 BC).
- Arses (338 - 336 BC).
- Darius III Codomannus (336 -330 BC).
The Parthian empire
- Arsaces I 246-211 BC
- Artabanus I 211-191 BC
- Mithridates I 171-138 BC
- Artabanus II 128-124 BC
- Mithridates II 124-87 BC
- Mithridates III 58-57 BC
- Tiridates II 30-29 BC
- Artabanus V 213-226
The Sassanid empire
- Ardashir I from 224 to 241.
- Shapur I from 241 to 272
- Hormizd I from 272 to 273.
- Bahram I from 273 to 276.
- Bahram II from 276 to 293.
- Bahram III year 293.
- Narseh from 293 to 302.
- Hormizd II from 302 to 310.
- Shapur II from 310 to 379
- Ardashir II from 379 to 383.
- Shapur III from 383 to 388.
- Bahram IV from 388 to 399.
- Yazdegerd I from 399 to 420.
- Bahram V from 420 to 438.
- Yazdegerd II from 438 to 457.
- Hormizd III from 457 to 459.
- Peroz I from 457 to 484.
- Balash from 484 to 488.
- Kavadh I from 488 to 531.
- Djamasp from 496 to 498.
- Khosrau I from 531 to 579.
- Hormizd IV from 579 to 590.
- Khosrau II from 590 to 628.
- Bahram VI from 590 to 591.
- Bistam from 591 to 592.
- Hormizd V year 593.
- Kavadh II year 628.
- Ardashir III from 628 to 630.
- Peroz II year 629.
- Shahrbaraz year 630.
- Boran and others from 630 to 631.
- Hormizd VI (or V) from 631 to 632.
- Yazdegerd III from 632 to 651.
Post-Islam (incomplete)
Safavid dynasty
- Ismail I, 1502-1524
- Tahmasp I, 1524-1576
- Ismail II, 1576-1578
- Mohammed Khodabanda, 1578-1588
- Abbas I, 1588-1629
- Safi, 1629-1642
- Abbas II, 1642-1666
- Suleiman, 1666-1694
- Husain, 1694-1722
- Tahmasp II, 1722-1732
- Abbas III, 1732-1736
Afsharid dynasty
- Nadir Shah, 1736-1747
- Adil Shah, 1747-1748
- Shah Rukh, 1748-1749
- Ibrahim, 1748-1749
Zand dynasty
- Karim Khan Zand, 1750-1779
- Abolfath Khan Zand, 1779
- Ali Murad Khan Zand, 1779, also 1782-1785
- Sadiq Khan Zand, 1779-1782
- Jafar Khan Zand, 1785-1789
- Lutf Ali Khan Zand, 1789-1794
Qajar dynasty
- Agha Mohammad Khan, 1779-1797
- Fath Ali Shah, 1797-1834
- Mohammad Shah Qajar, 1834-1848
- Naser Ed-Din Shah, 1848-1896
- Mozaffar Ed-Din Shah, 1896-1907
- Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, 1907-1909
- Ahmad Shah Qajar, 1909-1925
- Abbas Mirza, Crown Prince to Fath Ali Shah
- Reza Pahlavi, 1925-1941
- Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, 1941-1979
- Reza Pahlavi II, Crown Prince to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
- Foozieh of Egypt, queen
- Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari, queen
- Farah Diba, queen
- Leila Pahlavi, princess
Scientists & Philosophers
- Avicenna (Ibn Sina), physician, philosopher
- Biruni, astronomist, mathematician
- Farabi, (Al-Farabi, Pharabius), chemist
- Mahmoud Hessaby, physicist
- Ghiyath al-Kashi, mathematician
- Al-Ghazali philosopher
- Seyyed Hossein Nasr, scholar of Islamic philosophy
- Omar Khayyam, poet, mathematician, and astronomist
- Khwarizmi (aka Al-Khwarazmi) creator of algorithm and algebra, mathematician and astronomer
- Nossrat Peseschkian, physician and psychotherapist, living in Germany
- Rhazes (Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi), chemist and physicist
- Nasir al-Din al-Tusi scientist, philosopher
- Ulugh Beg
Sports
- Andre Agassi, tennis player, half-Iranian
- Khodadad Azizi, footballer
- Ali Daei, footballer
- Ali Karimi, footballer
- Hossein Rezazadeh, weightlifter
- Mehdi Mahdavikia, footballer
- Khosrow Vaziri, wrestler
Other
- Saeed Asgar
- Touri Bolourchi
- Saeed Emami
- Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini and wife of Mohammad Reza Khatami
- Doris Lessing
- Merhan Karimi Nasseri
- Shaul Mofaz
See also: List of people by nationality