Ravan A. G. Farhâdi facts for kids

Abdul Ghafoor Ravan Farhâdi (Persian: عبدالغفور روان فرهادی) was an important Afghan scholar and diplomat. He was born on August 23, 1929, and passed away on July 26, 2026. Mr. Farhâdi served as Afghanistan's Ambassador to the United Nations for many years, from 1993 to 2006.

Early Life and Learning Journey

Mr. Farhâdi was from Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. He finished high school at Lycée Esteqlal in Kabul in 1948. After that, he traveled to Paris, France, to continue his studies. He earned a master's degree from the Institut d'études politiques in 1952.

He then went on to get his Ph.D. from the Sorbonne university in 1955. His advanced studies focused on Indo-Iranian languages and cultures. His research paper was about the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Mr. Farhâdi was very skilled in languages, speaking French, English, and Persian fluently.

A Career in Diplomacy

In 1955, Mr. Farhâdi began teaching. He lectured on the History of political thought at Kabul University. Three years later, in 1958, he started his career as a diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. His first diplomatic role was as First Secretary at the Afghan Embassy in Karachi, Pakistan.

From 1961 to 1962, he worked at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There, he was the Director of United Nations Affairs. This meant he handled matters related to the United Nations. Following this, he became a senior advisor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Afghan Embassy in Washington, D.C., in the United States.

Serving His Home Country

In 1964, Mr. Farhâdi returned to Kabul to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served as Director-General for Political Affairs from 1964 to 1968. After that, he became the Deputy Foreign Minister for five years. Between 1965 and 1971, he also worked as the Secretary for the Council of Ministers of the Afghan Government.

In 1973, he was appointed as Afghanistan's Ambassador in Paris. However, after a sudden change in government in Afghanistan, he was called back to Kabul. From 1975 to 1978, he served as an advisor to the Ministry of Culture. In this role, he helped organize international meetings focused on cultural topics.

Life as a Scholar and Teacher

After a difficult period in Afghanistan, Mr. Farhâdi moved to France again. He became an associate professor of Persian Literature at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne/University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle. In the summer of 1985, he was a visiting scholar at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Later, he became an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley in the United States. At Berkeley, he taught many different subjects. These included Persian Literature and medieval Islamic mysticism. Mr. Farhâdi also wrote several important historical texts. One of his notable works was The Quatrains of Rumi. This book translated over 1,600 poems by the famous poet Rumi. He also wrote about Abdullah Ansari of Herat, a respected Sufi master.

Afghanistan's Voice at the UN

After the end of the communist government in Afghanistan, Mr. Farhâdi became Afghanistan's Ambassador to the United Nations. He officially presented his credentials as Ambassador on April 30, 1993. He presented them to the United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali.

Even when a group called the Taliban took control of most of Afghanistan, Mr. Farhâdi continued to represent Afghanistan at the United Nations. He served as the UN Ambassador until the end of 2006. The Taliban never represented Afghanistan in the United Nations during this time.

From 1993, Mr. Farhâdi also served as Vice Chairman of a UN committee. This committee focused on the rights of the Palestinian people. He was known for his strong commitment to fairness for Palestinians. He also acknowledged Israel's right to exist. After his time as a diplomat, he worked with an American scholar, Ibrahim Gamard. Together, they translated all the poems (quatrains) of the Sufi Persian poet Maulana Jalal ad-Din Rumi into English.

His Ideas and Beliefs

Mr. Farhâdi often spoke about his strong beliefs for Afghanistan. He believed that all of Afghanistan's different ethnic communities should be part of the government. These groups include Uzbeks, Tajiks, Hazaras, Baluchs, and Pashtuns. He did not agree with the idea of including members of the Taliban in the government.

During the presidential elections of 2009, he supported Abdullah Abdullah. Mr. Abdullah was a former Minister of Foreign Affairs. After the Taliban lost power, Mr. Farhâdi tried to encourage the U.S. government to provide more help to Afghanistan. He especially wanted aid for families who had lost loved ones in U.S. bombings.

His Passing

Abdul Ghafoor Ravan Farhâdi passed away on July 26, 2026. He was 96 years old.