List of Famous people born in Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria

Halil Mutlu is a former professional Turkish weightlifter with several World and Olympic championship titles. Mutlu is one of the four weightlifters who has achieved three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games. His weightlifting career includes five World championships, nine European championships and more than 20 world records at 52 kg (115 lb), 54 kg (119 lb) and 56 kg (123 lb) combined.

Şenol Can is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a left back. He is currently the manager of Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük.

Taner Sağır is a Turkish world and Olympic weightlifting champion. Coming into Athens as holder of all the junior world records at the age of only 19, he broke the Olympic records in the category –77 kg snatch, clean and jerk and total. He is seen as a great talent by authorities.

Bahar Mert-Urcu is a retired Turkish volleyball player. She is 180 cm and plays as setter.

Lyutvi Ahmed Mestan is a Bulgarian politician of Turkish-Bulgarian origin. He was chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms from January 2013 to 24 December 2015. He has been the Member of Parliament for Kardzhali. He was removed as party leader by the DPS central council and expelled from the party for what it considered an excessively pro-Turkish government stance following the downing of a Russian bomber jet by the Turkish Air Force. He subsequently founded a new political force, DOST, acronym of Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance in Bulgarian, and a double entendre also signifying friend in Turkish. The party is based on pro-EU, pro-NATO and liberal opinions.