List of famous Persian women
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Iranian women. For general information about women in Iran
, see Women in Iran
.
Notice: As one person may have contributed to more than one field, they can be categorized in multiple areas.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, see Women in Iran
Women in Iran
Iranian women in this article refers to women of, or from, traditional Persian or modern Iranian culture.-Depictions and appearance:...
.
Notice: As one person may have contributed to more than one field, they can be categorized in multiple areas.
Scientists and engineers
- Anousheh AnsariAnousheh AnsariAnousheh Ansari is an engineer and the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems. Her previous business accomplishments include serving as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies, Inc. . The Ansari family is also the title sponsor of the Ansari X Prize. On September 18, 2006,...
, First female space tourist, leading telecommunicationTelecommunicationTelecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
entrepreneurEntrepreneurAn entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, and namesakeNamesakeNamesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
of the X PrizeAnsari X PrizeThe Ansari X Prize was a space competition in which the X Prize Foundation offered a US$10,000,000 prize for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks... - Nahid ShahmehriNahid ShahmehriNahid Shahmehri is a professor of Computer Science at Linköping University and also Senior Member of IEEE, specializing in computer and network security issues.-List of publications:* -External links:...
, Director of the Laboratory for Intelligent Information, Linköpings Universitet, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. - Saba ValadkhanSaba ValadkhanDr. Saba Valadkhan is an Iranian American biomedical scientist, and an Assistant Professor and RNA researcher at Case Western Reserve University...
, American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
Young scientist award - Maryam MirzakhaniMaryam MirzakhaniMaryam Mirzakhani is an Iranian mathematician, Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University...
, Mathematician
Academics
- Pardis SabetiPardis SabetiPardis C. Sabeti is an Iranian American computational biologist, medical geneticist and evolutionary geneticist, who developed a bioinformatic statistical method which identifies sections of the genome that have been subject to natural selection and an algorithm which explains the effects of...
, geneticist at Harvard Medical School - Mina BissellMina BissellMina J. Bissell, Ph.D., is an Iranian American biologist and a world-recognized leader in the area of the role of extracellular matrix and microenvironment in regulation of tissue-specific function, with special emphasis on breast cancer....
, Director of UC Berkeley Life Sciences Division. - Reihaneh Safavi-NainiReihaneh Safavi-NainiReihaneh Safavi-Naini is the Chair in Information Security at the University of Calgary, Canada. Before joining University of Calgary in 2007, she was a Professor of Computer Science, Faculty of Informatics and the Director of and at the University of Wollongong, Australia...
, Cryptographer, professor of computer science, and head of Telecommunications and Information Technology Research Institute at University of WollongongUniversity of WollongongThe University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney... - Janet AfaryJanet AfaryJanet Afary is an Iranian author, feminist activist and researcher in history, Religious Studies and women studies. She now lives in the United States of America, and currently teaches at the University of California, Santa Barbara....
, Historian - Shirin EbadiShirin EbadiShirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
, Lawyer, lecturer at Tehran University (2003 Nobel Laureate) - Azar NafisiAzar NafisiAzar Nafisi, born ca. 1947, is an Iranian academic and bestselling writer who has resided in the United States since 1997 when she emigrated from Iran. Her field is English language literature....
, former lecturer at Tehran University and Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityThe Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States... - Mehrangiz KarMehrangiz KarMehrangiz Kar is a prominent Iranian lawyer, human right activist and author of the book Crossing the Red Line, as well as many articles.Mehrangiz Kar is a celebrated activist of women's rights in Iran....
, Lawyer, fellow at Harvard University - Jaleh AmouzgarJaleh AmouzgarJaleh Amouzgar is a world-class Iranist and a university professor-Life:Amouzgar holds a Ph. D. degree from Sorbonne University in Iranistics . She is currently chairman of the department of Ancient Iranian Culture and Languages at Tehran University.Prof. Amouzgar in collaboration with Prof...
, Iranologist, Professor of Tehran University - Lady AminLady AminHajiyeh Seyyedeh Nosrat Beygom Amin was an Iranian jurisprudent and theologian....
(Banoo Amin), Jurisprudent and theologian - Elaheh KoulaeiElaheh KoulaeiElaheh Koulaei is an Iranian political scientist, reformist intellectual.Dr Koulaei is professor of political science at Tehran University and a member of the Islamic Iran Participation Front...
, Professor of Political sciences, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Tehran University - Fatemeh KeshavarzFatemeh KeshavarzFatemeh Keshavarz is an Iranian academic, writer and literary figure. She is a professor of Persian Language and Comparative Literature and chair of the department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures at Washington University in St. Louis.Fatemeh Keshavarz holds a B.A...
, Chair of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literature Department, Professor of Persian and Comparative Literature, Washington University in St. Louis - Camila BatmanghelidjhCamila BatmanghelidjhCamila Batmanghelidjh is a British businesswoman, charity leader and author of Iranian and Belgian origin. She has been living in England since the age of 11 and founded two charities - the place2b and Kids Company where she and her team care for 14,000 vulnerable children and young people in London...
, Psychotherapist. - Farzaneh MilaniFarzaneh MilaniFarzaneh Milani is an Iranian-American scholar and author. She teaches Persian literature and Women’s Studies at the University of Virginia. Milani is Chair of the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures. She is also a poet, award-winning translator, and a recipient of...
, Director of Studies in Women and Gender and Professor of Persian and Women Studies at the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in Charlottesville, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, USA http://www.virginia.edu/womenstudies/people/milani.html - Nayereh TohidiNayereh TohidiProfessor Nayereh Tohidi is Professor and former Chair at the Department of Gender & Women Studies,California State University, Northridge. She is also the Research Associate at the Center for Near Eastern Studies of UCLA where she has been coordinating the Bilingual Lecture Series on Iran since...
, Professor and Chair of the Women's Studies Department at California State University, Northridge and Research Associate at the Center for Near Eastern Studies at UCLA, USA Dr. Nayereh Tohidi's Webpage - Afsaneh NajmabadiAfsaneh NajmabadiAfsāneh Najmābādi is an Iranian-American historian and gender theorist. She is professor of History and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University. At present she chairs the Committee on Degrees in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality...
, Professor of History and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. - Noushafarin AnsariNoushafarin AnsariNoushafarin Ansari is a renowned Iranian librarian, educator and manager, born in Simla, India, in 1939.-Life:Her parents were diplomats; therefore she was exposed to many languages and cultures in Asia and Europe. In 1958-1960 she studied librarianship in Geneva, a discipline she continued at...
, Professor at University Of Tehran, Secretary General of Children's Book Council Of Iran
Authors and poets
- Mahnaz AfkhamiMahnaz AfkhamiMahnaz Afkhami , is Founder and President of Women's Learning Partnership . She is also the Executive Director of Foundation for Iranian Studies and former Minister of Women's Affairs of Iran...
, Writer - Roya HakakianRoya HakakianRoya Hakakian is an Iranian-American poet, journalist and writer living in the United States. A lauded Persian poet turned television producer with programs like 60 Minutes, Roya became well known for her memoir, Journey from the Land of No in 2004. Her essays on Iranian issues appear in the New...
, Writer and Poet - Lobat ValaLobat ValaLobat Vala is an Iranian poet,and campaigner for the Women Liberation and Equal Rights in Iran. Having been exiled from Iran since 1979, Vala lives in London, and lived in Melbourne between 1980 and 1984...
Poet - Moniru RavaniporMoniru RavaniporMoniro Ravanipor Moniro Ravanipour is an internationally acclaimed innovative writer who is the author of ten titles published in Iran, including two collections of short fiction, Kanizu and Satan’s Stones, and the novels The Drowned, Heart of Steel, and Gypsy by Fire...
, Writer - Mana AghaeeMana AghaeeMana Aghaee is a Persian poet and translator.- Biography :Mana Aghaee was born in Bushehr, Iran, and lives in Stockholm, Sweden since 1987. She is the daughter of the Iranian scholar and poet Shirzad Aghaee. She has a M.A...
, Poet, Translator and BibliographerBibliographer"A bibliographer is a person who describes and lists books and other publications, with particular attention to such characteristics as authorship, publication date, edition, typography, etc. The result of this endeavor is a bibliography... - Mina AssadiMina Assadi-Biography:Mina Assadi is a famous poet, author, journalist and songwriter who lives in exile in Stockholm, Sweden. She is known for writing about controversial and provocative subjects, especially when she describes the fight against the Iranian regime. In 2007 she wrote the poem called "Pimps"...
, Poet and author, winner of the Hellman/Hammett awards (human Rights Watch) in New York in the year of 1996 - Sousan AzadiSousan AzadiSousan Azadi is the author, with Angela Ferrante, of the 1987 memoir Out of Iran, which was published by Time Warner's imprint Little, Brown and Company...
, memoirist - Mahshid AmirshahiMahshid AmirshahiMahshid Amirshahi is a contemporary Iranian writer born in Kermanshah. She is an active proponent of establishing a secular democracy in Iran, and as an opponent of the current Islamic republic, for which she moved into exile in France after the 1979 Iranian revolution.During the revolution,...
, Novelist - Farzaneh AghaeipourFarzaneh AghaeipourFarzaneh Aghaeipour is an Iranian playwright, author, and activist. She is a board member at the politically active Iranian Writers Association, which fights censorship and advocates freedom of expression...
, Playwright and novelist - Simin BehbahaniSimin BehbahaniSimin Beh'bahāni is one of the most prominent figures of the modern Persian literature and one of the most outstanding amongst the contemporary Persian poets. She is Iran's national poet and an icon of the Iranian intelligentsia and literati who affectionately refer to her as the lioness of Iran...
, Poet and 1997 Nobel prizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
nominee. - Niloofar BeyzaieNiloofar Beyzaie-Work:Central themes of her theater work are "woman", "the suffering of individuals among the crowd" and "being a stranger either in the own or in the foreign society"...
, Playwright and theatre director - Simin DaneshvarSimin DaneshvarSimin Dāneshvar is an Iranian academic, novelist, fiction writer and translator of literary works from English, German, Italian and Russian into Persian. Daneshvar has a number of firsts to her credit. In 1948, her collection of Persian short stories was the first by an Iranian woman to be...
, Academic, novelist and translator of literary texts from several languages into Persian - Parvin E'tesamiParvin E'tesamiParvin E'tesami , also Parvin Etesami was a 20th century Persian poet of Iran. According to Ali Akbar Dehkhoda, her given name was Rakhshanda .-Life:...
, Poet (classical) - Forough FarrokhzadForough FarrokhzadForugh Farrokhzād was an Iranian poet and film director. Forugh Farrokhzad is arguably one of Iran's most influential female poets of the twentieth century...
, Poet (modern) - Granaz MoussaviGranaz MoussaviGranaz Moussavi , is an Iranian-Australian contemporary poet, film director and screen writer. She is primarily renowned for her avant-garde poetry in the 90's...
, Poet - Rabe'e Ghazdari, Poet
- Sheema KalbasiSheema KalbasiSheema Kalbasi is an award winning poet, producer, critic, blogger, and human rights advocate.- Biography :Kalbasi is the founder and president of , a film production and publishing company. She is the director and the co-director of several literary projects including the . She has published two...
, Poet - Sholeh WolpeSholeh WolpeSholeh Wolpe is a poet, literary translator, and visual artist.She was born in Iran, and has lived in Trinidad, England and United States.-Biography:...
, poet - Justine Harun-MahdaviJustine Harun-MahdaviJustine Harun-Mahdavi is a German woman who lived in Iran between 1968 and 1979. She is the writer of the recently published book Not without My Husband....
, German-Iranian writer. - Rosie Malek-YonanRosie Malek-YonanRosie Malek-Yonan is an Assyrian actress, author, director, public figure and human rights activist.-Early life:Born in Tehran, Iran, Rosie Malek-Yonan is a descendant of one of the oldest and most prominent Assyrian families, tracing her Assyrian roots back nearly 11 centuries...
, Author, actor and director. Author of THE CRIMSON FIELD - MahsatiMahsatiMahsati Ganjavi , was a 12th century Persian poet. Mahsati is a compound of two Persian words "Maah" and "Sati" . The title appears in the works of Saadi, Nizami, Sanai, Rumi and Attar....
, Medieval poet - Azadeh MoaveniAzadeh Moaveni- Education :Moaveni grew up in San Jose, California, and studied politics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She won a Fulbright Fellowship to Egypt, and studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo.- Career :...
, Writer and journalist - Azar NafisiAzar NafisiAzar Nafisi, born ca. 1947, is an Iranian academic and bestselling writer who has resided in the United States since 1997 when she emigrated from Iran. Her field is English language literature....
, writer, "Reading Lolita in TehranReading Lolita in TehranReading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books is a book by Iranian author and professor Azar Nafisi.Published in 2003, it has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over one hundred weeks and has been translated into thirty-two languages....
" - Shahrnush ParsipurShahrnush ParsipurShahrnush Parsipur is an Iranian novelist. She is the daughter of an attorney in the Iranian Justice Ministry originally from Shiraz.-Biography:...
, Novelist - Zoya PirzadZoya PirzadZoya Pirzad is a renowned Iranian-Armenian writer and novelist.Pirzad's first novel, "I Turn Off the Lights" has been published numerous times in Iran and has been translated to several languages...
, Novelist and winner of Hushang Golshiri Award - Tahereh Qorrat Al-'AynTáhirihTáhirih or Qurratu'l-`Ayn are both titles of Fátimih Baraghání , an influential poet and theologian of the Bábí Faith in Iran. Her life, influence and execution made her a key figure of the religion...
, Poet, philosopher and theologist; Seventeenth disciple or Letter of the LivingLetters of the LivingThe Letters of the Living was a title provided by the Báb to the first eighteen disciples of the Bábí Religion. In some understandings the Báb places himself at the head of this list...
of the BábBábSiyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
(mid 19th century) - Mahasti ShahrokhiMahasti ShahrokhiMahasti Shahrokhi is an Iranian novelist, poet, and winner of numerous literary prizes. Her novel, A Shawl as Long as the Silk Road attracted critical attention, and Cactus magazine devoted its third publication to this novel...
, Novelist - Farzaneh Khojandi, Tajik poet
- Golrokhsar Safi Eva, National poet of Tajikistan
- Niloufar TalebiNiloufar TalebiNiloufar Talebi is a writer, award-winning translator and theater artist.She was born in London to Iranian parents and currently lives in the United States...
, Writer, translator, theater artist - Shokooh MirzadegiShokooh MirzadegiShokooh Mirzādegi began her literary work, both as a novelist and a poet, with Ferdowsi magazine and Kayhān daily in the late 1960s in Iran...
, Novelist, poet and social reformer
Visual and Fine Arts
- Iran Darrudi, Painter
- Mokarrameh GhanbariMokarrameh GhanbariMokarrameh Ghanbari was a heuristic and self made Iranian painter who won several international talent prizes.Mokarrameh was born in the village of Darikandeh between Shahi and Babol, in Mazanderan, and despite her great talent, she never received any formal training in painting.She began painting...
, Painter - Mansooreh HosseiniMansooreh Hosseini-Life:At a young age, it was discovered that she had a talent for drawing , which compelled her father to hire a painting tutor to help her work to her potential. Later on, she was educated at the University of Tehran in the Faculty of Fine Arts, from which she graduated in 1949...
Painter - Noreen MotamedNoreen MotamedNoreen Motamed is a Persian painter.Daughter of Fereydoun Motamed, she was born in Abadan, Iran and attended primary and secondary school in Tehran and graduated in first place from University of Tehran with a B.A. degree in Arts...
, Painter - Shirin NeshatShirin NeshatShirin Neshat شیرین نشاط is an Iranian visual artist who lives in New York. She is known primarily for her work in film, video and photography.-Background:Neshat's parents were upper middle-class...
, Conceptual artist - Guity NovinGuity NovinGuity Novin is an Iranian-Canadian figurative painter, and graphic designer residing in Canada. She classifies her work as Transpressionism, a movement she has introduced.Her works are in private and public collections worldwide....
, Painter, Graphic artist and the founder of Transpressionism movement in painting - Behjat SadrBehjat SadrBehjat Sadr was an Iranian painter whose works have been exhibited in major cities across the world, such as New York, Paris, and Rome. She was born to parents Mohammad Sadr Mahallati and Ghamar Amini Sadr in Arak in 1924. Sadr began her studies at the University of Tehran faculty of fine arts...
Painter - Sara ShamsavariSara ShamsavariSara Shamsavari is a British-Iranian visual artist, photographer, singer-songwriter, and activist based in London. Shamsavari's work has been described as carrying "acute socio-political messages."-Early life and education:...
Visual artist,photographer, Musical artist - Maryam zandi, Photographer
Artists
- Baran KosariBaran KosariBaran Kosari is a Crystal Simorgh winning Iranian actress. She is the daughter of director Rakhshan Bani Etemad, and film producer Jahangir Kosari.-Biography:...
, 25th fajr film festival awards winner - Mahnaz AfsharMahnaz AfsharMahnaz Afshar was born in Tehran on 21st of Khordad year 1356 .She got her high school degree in natural science course. After graduation of high school one of her relatives who was the theater affairs assistant ion Soureh college introduced her to Hannaneh Art institute.She studied video edition...
, Actress - Lily AfsharLily Afshar- Awards and recognition :Afshar has been praised for her performances.She won the 2000 Orville H. Gibson Award for Best Female Classical Guitarist. as well as the Tenth, Eleventh, and the Twelfth Annual "Premier Guitarist" awards by the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts &...
, Guitarist - Azam AliAzam Ali-Biography:Born in Tehran, Iran 1970, Ali spent most of her childhood in Panchgani, India. Ali and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California in 1985, after which Ali discovered the santour...
, Musician - Sara ShamsavariSara ShamsavariSara Shamsavari is a British-Iranian visual artist, photographer, singer-songwriter, and activist based in London. Shamsavari's work has been described as carrying "acute socio-political messages."-Early life and education:...
Visual artist,photographer, Musical artist - Behnoosh BakhtiariBehnoosh BakhtiariBehnoosh Bakhtiari , is an Iranian actress. She is mostly known for her roles in Mehran Modiri's sitcoms, particularly her hilarious portrayal of Leiloon in Shabhaye Barareh. She was born in Tehran.-TV Series:-References:...
, Actress - Niloofar BeyzaieNiloofar Beyzaie-Work:Central themes of her theater work are "woman", "the suffering of individuals among the crowd" and "being a stranger either in the own or in the foreign society"...
, Playwright, theatre director - Nadia BjorlinNadia BjorlinNadia Alexandra Bjorlin born August 2, 1980, is an American actress and singer.-Early life:Björlin was born in Newport, Rhode Island but lived in Sweden until the age of 7. Her father was the Swedish composer and conductor Ulf Björlin .. Her mother, Fary, is a Persian interior decorator from...
, Actress - Hengameh MofidHengameh MofidHengameh Mofid is an Iranian Film/Theater actress, director, Dramatist and University tutor . She was born in Tehran, Iran.Born in January 1956 Tehran, Iran, Mrs...
, Film and theatre actress, director, dramatist and University professor - Farzaneh KaboliFarzaneh KaboliFarzaneh Kaboli is an Iranian dancer, a leader in the Iranian Folkloric and National Dance Art. and a master of choreography in Iranian theaters....
, a leader in the Iranian Folkloric and National Dance Art - Nazanin Afshin-JamNazanin Afshin-JamNazanin Afshin-Jam is a Persian Human Rights Activist, , President and Co-Founder of Stop Child Executions, Singer, Songwriter, model, actress, pilot, former Miss World Canada and Miss World 1st runner-up...
, Actress, Singer/Songwriter, Human Rights Campaigner - Shohreh AghdashlooShohreh AghdashlooShohreh Aghdashloo is an Iranian American actress.After establishing a theatre and film career in Iran, Aghdashloo moved to England during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and subsequently became a citizen of the United States...
, Actress 2003 Oscar nominee for House of Sand and Fog - Aryana FarshadAryana FarshadAryana Farshad is a writer, director, and film producer born in Tehran, Iran.-Education and career:She moved to Paris, France and studied French language and literature at The Sorbonne, prior to receiving her degree from the Institut Des Hautes Etudes Cinematographiques in film production and...
, Cineaste and documentary film maker. Winner of "Audience Award", Telly Award, and Davey Award, 2008. - Pegah AnvarianPegah AnvarianPegah Anvarian is an American fashion designer. She is designer of the Pegah Anvarian Collection.Anvarian grew up in Richardson, Texas , the daughter of a photographer father and educator mother, who taught her how to sew at the age of six. Her family encouraged creativity in the home, prompting...
, Fashion Designer in L.A.. - Pegah AhangaraniPegah AhangaraniPegah Ahangarani is an Iranian actress. She is the daughter of actress and director Manijeh Hekmat and movie director Jamshid Ahangarani. She has acted in 11 Iranian feature films since 2001 and made at least one documentary.- Filmography:...
, Actress and winner of Best Actress Award, 23rd Cairo International Film Festival. - Taraneh AlidoostiTaraneh AlidoostiTaraneh Alidoosti is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Iranian actress. In a poll conducted among hundred and thirty film critics by Sanate Cinema magazine she was voted the best Iranian actress of the decade.-Career:...
, Best Actress Award Winner, Locarno International Film FestivalLocarno International Film FestivalThe Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
, awarded in August 2002 - Mary ApickMary ApickMary Apick is an award-winning Iranian actress, writer, and producer.Apick was the first Iranian actress in the history of Iranian cinema to win the Best Actress Award from the Moscow International Film Festival. She won the award for her 1977 performance in Dead End, written and directed by Parviz...
, Actress, Best Actress Award Winner(1977) - Leila ArabLeila ArabLeila is an Iranian recording artist, producer and dj based in London.She has worked with prominent European musicians such as Björk, and has released music on Rephlex Records, XL Recordings and Warp Records....
, Musician - Mitra Hajjar, Actress
- Soodabeh SalemSoodabeh SalemSoodabeh Salem is a renowned Iranian musician, piano player and the conductor of Iran's Children Orchestra....
, Musician, conductor - Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Director
- Catherine BellCatherine BellCatherine Lisa Bell is an American actress known for her role of Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie of the television show JAG from 1997 to 2005...
, Actress JAGJAG (TV series)JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
(Half) - Sima BinaSima BinaSimā Binā is notable Persian classical musician and Iran's researcher, composer, singer and song-writer of Iranian folk music...
, Singer. - Shiva BoloorianShiva BoloorianShiva Boloorian is an Iranian actress and stage director, as well as a TV moderator.-Works:Boloorian has starred in more than 10 movies, over 25 TV series and over 30 theatre performances in Iran, and has produced 3 short films and over 10 theatre performances.- Film :Zendegie Torsh Tabe Penhani...
, Actress and play director - Nazanin BoniadiNazanin BoniadiNazanin Boniadi is a British Iranian actress currently living and working in the US.-Early life:...
, Actress - DelkashDelkashDelkash born, Esmat Bagherpour Baboli , was an Iranian diva and actress with a rare and unique voice and vocal range.-Biography:...
(Esmat Bagherpour), Singer - Granaz MoussaviGranaz MoussaviGranaz Moussavi , is an Iranian-Australian contemporary poet, film director and screen writer. She is primarily renowned for her avant-garde poetry in the 90's...
,Film Director, Screenwriter - Golshifteh FarahaniGolshifteh FarahaniGolshifteh Farahani is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Iranian actress and pianist.- Early life :Golshifteh Farahani was born on 10 July 1983 in Tehran, the daughter of actor/theater director Behzad Farahani and his spouse, Fahime Rahiminia and sister of actress Shaghayegh Farahani. She started studying...
, Actress and musician, Best Actress Award from the [22nd Nantes 3 Continents Festival and Symorgh for Best Actress from the 16th Fajr International Film Festival - Leila ForouharLeila ForouharLeila Forouhar is a singer and actress from Iran. She relocated to Los Angeles after the Iranian Revolution.-Career:Leila is the daughter of the late Iranian actor Jahangir Forouhar, who had already established a solid background in the Iranian entertainment industry by the early 1970s. She speaks...
, Singer - GoogooshGoogooshFaegheh Atashin also known by her stage name Googoosh is an Iranian singer and actress. She is known for her contributions to Iranian pop music, but also starred in a variety of movies from the 1950s to the 1970s. She achieved the pinnacle of her fame and success towards the end of the 1970s...
, Actress, singer, songwriter - Azita HajianAzita Hajian-Early life:She was born on 10 January 1958 in Narmak, Tehran. She Graduated in theatre acting and directing from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Tehran, Azita Hajian started stage acting in 1975 and film acting in 1989 with Thief of Dolls . Due to her theatrical background in the field of children...
, Actress, Crystal Simorgh winner for the Best Actress, the 17th Fajr International Film Festival - Leila HatamiLeila HatamiLeila Hatami is an award-winning Iranian actress. She is the daughter of director Ali Hatami and actress Zari Khoshkam, and is married to actor Ali Mosaffa.- Biography :...
, Best Actress Award Locarno International Film FestivalLocarno International Film FestivalThe Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
and Montreal World Film FestivalMontreal World Film FestivalThe Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
(2002) - Monika JaliliMonika JaliliMonika Jalili is a vocalist singing songs of Iran, mostly in Persian.Born in the United States, Monika is of Dutch, German and Iranian descent. She studied music at The Manhattan School of Music. She was a student of Beverley Peck Johnson...
, Persian vocalist of Dutch-German origin - Ghashang KamkarGhashang KamkarGhashang Kamkar is an Iranian Kurdish musician.She is the only female member of the musical group Kamkarha, composed of her seven brothers and her, all of whom are exceptional musicians...
, Musician - Niki KarimiNiki KarimiNiki Karimi , born 10 November 1971 in Tehran, is a multi-award–winning Iranian actress and movie director.- Biography :Niki Karimi was born and raised in Tehran. She participated in theatrical work while she was in elementary school. Her hobby of reading and watching movies from an early age...
, Actress and director - Anousheh KhaliliAnousheh KhaliliAnousheh Khalili , born 1983, is an Iranian-American singer-songwriter. She is known for providing vocal talent and appearing in the videos for Deep Dish's "Flashdance" and "Say Hello," the latter of which was nominated for a Grammy in 2006 in the Best Dance Recording category.She recorded her...
, Singer-songwriter - Merila ZareiMerila Zarei- Biography :Graduated from Azad University of Tehran, during her studies she became interested in acting through Ezatollah Entezami's acting courses.Her first movie was Patak by Ali Asghar Shadravan in 1994...
, Award-winning actress - Maryam KeshavarzMaryam KeshavarzMaryam Keshavarz is Iranian-American filmmaker.Keshavarz studied Persian literature at the University of Shiraz before turning to filmmaking. She has a B.A...
, Director - Hana MakhmalbafHana MakhmalbafHana Makhmalbaf is an Iranian filmmaker. She is the younger sister of filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf and daughter of filmmakers Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Marzieh Makhmalbaf.-Career:...
, Director - Samira MakhmalbafSamira MakhmalbafSamira Makhmalbaf is an internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker and script writer. She is the daughter of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the film director and writer. Samira Makhmalbaf belongs to the New Wave movement within Iranian cinema...
, Director - Marjane SatrapiMarjane SatrapiMarjane Satrapi is an Iranian-born French contemporary graphic novelist, illustrator, animated film director, and children's book author...
, film director and graphic novelist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEQuDfHmr3A - Shohreh SolatiShohreh SolatiShohreh Solati is a popular Iranian singer. She has had one of the most consistently active and prolific careers among contemporary, women Iranian singers...
, Singer - Rosie Malek-YonanRosie Malek-YonanRosie Malek-Yonan is an Assyrian actress, author, director, public figure and human rights activist.-Early life:Born in Tehran, Iran, Rosie Malek-Yonan is a descendant of one of the oldest and most prominent Assyrian families, tracing her Assyrian roots back nearly 11 centuries...
, Actor, director and writer. Rendition (2007 Release). Her most recent appearance is in the role of Farah Mir, mother of Leyla MirLeyla MirLeyla Mir is a fictional character that premiered on the SOAPnet drama series, General Hospital: Night Shift, and crossed over into the parent series General Hospital. She was portrayed by Nazanin Boniadi.- Character History :...
, in the ABC DaytimeABC DaytimeABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
series General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns.... - Yassamin MaleknasrYassamin MaleknasrYassamin Maleknasr is an internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker and actress.-Career:...
, Actress and director - Marzieh, Singer
- Tahmineh MilaniTahmineh MilaniTahmineh Milāni is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Early life:Milani was born 1960 in Tabriz, Iran. Of Azeri descent, she is the wife of the Iranian actor and producer Mohammad Nikbin.- Early career :...
, Feminist filmmaker - Pouran DerakhshandehPouran DerakhshandehPourān Derakh'shandeh is an Iranian film director, producer, screen writer, and researcher.Pourān Derakh'shandeh graduated in film directing in 1975 from Advanced School of Television and Cinema in Tehran...
, Film director, producer, screen writer, and researcher - NooshafarinNooshafarinNooshafarin is a popular Iranian singer. She is part of a large network of Iranian singer, composer, and songwriter exiles of the 1970s era who live and work in Southern California. Her name means "creator of joy" in Persian.-Early years:...
, Singer - Mahin OskoueiMahin OskoueiMahin Oskouei was an Iranian theater director and instructor and Iran's pioneering female theater arts figure.Born in Tehran, she was Iran's first female theater director and first woman to appear on stage...
, First female Iranian film director - Laleh Pourkarim, Singer-songwriter
- ParisaParisaFātemeh Vā'ezi , commonly known by her stage name Parīsā , is a Persian Classical vocalist and musician.----...
(Fatemeh Va'ezi), Doyen of the classical-Persian singers - Behnaz SarafpourBehnaz SarafpourBehnaz Sarafpour is a New York City-based designer who introduced a line of women's apparel bearing her name in 2001.She attended Parsons School of Design, where she was honored with the Golden Thimble Award, and has held design positions at Isaac Mizrahi, Narciso Rodriguez, Richard Tyler, Anne...
, Couture fashion designer in NYC - ShakilaShakilaShakila is a Persian vocalist and master of classical Persian music.She studied both Persian classical music, and western classical music...
, Singer, winner of the Persian Academy Award - Bahar SoomekhBahar SoomekhBahar Soomekh is an Iranian-American actress and environmental activist. She began acting in the early 2000s, and is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Crash , Mission: Impossible III , and Saw III .-Early life:...
, Actress (CrashCrash (2004 film)Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
and Saw IIISaw IIISaw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars...
) - Tamara StronachTami StronachTamara "Tami" Stronach is a dancer and choreographer who has also worked as an actress.Stronach was born to Israeli and Scottish parents. Her father, David Stronach, is a renowned archeologist of ruins of Ancient Persia and a professor at UC Berkeley...
, played the Childlike Empress in The Neverending Story - Qamar ol-Molouk VaziriQamar ol-Molouk VaziriQamar ol-Molouk Vaziri is Iran's "Queen of Persian Music" and a prominent vocalist and intellectual....
, Queen of the Persian Music - Mahla ZamaniMahla ZamaniMahla Zamani is an Iranian fashion designer, journalist and expert on Iranian traditional clothing.She established the first fashion exhibition after the Iranian revolution and put significant effort in popularizing Iranian stylish clothing. In her view, Iranians need to revive their past and...
, Iranian fashion designer; expert on traditional Iranian dressings - Sarah ShahiSarah ShahiAahoo Jahansouz "Sarah" Shahi is an American actress and a former NFL Cheerleader. She is probably best known for starring in The L Word as Carmen de la Pica Morales and in Life as Detective Dani Reese...
, Actress - Hedyeh TehraniHedyeh TehraniHedieh Tehrāni is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Iranian actress. She is most noted for willingness to play mysterious, stony-faced and cold-hearted women. She began her acting career with Masoud Kimiai's Soltan...
, Actress - Darya DadvarDarya DadvarDaryā Dādvar, is an accomplished Iranian soprano soloist and composer living in Paris, France.-Education:Darya is a native of Rasht but grew up in Tehran. In 1991 she left Iran for France where she studied music. She is a graduate of The National Conservatory in Toulouse, France...
, Soprano soloist and composer - Shiva RoseShiva RoseShiva Rose Gharibafshar is an American actress born in an Iranian-American family.-Personal life:...
, Actress and anti-war activist - Hāni'eh TavassoliHanieh TavassoliHānieh Tavassoli is an Iranian actress. She is the sister of the journalist and film critic Homā Tavassoli. she has one older sister and a younger sister-References:...
, Actress - Shushā Guppy, Writer, editor, and singer of Persian and Western folk-songs
- Monir VakiliMonir VakiliMonir Vakili was an Iranian singer.Monir was born to a family of art and music enthusiasts. Her father encouraged her love of opera and supported her decision to study abroad...
, Singer of Western Opera and Persian Folk Music http://www.monirvakili.com - SalomeSalome (rapper)Salome , is a woman rap artist from Iran. She is known for being Iran's first female rapper, and today is one of very few...
, Hip Hop Artist - Zahra Amir EbrahimiZahra Amir EbrahimiZahra Amir Ebrahimi is an Iranian professional photographer, television actress and short movies director.She studied teather in Tehran, and started her professional life with making short movies. She made her first movie when she was only eighteen. She became very popular shortly after her first...
, Actress and Social Photographer - Maryam KavyaniMaryam KavyaniMaryam Kāv'yāni, also Maryam Kāviāni , is an Iranian actress.Maryam Kavyani was born in Ahvaz to Mazandarani parents. She lives at present in Tehran. Ms Kavyani has a postgraduate degree in nursing and before entering into acting profession in 2002, worked as a professional nurse...
, Actress - Maryam MassoumiMaryam MassoumiMaryam Massoumi is an Iranian-Canadian fashion model who competed on the reality TV show Canada's Next Top Model, Cycle 3, which aired in 2009.- Personal life :...
, model[www.model.ctv.ca]
Athletes
- Leila EbrahimiLeila EbrahimiLeila Ebrahimi Mojaveri is an Iranian middle distance runner.She finished tenth in the 1500 metres at the 2006 Asian Games and won the bronze medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2007 Asian Championships....
, runner - Laleh SeddighLaleh SeddighLaleh Seddigh is an Iranian female race car driver. She races both on circuits and in rallies. She lives in Tehran and has been called the "little Schumacher". She is recognized as the best female racer in the country...
, autoracing and rally champion of Iran - Aravane RezaïAravane RezaïAravane Rezaï is an Iranian-French tennis player born in Saint-Étienne, France to Iranian parents. She is the current French No. 5 in women's tennis. Rezaï took up tennis after a childhood stint as her older brother's ball girl...
, tennis player - Janet Kohan-SedqJanet Kohan-SedqJanet Cohansedgh is a former Iranian athlete who died at the height of her career. She was a national champion and holder of a number of records in the early and mid-1960s. A graduate of the Anushiravan High School, she received a degree in physical education from the University of Tehran. Her...
, runner - Padideh BoloorizadehPadideh BoloorizadehPadideh Bolourizadeh is an Iranian track and field athlete and volleyball player.Padideh started track and field at a very young age and started setting new records. She set a new record of 1.64 meters for the Iranian women's high jump in 1996 after 23 years...
, Asian Pentathlon Champion, Captain of Iranian National Volleyball team
Politicians
- Farrokhroo ParsaFarrokhroo ParsaFarokhroo Pārsā, was an Iranian physician, educator and parliamentarian. She served as Minister of Education of Iran in the last pre-Islamic revolution government and was the first female cabinet minister of an Iranian government....
, Medical doctor and former Minister of Education (the first Iranian woman to became a deputy and later Minister of Education); executed in 1980, following the Iranian Revolution - Mahnaz AfkhamiMahnaz AfkhamiMahnaz Afkhami , is Founder and President of Women's Learning Partnership . She is also the Executive Director of Foundation for Iranian Studies and former Minister of Women's Affairs of Iran...
, first Minister of Women's Affairs in Iran and second woman in the world to hold the position; former professor of English Literature at the National University and former Secretary General of the Women's Organization of Iran - Sibel EdmondsSibel EdmondsSibel Deniz Edmonds is a Turkish-American former FBI translator and founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition...
, PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award winner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X39zdgXSqs Iranian who effectively challenged FBI - Azar MajediAzar MajediAzar Majedi is an Iranian communist activist, Chairperson of Organization for Women's Liberation and one of the leaders of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran.-External links:* * * * Interview with Azar Majedi...
, Communist activist and politician - Masoumeh EbtekarMasoumeh EbtekarMasoumeh Ebtekar is an Iranian scientist, journalist and politician. She is currently the director of Peace and Environment Center in Tehran.Ebtekar first achieved fame as the spokeswoman of the students who had occupied the US Embassy in 1979...
, Iranian Vice President - Goli AmeriGoli AmeriGoli Ameri is an Iranian-American diplomat, politician and businesswoman from the U.S. state of Oregon. She is the current Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Values and Diplomacy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. She is also the former U.S...
, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs - Christiane AmanpourChristiane AmanpourChristiane Amanpour, CBE is anchor of ABC News's This Week and formerly chief international correspondent at CNN, where she worked for 27 years. She is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Early years:...
, CNN's chief international correspondent - Fatemeh HaghighatjouFatemeh HaghighatjouFatemeh Haghighatjoo, also spelled Haghighatjou and Haqiqatju is a reformist and a former member of the Iranian Parliament....
, former Member of Parliament - Elaheh KoulaeiElaheh KoulaeiElaheh Koulaei is an Iranian political scientist, reformist intellectual.Dr Koulaei is professor of political science at Tehran University and a member of the Islamic Iran Participation Front...
, former Member of Parliament and Professor of political sciences - Farah KarimiFarah KarimiFarahnaz Karimi , 15 November 1960) is an Iranian-Dutch politician. She was member of the House of Representatives between 1998 and 2006 for GreenLeft.-Life before Politics:...
, Iranian female DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Member of Parliament.http://www.sharghnewspaper.com/830327/life.htm - Shahla HabibiShahla Habibi-Presidential Advisor:In 1995 President Rafsanjani appointed Shahla Habibi as Iran's Presidential Advisor on Women's Affairs.-Female Representation of the Iranian Government:Shahla Habibi's position would later become a cabinet position under President Khatami...
- Nasrin SoltankhahNasrin SoltankhahNasrin Soltankhan is an Iranian politician who presently holds positions in both the local and the executive branch of the Iranian government.-Cabinet position:...
- Fatemeh JavadiFatemeh JavadiFatemeh Javadi is a conservative Iranian politician and was Vice Presidents of Iran from 2005 to 2009. She is the niece of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli.-Education:...
, Vice-President, and head of the Department of the Environment - Professor Haleh AfsharHaleh AfsharHaleh Afshar, Baroness Afshar OBE is a British professor and a life peer in the House of Lords. She is a prominent Muslim feminist, and characterises herself as a Socialist and a Shi'a Muslim...
, The Baroness Afshar, Iranian feminist academic and crossbench Peer in the British House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Royalty
- Queen EstherEstherEsther , born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther.According to the Bible, she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus...
, wife of Achaemenid King Ahasuerus (probably Xerxes I) - Purandokht, Sassanid crown princess and Queen
- Hamida Banu BegumHamida Banu BegumHamida Banu Begam, Maryam Makani was a wife of the second Mughal Emperor, Humayun, and the mother of Mughal Emperor , Akbar...
(Mariam Makani),Wife of MughalMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor HumayunHumayunNasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one...
and mother of Akbar - Nur JehanNur JehanBegum Nur Jahan , also known as Mehr-un-Nisaa, was an Empress of the Mughal Dynasty that ruled much of the Indian subcontinent...
, Wife of Mughal Emperor Jehangir - Seyyedeh KhatunSeyyedeh KhatunSeyyedeh Malek Khatun was a Sultaness of Buwayhids of Ray , Isfahan and Hamadan . After the death of her husband Fakhr od-Dowleh the Deylamid, her 4-year old son, Majd od-Dowleh , officially inherited the reign, however she was the true ruler up until her death.During her rule, she was able to...
, Ruler - Gauhar Shad, Queen.
- Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari, Former Queen
- Ashraf PahlaviAshraf PahlaviPrincess Ashraf ul-Mulki Pahlavi , is the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran and the Pahlavi Dynasty. She currently resides in Paris, France. Princess Ashraf is the oldest living member of her family...
, Princess. - Farah PahlaviFarah PahlaviFarah Pahlavi is the former Queen and Empress of Iran. She is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and only Empress of modern Iran...
, Empress (Mohammad Reza Shah's wife) - Leila PahlaviLeila PahlaviPrincess Leila Pahlavi , , born in Tehran, Iran was the youngest daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, and his third wife, Farah Pahlavi.-Early life:Leila was born on 27 March 1970 in Tehran...
, Princess - Mumtaz MahalMumtaz MahalMumtaz Mahal born as Arjumand Banu Begum was a Mughal Empress and chief consort of emperor Shah Jahan...
, Wife of MughalMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor Shah Jehan and inspiration for Taj MahalTaj MahalThe Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
. - Shahr-banu, Princess
- Effat ShariatiEffat ShariatiEffat Shariati PhD is a Member of the Parliament of Iran, and head of the Iran Women Faction. She was born in Kerman, and from the earlier years of Iran's Islamic Revolution she started cultural and political works. During the Iran-Iraq War she was the writer of war-related programs on Islamic...
, Member of Parliament, poet, author
Activists
- Mahnaz AfkhamiMahnaz AfkhamiMahnaz Afkhami , is Founder and President of Women's Learning Partnership . She is also the Executive Director of Foundation for Iranian Studies and former Minister of Women's Affairs of Iran...
, Human Rights and Women's Rights activist, leading figure in the international women's movement - Nazanin Afshin-JamNazanin Afshin-JamNazanin Afshin-Jam is a Persian Human Rights Activist, , President and Co-Founder of Stop Child Executions, Singer, Songwriter, model, actress, pilot, former Miss World Canada and Miss World 1st runner-up...
, Human Rights Activist, Singer and Songwriter, 2003 Miss World 1st runner up, Miss Canada 2003 - Bibi Khatoon AstarabadiBibi Khatoon AstarabadiBibi Khānoom Astarābādi was a notable Iranian writer, satirist, and one of the pioneering figures in the women's movement of Iran....
, Author and pioneer of Persian women's movement in modern Iran - Forough AzarakhshiForough AzarakhshiForough Āzarakhsh'i , Iran) established the first elementary and secondary schools for girls in the religious city of Mashhad, Iran, of which the former became known as "Forough's School" ....
, Pioneer of modern education for women in Mashhad - Parvin DarabiParvin DarabiDr. Parvin Darabi Tehran is an Iranian born American activist, writer and an internationally recognized defender of women’s rights.-Background:...
, Author and activist - Sediqeh DowlatabadiSediqeh DowlatabadiSediqeh Dowlatabadi was a Persian scholar and one of the pioneering figures in Persian women's movement.Sediqeh Dowlatabadi in 1919 published the first women gazette in Esfahan called Zaban-e Zanan.- External links :...
, Author and pioneer of Persian women's movement in modern Iran - Shirin EbadiShirin EbadiShirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
, Human rights lawyer and judge, 2003 Nobel Laureate - Zahra EshraghiZahra EshraghiZahra Eshraghi is an Iranian feminist and human rights activist. She is the granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini, and wife of Mohammad Reza Khatami , former head of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the main reformist party in Iran.Zahra Eshraghi wants the wearing of headscarves to no longer...
, Feminist activist, - Roya HakakianRoya HakakianRoya Hakakian is an Iranian-American poet, journalist and writer living in the United States. A lauded Persian poet turned television producer with programs like 60 Minutes, Roya became well known for her memoir, Journey from the Land of No in 2004. Her essays on Iranian issues appear in the New...
, Iranian-Jewish human rights activist and author - Mehrangiz KarMehrangiz KarMehrangiz Kar is a prominent Iranian lawyer, human right activist and author of the book Crossing the Red Line, as well as many articles.Mehrangiz Kar is a celebrated activist of women's rights in Iran....
, Human rights lawyer and winner of the Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize - Parvaneh EskandariParvaneh Eskandari ForouharParvaneh Eskandari Forouhar, was an Iranian dissident and activist who was murdered during the Chain murders of Iran in November 1998.Dariush Forouhar's wife, she became a member of the Party of the Iranian Nation when she was a student, launching anti-Shah campaign shoulder to shoulder with...
Dariush Forouhar's wife - Sheema KalbasiSheema KalbasiSheema Kalbasi is an award winning poet, producer, critic, blogger, and human rights advocate.- Biography :Kalbasi is the founder and president of , a film production and publishing company. She is the director and the co-director of several literary projects including the . She has published two...
, Human Rights Activist, Author - Zahra KazemiZahra KazemiZahra "Ziba" Kazemi-Ahmadabadi was an Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer, residing in Montreal, Canada, who died in the custody of Iranian officials following her arrest....
, Slain political photographer - Shahla LahijiShahla LahijiShahla Lahiji is an Iranian writer, publisher, translator, and director of Roshangaran, a prominent publishing house on women's issues....
, Human Rights Activist - Rosie Malek-YonanRosie Malek-YonanRosie Malek-Yonan is an Assyrian actress, author, director, public figure and human rights activist.-Early life:Born in Tehran, Iran, Rosie Malek-Yonan is a descendant of one of the oldest and most prominent Assyrian families, tracing her Assyrian roots back nearly 11 centuries...
, Actor, author and activist who testified on Capitol Hill at U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 on behalf of the Assyrians in Iraq - Lily MazaheryLily MazaheryLily Mazahery is an Iranian-American lawyer, human rights activist, and an expert source on Iran. She is principal of and the founder and president of , an international non-governmental organization .-Overview:...
, Internationally recognized lawyer and human rights activist - Azar NafisiAzar NafisiAzar Nafisi, born ca. 1947, is an Iranian academic and bestselling writer who has resided in the United States since 1997 when she emigrated from Iran. Her field is English language literature....
, Activist and novelist (Reading Lolita in TehranReading Lolita in TehranReading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books is a book by Iranian author and professor Azar Nafisi.Published in 2003, it has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over one hundred weeks and has been translated into thirty-two languages....
) - Maryam NamazieMaryam NamazieMaryam Namazie is a human rights activist, commentator and broadcaster. Namazie has served as the executive director of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees. She is spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain. The campaign is opposed to faith based laws...
, Feminist and communist and the leader of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. - Marina NematMarina NematMarina Nemat is the author of a memoir about growing up in Iran, serving time in Evin Prison for speaking out against the Iranian government, escaping a death sentence and finally fleeing Iran for a new life in Canada.-Life:...
, Activist, past political prisoner and author. - Maryam RajaviMaryam RajaviMaryam Rajavi is an Iranian politician who is President elect of National Council of Resistance of Iran, a front group for People's Mujahedin of Iran, since 1993. She is the wife of Massoud Rajavi, a founder of the People's Mujahedin of Iran...
, President-Elect of the National Council of Resistance of IranNational Council of Resistance of IranThe National Council of Resistance of Iran , founded in 1981 in France, is the parliament in exile of the "Iranian Resistance", and is a political umbrella coalition of five Iranian opposition political organizations, the largest organization being the People's Mujahedin of Iran.The President-elect... - Shadi SadrShadi SadrShadi Sadr is an Iranian lawyer, journalist, and a notable Iranian woman's rights activist. She is married, and has a daughter...
, Feminist activist, lawyer and journalist - Shahla SherkatShahla SherkatShahla Sherkat is a journalist, prominent Persian feminist author, and one of the pioneers of Women's rights movement in Iran....
, Editor and a pioneer of women's movement in the modern Iran - Nasrin SotoudehNasrin SotoudehNasrin Sotoudeh is a prominent human rights lawyer in Iran. She has represented imprisoned Iranian opposition activists and politicians following the disputed June 2009 Iranian presidential elections as well as prisoners sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were minors...
, Iranian human rights lawyer for opposition activists and politicians - Badri TeymourtashBadri TeymourtashBadri Teymourtash is considered the first female Iranian doctor. Born to an influential Iranian family in 1911, and the sister of Iran's second most powerful political personality during the early Pahlavi Dynasty, Abdolhossein Teymourtāsh, she was sent to Belgium in the late 1920s and enrolled in...
, First female Iranian Doctor; a founder of School of Dentistry, Mashad University - Iran TeymourtashIran TeymourtashIran Teymourtāsh , the eldest daughter of Abdolhossein Teymourtāsh, is considered a pioneer among women activists in 20th century Iran...
, journalist and early activist; daughter of Abdolhossein Teymourtash
In the news
- Neda Agha Soltan, Shot during the 2009 Iranian election protests, her name quickly became a rallying cry for the opposition
- Zahra Bani Ameri, physician
- Behnaz Mozakka, died in 2005 London bombing
- Nazanin Afshin-JamNazanin Afshin-JamNazanin Afshin-Jam is a Persian Human Rights Activist, , President and Co-Founder of Stop Child Executions, Singer, Songwriter, model, actress, pilot, former Miss World Canada and Miss World 1st runner-up...
, 2003 Miss World 1st runner up, Miss Canada 2003, Human Rights Activist, Singer and Songwriter - Ramona AmiriRamona AmiriRamona Rina Amiri is an Iranian Canadian woman of Assyrian and Persian heritage who won the Miss World Canada contest in 2005....
, Miss World Canada 2005.http://www.missworld.tv/bio/bio.sps?iBiographyID=51744 - Rudi BakhtiarRudi BakhtiarRudi Bakhtiar is an Iranian American journalist who has over a decade's experience working for major international news outlets CNN and Fox News Channel. Bakhtiar is currently the Director of Communications for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran...
, TV news anchor - Ladan and Laleh BijaniLadan and Laleh BijaniLadan Bijani and Laleh Bijani were Iranian law graduates. They were conjoined twin sisters, joined at the head, who died after their complicated surgical separation...
, conjoined twins - Zahra Amir EbrahimiZahra Amir EbrahimiZahra Amir Ebrahimi is an Iranian professional photographer, television actress and short movies director.She studied teather in Tehran, and started her professional life with making short movies. She made her first movie when she was only eighteen. She became very popular shortly after her first...
- Haleh EsfandiariHaleh EsfandiariHaleh Esfandiari is an Iranian American academic and the Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Her areas of expertise include Middle Eastern women's issues, contemporary Iranian intellectual currents and politics, and...
, scholar, detainee http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/21/iranian.woman/index.html - Nazanin Fatehi, controversially sentenced to death for murder.
- Nasrin SotoudehNasrin SotoudehNasrin Sotoudeh is a prominent human rights lawyer in Iran. She has represented imprisoned Iranian opposition activists and politicians following the disputed June 2009 Iranian presidential elections as well as prisoners sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were minors...
Others
- Christiane AmanpourChristiane AmanpourChristiane Amanpour, CBE is anchor of ABC News's This Week and formerly chief international correspondent at CNN, where she worked for 27 years. She is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Early years:...
, CNN's Chief International Correspondent http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/amanpour.christiane.html - Atoosa RubensteinAtoosa RubensteinAtoosa Rubenstein was the editor-in-chief of Seventeen magazine. She was also the founding editor of CosmoGIRL!. She is currently the founder of Big Momma Productions, Inc. and Atoosa.com...
, founder and the editor of CosmoGirl magazine and the editor of Seventeen http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/fashion/04atoosa.html?ref=fashion, http://www.anvari.org/iran/Famous_Iranians/Atoosa_Rubenstein.html - Zahra RahnavardZahra RahnavardZahra Rahnavard is an Iranian artist and politician.-Early life:Rahnavard was born in Borujerd, Iran. Her father Haj-Fathali was a Fundamentalist Sh'ia and anti-Communist. After hearing of a gathering of Sh'ia clerics in Iran, Haj-Fathali emigrated to Khomein, Markazi Province where Zahra was born...
, First female chancellor of university after revolution - Roza MontazemiRoza MontazemiFatemeh Bahrayni Fatemeh Bahrayni Fatemeh Bahrayni (Persian: فاطمه بحرینی, generally known as Roza Mantazemi (Persian:رزا منتظمی), (c. 1921 – October 23, 2009) was an Iranian author of cookbooks...
, was an Iranian author of cookbooks.