the late-9th century Abbasid Caliphate Azad Khan Afghan military commander Sardar Shah Wali Khan political and military figure in Afghanistan Mohammad Akram, vice Chief of Staff of the Afghan National Army. Died in a suicide attack in 2005. Scientists Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani philosopher Hedayat Amin Arsala economist Mohammad Amin Fatemi physician Nake M. Kamrany professor of economics Habib Mangal physician Abdul Ahad Mohmand astronaut, he became the first Afghan citizen and the fourth Muslim to visit outer space, he also made Pashto the 4th spoken language in space. Abdul Karim Mustaghni M. Ishaq Nadiri professor of economics Ghulam Faroq Nijrabi physician Abbas Noyan engineer Hamidullah Qalandarzai engineer Mohammad Qayoumi engineer; president of San Jose State University Daud Shah Saba geologist Sima Samar physician Habiba Sarobi hematologist Nazif Shahrani professor of anthropology Kabir Stori psychologist Zemaryalai Tarzi archeologist Abdul Qayum Tutakhail physician Ghulam Sediq Wardak inventor Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi astrologer Abu Zayd al-Balkhi (850–934) – geographer and mathematician Al-Muqanna chemist, also known for leading an Islamic revolt and claiming to be a prophet Al-Sijzi Muslim astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer Entrepreneurs Fahim Hashimy Safi Rauf Fatema Akbari Ehsan Bayat Sherkhan Farnood Fauzia Gailani, Gilani ethnic Pashtun Mahmud Karzai Roya Mahboob Sher Khan Nashir Saad Mohseni Historians Abu Mansour al-Hosein ibn Muhammad al-Marghani Hamid Naweed Akram Assem Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar (1898–1978) Zalmay A. Gulzad Abdul Hai Habibi (1910–1984) Faiz Mohammad Katib Hazara Omara Khan Massoudi geographer, historian Abdul Shakoor Rashad (1921–2004) Abd al-Razzaq Samarqandi – chronicler and Islamic scholar Khvandamir Mohammad Rauf Mehdi Media people (including actors and film directors) Josh Gadactor, known for voicing Olaf in Frozen Latif Ahmadi director of Afghan Film, Afghanistan's state-run film company Leena Alam actress Siddiq Barmak (born 1962) directed the drama film Osama (2003) Abdul Ghafoor Breshna painter, music composer, poet and film director Sonia Nassery Cole directed the drama film The Black Tulip (2010) Zohre Esmaeli (born 1985) model, author, designer Fahim Fazli actor, author, modification speaker, cultural technical advisor for US Marines Azita Ghanizada Marina Golbahari Nelufar Hedayat Haji Kamran Kader Khan Ahmed Latif Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada Mamnoon Maqsoodi (born 1966) Anisa Wahab Abdul Wahid Nazari (born 1953) Nelofer Pazira Dr. Hafiz Sahar (1928–1982) Soosan Firooz Yalda Hakim Atiq Rahimi – French-Afghan filmmaker, writer Writers (including journalists) Mohammad Jan Fana (born 1932) Nelufar Hedayat Khaled Hosseini (born 1965) Hafizullah Khaled Qiamuddin Khadim Sultan Munadi (1976–2009) Fariba Nawa (born 1973) Nelofer Pazira Dr. Hafiz Sahar