1. Irada Ibrahimova (1980)

Pop Singer

Professional singer who shot to celebrity status after winning the Ümid-95 competition on Azerbaijan State Television. Her career continued to blossom with the release of the 2002 album Qəm Qalası.

2. Arzu Aliyeva (1970)

Family Member

Businessperson and filmmaker known as the daughter of politician Ilham Aliyev. He was the president of Azerbaijan.

3. Nigar Jamal (1980)

Pop Singer

Pop singer who represented Azerbaijani in the Eurovision Song Contest with her 2011 single, "Running Scared."

4. Aliagha Vahid (1895)

Poet

Azerbaijani poet best known for his 1938 collection Mollaxana and for his medieval-style ghazal poetry. His individual poems include "Elevate, my angel" and "What Does the School Mean."

5. Mikayil Mushfig (1908)

Azerbaijani Writer

Azerbaijani poet known for works such as The Winds and The Voices of the Day. His literary work focuses on themes of communism, love, nature, and the lives of the...

6. Max Black (1909)

Philosopher

An influential 20th-century analytic philosopher who contributed much to the philosophies of language, mathematics, science, and art.

7. Alasgar Alakbarov (1910)

Actor

Strong-jawed Azerbaijani film star who was named the People's Artist of the USSR in 1959. He also had an established stage career, where he was best known for starring in...

8. Aysel (1989)

Pop Singer

Azerbajani pop singer who rose to fame after singing a well-received duet "Always" with Iranian-Swedish singer Arash Labaf during Eurovision in 2009. She came in third. 

9. Nasiba Zeynalova (1916)

Azerbaijani Actor

Comedic leading lady who was named a People's Artist of Azerbaijan and appeared in the 1969 film, Dəli Kür.

10. Sasha Feldman (1989)

Tv Actor

Film and television actor best known for his role as Angelo in 2017's Sun Records. He first became known playing Nikolai in Fresh Off the Plane.

11. La Reina Shaw (1986)

Instagram Star

Azerbaijani fitness model with over 2.3 million Instagram followers. She has modeled for Doritos, Western Digital, EHPLabs, and a variety of different clothing brands. She has been published in several...

12. Leyla Badirbeyli (1920)

Soviet Actor

Azerbaijani film star who was named a People's Artist of the Azerbaijan USSR in 1959 and starred in the 1970 film, Sevil.

13. Arzu Melikzade (1996)

Makeup Artist

Azerbaijani makeup artist whose beauty looks have garnered her 270,000 followers on Instagram. 

14. Eldar Gasimov (1989)

Azerbaijani Singer

Azerbaijani pop star who hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012.

15. Boyukagha Mirzazade (1921)

Azerbaijani Artist

Azerbaijani artist, theatrical designer, teacher, and recipient of the 1967 People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR honor.

16. Arsen Avakov (1964)

Footballer

Businessman and politician who rose through the ranks to become the Minister of Internal Affairs for Ukraine in 2014. Previously, he served as Governor of Kharkiv Oblast and head of the...

17. Aysel Teymurzadeh (1989)

Azerbaijani Singer

Azerbaijani pop singer who shot to stardom after performing the song "Always" at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest alongside Iranian-Swedish singer Arash. After Eurovision, she and Arash toured Europe, and...

18. Mstislav Rostropovich (1927)

Cellist Conductor Pedagogue

One of the most respected cellists of his era, this Soviet musician received three International Music Awards and one Stalin Prize during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He performed...

19. Bella Davidovich (1928)

American Musician

Masterful pianist who became one of the few women allowed into Russian cultural life by the Soviet Union.

20. Aziza Mustafa Zadeh (1969)

Azerbaijani Singer

Dubbed The Princess of Jazz. She was known for fusing jazz and mugam with the avant-garde and classical.

21. Isabel dos Santos (1973)

Angolan Investor

Businesswoman who, using her family's political influence and connections, became the richest woman in Africa and the continent's first female billionaire. She is the daughter of former Angolan President Jose Eduardo...

22. Togrul Narimanbekov (1930)

Azerbaijani Artist

Modern artist who received the USSR State Prize and the Order of the Badge of Honour of Azerbaijan.

23. Rustam Karimov (2003)

World Music Singer

Singer who represented his native Azerbaijan at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2013. There, he performed his song "Me and My Guitar" and placed seventh in the contest.

24. Elmira Gafarova (1934)

Politician

Member of the Communist Party and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan SSR from 1983 to 1987. She has been given both the Order of the Red Banner of...

25. Mursel Seferov (1991)

Pop Singer

Azerbaijani singer who released a string of hit singles including "Olsun," "Rəvamıdır," "Sevdiyim Qadın" and "Xəbərin Yox." His popular music has led to him acquiring more than 90,000 subscribers on YouTube.

26. Rahim Huseynov (1936)

Azerbaijani Politician

Engineer who was the 3rd Prime Minister of Azerbaijan from 1992 to 1993. He has received both the Order of Friendship of Peoples and the Order of the Red Banner...

27. Anar Rzayev (1938)

Azerbaijani Writer

A twentieth-century Azerbaijani writer, he penned such books as Longing for the Holiday and The Rain Stopped. He also served as President of the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan.

28. Ayaz Mutallibov (1938)

Politician

Member of the Social Democratic Party who briefly held office as the first President of Azerbaijan from 1991 to 1992. He went into exile after Armenian forced overthrew him but...

29. Eduard Mammadov (1978)

Azerbaijani Kickboxer

Kickboxer who won his fourteenth World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (W.A.K.O.) world heavyweight low kick title at the 2009 games. As of 2019, he has been the Azerbaijani national kickboxing...

30. Vagif Mustafazadeh (1940)

Pianist

The architect of jazz in Azerbaijan. He first fused jazz with mugham or traditional Azerbaijani folk music.

31. Fuad Guliyev (1941)

Politician

Petroleum engineer who was the 7th Prime Minister of Azerbaijan from 1995 to 1996. He is best know for his contributions in the oil industry of the country.

32. Muslim Magomayev (1942)

Actor

Soviet-Azerbaijani singer who became an icon during the 60s and 70s for his performances of songs like "Do the Russians Want War?" During his career, he sold millions of albums...

33. Elchin Afandiyev (1943)

Azerbaijani Writer And Politicia

Azerbaijani politician who became his country's Deputy Prime Minister in 1993. Also an acclaimed writer, he published more than one hundred novels that were subsequently translated into over twenty languages.

34. Victoria Fatu (1984)

Pianist

Award-winning concert pianist and singer most well known for her self-titled YouTube channel where she has gained more than 410,000 subscribers posting vlogs and song covers of popular artists like...

35. Inna Ryskal (1944)

Volleyball Player

Russian volleyball player and two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning in 1968 in Mexico City and in 1972 in Munich.

36. Asya Ismayilov (1993)

Instagram Star

Social media star who has gained fame for her _asyafuad_ Instagram account. She has risen to massive renown for her chic and often glamorous fashion modeling alongside her husband Fuad. 

37. Dmitry Sitkovetsky (1954)

Soviet Musician

Known for his masterful violin performances with a variety of orchestras, including the Berlin, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras.

38. Alida Mustafayeva (1987)

TV Show Host

Azerbaijani journalist and TV host who's notably known for presenting on ANS TV and Azerbaijani Television. She started her career by joining Azad Azerbaijan in 2009.

39. Garry Kasparov (1963)

Russian Chess Grandmaster And Fo

Soviet chess champion who became the first world champion to lose a match to a computer, when he lost to IBM's Deep Blue in 1997.

40. Teimour Radjabov (1987)

Azerbaijani Chess Grandmaster

Former chess prodigy who is one of the highest ranked players in the world and the best player in his native Azerbaijan.

41. Haci Nuran (1977)

TV Show Host

Azerbaijani television host, presenter, and philanthropist who is best known for his work as a correspondent and journalist for the Eastern News Agency. He is also a singer known for...

42. Fidan Axundova (1977)

Movie Actress

Azerbaijani film and television actress who is best known for her work in the 2010 feature İstanbul Reysi. In 2016 she made an appearance in Zaur Mirzazade's comedy feature Naxox. 

43. Afaq Genceli (1977)

TV Show Host

Artist and TV show host known for presenting Onlar. 

44. Vugar Gashimov (1986)

Chess Player

Widely considered to be one of the top chess players from the nation of Azerbaijan as well as one of the most highly rated current players world wide.

45. Ramil Babayev (1978)

Tv Actor

Actor and comedian who found stardom on Azerbaijani television playing Shoshu on the long-running comedy series Bozbash Pictures, where he was also a writer and editor. He has acted in the comedy...

46. Nesrin Cavadzade (1982)

Actor

Actress and director who is known for appearing both in feature films and in television series'. She is best recognized for having played Asya in the 2011 film Yangin Var,...

47. Samra Rahimli (1994)

Pop Singer

Azerbaijani singer who captured the national spotlight as a finalist on the singing competition The Voice of Azerbaijan. She later represented her home country at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest...

48. Aygul Alizada (1997)

Instagram Star

Azerbaijani Instagram star whose photos of her luxurious lifestyle and high fashion outfits have amassed her 180,000 followers. 

49. Fidan Alizade (1997)

Blogger

Fashion blogger, designer, and influencer most well known for writing about daily and runway style on her self-titled blog. 

50. Emin Eminzada (1997)

Pop Singer

Pop singer who won the "Golden Microphone" in Kazakhstan, "Elia Catalano" in Italy, and "Opus - 2012" in Spain. He entered the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in 2015.