Abdullah Öcalan
- Founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
- Developed the concept of democratic confederalism
Biographies
Portrait of Ahmad Turk
Ahmad Turk
- Advocate for Kurdish rights in Turkey
- Promoter of peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue
Portrait of Osman Baydemir
Osman Baydemir
- Advocate for Kurdish rights
- Promoted cultural and economic development in Diyarbakır
Portrait of Ihsan Nuri Pasha
Ihsan Nuri Pasha
- Led major Kurdish uprising against Turkish government
- Advocated for Kurdish independence
Portrait of Sheikh Said
Sheikh Said
- Led major Kurdish uprising against Turkish government
- Symbol of Kurdish resistance
Portrait of Ehmedê Xanî
Ehmedê Xanî
- Authored 'Mem û Zîn', a literary masterpiece of Kurdish literature
- Early advocate of Kurdish identity
Portrait of Mahmud Bayazidi
Mahmud Bayazidi
- Pioneering work on Kurdish language and literature
- Collected Kurdish folk tales and historical narratives
Portrait of Cigerxwîn
Cigerxwîn
- Pioneering modern Kurdish poetry
- Advocate for Kurdish language and culture
Portrait of Abdulla Pashew
Abdulla Pashew
- Modernized Kurdish poetry
- Translated world literature into Kurdish
Portrait of Yashar Kemal
Yashar Kemal
- Renowned Turkish-Kurdish novelist
- Advocate for cultural rights
Portrait of Nuri Dersimi
Nuri Dersimi
- Documented Kurdish history and culture
- Advocate for Kurdish rights
Portrait of Şivan Perwer
Şivan Perwer
- Renowned Kurdish musician
- Preserved and popularized Kurdish folk music
Portrait of Ciwan Haco
Ciwan Haco
- Modernized Kurdish music
- Blended traditional and contemporary styles
Portrait of Kayhan Kalhor
Kayhan Kalhor
- Virtuoso kamancheh player
- Promoted Kurdish and Persian classical music globally
Portrait of Aram Tigran
Aram Tigran
- Preserved and popularized Armenian and Kurdish folk music
Portrait of Karapetê Xaço
Karapetê Xaço
- Preserved and performed traditional Kurdish music, particularly dengbêj tradition
Portrait of Mazloum Abdi
Mazloum Abdi
- Commander of Syrian Democratic Forces
- Key figure in fight against ISIS
Portrait of Mazlum Doğan
Mazlum Doğan
- Early theoretician of PKK
- Symbol of resistance in Turkish prisons
Portrait of Mahsum Korkmaz
Mahsum Korkmaz
- Led first PKK armed action
- Organized guerrilla warfare tactics
Portrait of Zeynel Durmuş (Kemal Pir)
Zeynel Durmuş (Kemal Pir)
- Co-founder of PKK
- Advocate for Kurdish–Turkish leftist alliance
Portrait of Gülnaz Karataş (Beritan)
Gülnaz Karataş (Beritan)
- Advocate for women's participation in PKK
- Symbol of women's resistance
Portrait of Leyla Agiri
Leyla Agiri
- Advocate for women's liberation within PKK
- Symbol of women's resistance
Portrait of Haki Karer
Haki Karer
- Early theoretician of PKK
- Advocate for Turkish–Kurdish revolutionary alliance
Portrait of Hayri Durmuş
Hayri Durmuş
- Early organizer of PKK
- Participated in hunger strike in Diyarbakır Prison
Portrait of Murat Karayılan
Murat Karayılan
- Long-time PKK commander
- Key strategist in guerrilla warfare
Portrait of Cemil Bayık
Cemil Bayık
- Co-founder of PKK
- Key ideologue and strategist
Portrait of Masoud Barzani
Masoud Barzani
- Led the Kurdistan Democratic Party
- Played a key role in Kurdish autonomy in Iraq
Portrait of Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani
- First non-Arab President of Iraq
- Co-founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Portrait of Nadia Murad
Nadia Murad
- Advocate for survivors of sexual violence
- Raised awareness about the Yazidi genocide
Portrait of Qazi Muhammad
Qazi Muhammad
- Established the first modern Kurdish state
- Promoted Kurdish language and culture
Portrait of Mustafa Barzani
Mustafa Barzani
- Led Kurdish rebellions
- Founded the Kurdistan Democratic Party
Portrait of Selahattin Demirtaş
Selahattin Demirtaş
- Co-leader of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP)
- Advocate for Kurdish rights and democracy in Turkey
Portrait of Salih Muslim
Salih Muslim
- Key figure in the Rojava revolution
- Advocate for democratic confederalism
Portrait of Asya Abdullah
Asya Abdullah
- Key figure in the Rojava revolution
- Advocate for women's rights and democracy
Portrait of Aldar Khalil
Aldar Khalil
- Key strategist in the Rojava revolution
- Advocate for democratic autonomy
Portrait of Ilham Ahmed
Ilham Ahmed
- Key diplomat for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
- Advocate for Kurdish rights
Portrait of Fawza Youssef
Fawza Youssef
- Key figure in the administration of Rojava
- Advocate for women's rights and multicultural coexistence
Portrait of Sihanouk Dibo
Sihanouk Dibo
- Key communicator of Rojava's political vision
- Advocate for Kurdish rights in Syria
Portrait of Simko Shikak
Simko Shikak
- Led significant Kurdish rebellions against Iranian and Ottoman authorities
Portrait of Masrour Barzani
Masrour Barzani
- Key figure in Kurdish security and intelligence
- Advocate for Kurdish independence
Portrait of Nechirvan Barzani
Nechirvan Barzani
- Key diplomat for Kurdish interests
- Promoter of economic development in Kurdistan
Portrait of Ramzi Nafi Rashid Agha
Ramzi Nafi Rashid Agha
- Collaborated with German military intelligence during World War II
Leyla Zana
- First Kurdish woman elected to Turkish Parliament
- Advocate for Kurdish and women's rights
Sherko Bekas
- Modernized Kurdish poetry
- Promoted Kurdish culture through literature
Nazand Begikhani
- Raised awareness about violence against women
- Contributed to Kurdish literature
Saladin
- Founded the Ayyubid dynasty
- Recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders
Sakine Cansız
- Pioneering role in Kurdish women's movement
- Advocate for women's liberation within the Kurdish struggle