What happened to the girl on the cover of National Geographic?

Sharbat Gula, who became an international symbol of war-torn Afghanistan after her portrait at a refugee camp was published on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985, was evacuated to Rome after her country fell to the Taliban, the Italian government said Thursday.

Why is the Afghan Girl photo so famous?

The haunting expression, a mixture of pain and resilience, of a child thought to be around 12, was dubbed the “Afghan Girl.” She became a symbol of war, displacement and defiance after American photographer Steve McCurry captured her image in a refugee camp in Peshawar, on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

What happened to the Afghan Girl on the cover of National Geographic?

National Geographic’s Famed ‘Afghan Girl,’ Now a Mom in Her 40s, Finds Refuge in Italy. Sharbat Gula, whose piercing portrait on the cover of National Geographic in 1985 put a face on war-torn Afghanistan, has fled the nation and is now living in Rome, multiple outlets reported.

Where is the Afghan Girl with the green eyes?

Rome — National Geographic magazine’s famed green-eyed “Afghan Girl” has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said Thursday.

How did they find Sharbat Gula?

Identifying Sharbat Gula Eventually she was tracked down through a camp resident who knew her brother. Her identity was verified by John Daugman using iris recognition software. A devout Muslim, Gula normally wears a burqa and was hesitant to meet McCurry, as he was a male from outside the family.

Was the Afghan Girl found?

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 by John Daugman using iris recognition.

How many times has Sharbat Gula had her photo taken?

The photo, which shows a girl with a striking green eye colour, looking straight into the lens, became a symbol of the Afghan conflict and the problems affecting refugees around the world. The image is the only one to have been used three times on a National Geographic cover.

What is significant about Steve McCurry’s photographs of Sharbat Gula?

McCurry’s portrait, of a Pashtun child, Sharbat Gula, which appeared on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic, became the symbol, not only of Afghanistan, but of displaced refugees across the world.

How much did Sharbat Gula get paid?

In December 2017, Sharbat Gula was given a 3,000-square-foot (280 m2) residence in Kabul for her and her children and a $700 per month stipend for living and medical costs. After the Taliban capture of Kabul in 2021, the Taliban threatened or intimidated high-profile women such as Gula.

What country has green eyes?

The largest concentration of green eyed people is in Ireland, Scotland and Northern Europe. In Ireland and Scotland, 86% of people have either blue or green eyes. There have been 16 genes identified that contribute to eye colour.

How old was Afghan girl with green eyes?

12 years old
Sharbat Gulla was 12 years old when war photographer Steve McCurry took her photograph in a refugee camp in 1984 – her piercing green eyes staring into the lens.

How the Afghan Girl was identified by her iris patterns?

Her identity was confirmed by John Daugman using iris recognition. She recalled being photographed. She had been photographed on only three occasions: in 1984 and during the search for her when a National Geographic producer took the identifying photographs that led to the reunion with McCurry.

Who is the Afghan Girl on the cover of National Geographic?

Gulla gained international fame in 1985 as an Afghan refugee girl, after war photographer Steve McCurry’s photograph of her, with piercing green eyes, was published on the cover of National Geographic. McCurry found her again in 2002. Steve McCurry’s National Geographic photo of Sharbat Gula, “Afghan Girl”.

What is the fear in the girl’s eyes?

The fear in her eyes is that of a student interrupted at school by a male stranger invading her space, her personal boundaries and her culture and leaving without even having learned her name. McCurry and National Geographic would sell the picture for enormous amounts.

What do haunted eyes tell us about Afghan refugees?

When the photograph was first published in 1985 and the magazine circulated to millions of readers worldwide, it had only one sentence about her (besides the original caption, ‘Haunted eyes tell of an Afghan refugee’s fears’). It said her eyes were “reflecting the fear of war”.

How did Sharbat Gula feel when the photograph was taken?

Indeed, interviewed in 2002, Sharbat Gula was asked for the first time how she felt when the photograph was taken. And for the first time, she was allowed to say: angry.