Afghan Girl

Afghan Girlis a 1984 photographic portrait ofSharbat Gula, anAfghan refugee in Pakistanduring theSoviet–Afghan War. The photograph, taken by American photojournalistSteve McCurrynear the Pakistani city ofPeshawar, appeared on the June 1985 cover ofNational Geographic.While the portrait's subject initially remained unknown, she was identified by early 2002: Gula, an ethnicPashtunfrom Afghanistan'sNangarhar Province, was a 12-year-old child residing in Pakistan'sNasir Bagh.
In light of theCold War, the portrait was described as the "First World's Third WorldMona Lisa"in reference to the 16th-century painting of the same name byLeonardo da Vinci.Gula's image became "emblematic" in some social circles as the "refugee girl/woman located in some distant camp" that was deserving of compassion from theWestern viewer,and also asa symbol of Afghanistan to the West.CNNcalled it the 'world's most famous photograph'.
Sharbat Gulawas one of the students in an informal school at theNasir Baghrefugee campin 1984. Her photograph was taken by National Geographic Society photographer Steve McCurry, onKodachrome64 colorslide film, with aNikon FM2camera andNikkor105mm Ai-S F2.5 lens.The pre-print retouching of the photograph was done by Graphic Art Service, based inMarietta, Georgia. McCurry did not record the name of the person he had photographed.
The photograph, entitledAfghan Girl, appeared on the June 1985 cover ofNational Geographic. The image of her face, with a red scarf draped loosely over her head and her eyes staring directly into the camera, was named "the most recognized photograph" in the magazine's history, and the cover is one ofNational Geographic'sbest known.American Photomagazine says the image has an "unusual combination of grittiness and glamour".Gula's green eyes have been the subject of much commentary.
McCurry made several unsuccessful attempts during the 1990s to find and identify the subject of the photograph.In January 2002, aNational Geographicteam traveled to Afghanistan to find her. Upon learning that the Nasir Bagh refugee camp was soon to close, McCurry inquired of its remaining residents, one of whom knew Gula's brother and was able to send word to her hometown. Several women falsely identified themselves as theAfghan Girl. In addition, after being shown the 1984 photograph, several young men erroneously identified her as their wife.
The team found Gula, then around age 30, in a remote region of Afghanistan; she had returned to her native country from the refugee camp in 1992. Her identity was confirmed byJohn Daugmanusingiris recognition.She recalled being photographed. She had been photographed on only three occasions: in 1984 and during the search for her when aNational Geographicproducer took the identifying photographs that led to the reunion with McCurry. She had never seenAfghan Girluntil it was shown to her in 2002.
A devout Muslim, Gula normally wears aburqaand was hesitant to meet McCurry, as he was a male from outside the family.  After finding Gula,National Geographiccovered the costs of medical treatment for her family and apilgrimage to Mecca.
Pashtunby ethnicity and from a rural background, Gula's family fled their village in easternNangarharduring theSoviet Union'sbombing of Afghanistanwhen she was around six years old. Along with her father, brother, and three sisters, she walked across the mountains to Pakistan to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in 1984 where she was photographed.
On 26 October 2016, Pakistan'sFederal Investigation Agencyarrested Gula for living in Pakistan with forged documents.She was sentenced to fifteen days in detention and deported to Afghanistan.Following thetakeover of Afghanistanby theTalibanin 2021, women's rights were curtailed under their conservative rule, and high-profile women were threatened or intimidated. TheAfghan Girlphotograph had made Gula globally famous, hence her prominence put her in danger.She sought assistance to leave the country, and was evacuated to Italy with the support of its government in response to appeals from nonprofit organizations.
A 2019 article fromThe Wiredescribed a 2002 interview where Gula stated that she was angered by the photograph being taken and published without her consent. The writer forThe Wiresuggests that this is because "it is not welcome for a girl of traditional Pashtun culture to reveal her face, share space, make eye contact and be photographed by a man who does not belong to her family."
Interest in the photograph increased after the9/11 attacks, when theGeorge W. Bush administrationbegan promotingAfghan women's rightsduring theU.S. military campaign in Afghanistan.Photographs of Gula were featured as part of a cover story on her life in the April 2002 issue ofNational Geographicand she was the subject of atelevision documentary,Search for the Afghan Girl, that aired in March 2002. In recognition of her,National Geographicset up the Afghan Girls Fund, a charitable organization with the goal of educating Afghan girls and young women.In 2008, the fund's scope was broadened to include boys and the name was changed to Afghan Children's Fund.