Famous Azerbaijani Men

Nizami Ganjavi was a Persian Sunni Muslim poet. Widely regarded as the greatest romantic epic poet of all time in Persian literature, Ganjavi is credited with bringing a realistic and colloquial style to the Persian epic. Ganjavi's works has had huge impact in many places around the world including India where his style was imitated by many poets like Hatefi.

Vagit Alekperov is a Russian-Azerbaijani entrepreneur best known for his service as the president of the PJSC Lukoil Oil Company from 1993 to 2022. Counted among the richest people in the world, Vagit Alekperov is also known for his philanthropic efforts. In 2007, he established a non-profit organization called Our Future, which aims at promoting social entrepreneurship in Russia.

Abulfaz Elchibey was an Azerbaijani political figure who served as the President of Azerbaijan from 17 June 1992 to 24 June 1993. He was stripped of his presidency in a coup d'état in 1993. After the end of his presidency, Abulfaz Elchibey served as the leader of the opposition. 

Imadaddin Nasimi was an Azerbaijani Ḥurūfī poet who wrote in Persian, Azerbaijani, and Arabic. He is counted among the greatest and most influential Turkic mystical poets of the 14th and 15th centuries. His work has influenced many Turkic language authors and poets such as Khata'i, Fuzûlî, and Pir Sultan Abdal. Imadaddin Nasimi's life and career inspired the 1973 biopic Nesimi.   

Heydar Aliyev was an Azerbaijani politician. From 1993 to 2003, Aliyev served as the president of Azerbaijan. His presidency has attracted criticism and Aliyev was accused of establishing a dictatorial, repressive, and authoritarian regime. He was also accused of muzzling the press and rigging elections. He died of ill health on 12 December 2003.

Artur Rasizade is an Azerbaijani politician known for his service as the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan. He served as the Prime Minister on two occasions between 1996 and 2018 and also served as an acting Prime Minister on a couple of occasions. Over the course of his career, Rasizade has been honored with prestigious awards, including the USSR State Prize.

Iranian Azerbaijani author and philosopher Mirza Fatali Akhundov was the first literary critic and realist writer from his country. He developed the Azerbaijani alphabets and script. The 19th-century author is also remembered as the pioneer of atheism and nationalism in his country. He also criticized Islam and other religions.

Nariman Narimanov was an Azerbaijani Bolshevik revolutionary, writer, publicist, and politician. He headed the government of Soviet Azerbaijan for just over one year in 1920-21 and served as the chairman of the Azerbaijani Revolutionary Committee (Azrevkom). As a literary expert, he translated into Turkic Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector and authored many plays, stories, and novels. 

Kurban Said was an author who wrote the famous novel, Ali and Nino, which has been published in over 30 languages. While Kurban Said is the author's pseudonym, the real identity of the writer is in dispute.