This Afghan woman was made famous by photographer Steve McCurry, who took a picture of her face when she was a little girl. It happened during the Soviet-Afghan war, when Gula ended up in a refugee camp on the border with Pakistan.
She was born around 1972. Why such an approximate date? About this and about who the Afghan girl with green eyes is, about the events related to Afghanistan in the late 70s and early 80s, you can find out in this article.
About photography
The photo, popularly called "Afghan Girl", is very famous. She is sometimes compared to Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of the famous Mona Lisa, and is often referred to as the "Afghan Mona Lisa" as well.
The photo of a mysterious girl with a surprisingly piercing look of unusual green eyes has long been the object of close attention of the whole society.
What does the Afghan girl in the photo think? What's in her eyes? Confusion, fear or anger? Looking at this facegirls, every time you can discover something new for yourself. This is the secret of the popularity of photography. The girl's face is sure to remain in the memory of people who see her, because it carries ambiguity.
She has become a kind of symbol of the Afghan refugee problem. McCurry himself said that over the past 17 years, there was practically no day when he did not receive any email, letter, etc. about his work. Many wanted to help this girl, send money or adopt. There were those who wanted to marry her.
The image was widely replicated and published: on postcards, posters, in magazines, etc. Most major publications used photos on the covers of their magazines. Even the T-shirts were printed with her image.
Afghan girl Sharbat Gula: biography, name meaning
Much has been written about the girl's story. By nationality, Sharbat is an Afghan (Pashtun). She does not know her exact birthday, as well as the year, because the baby was left an orphan. After her family died, she ended up in the Pakistani refugee camp of Nasir Bagh. Since then, she has never learned to read, but she can write her name.
Afghan girl married in the late 1980s to a simple baker Ramat Gul and returned to Afghanistan with her family in 1992. In total, Sharbat now has 3 daughters: Robina, Aliya and Zahid. There was also a 4th daughter, but she died shortly after birth. The woman hopes that her children, in comparison with her, will receive a good education, learn to read andwrite. Sharbat herself had no opportunity for this. Now she is over 40 years old.
This woman never even suspected how famous she became, how much has been written about her piercing gaze. However, according to her stories, it remained in her memory how some white man photographed her. She never acted again in her life, especially a year after that famous shooting, she began to wear a veil.
The name of an Afghan girl (Sharbat Gula) means "flower sherbet" in translation.
A little about the author of the photo
This photo was taken by renowned professional photographer Steve McCurry at a refugee camp in Pakistan (Nasir Bagh).
In 1984, Steve McCurry (National Geographic) worked with Debra Denker to collect material on the Soviet-Afghan war. Having penetrated into Afghanistan, they visited refugee camps, of which there were a huge number on the Afghan-Pakistani border. The photographer intended to depict the situation of refugees from the point of view of women and children.
In 1985, a 13-year-old Afghan girl with green eyes was featured on the cover of one of the magazines (National Geographic).
History of photography
One morning, photographer McCurry, walking through the Nasir Bagh camp, saw a tent in which there was a school. He asked the teacher for permission to take pictures of several students (there were only about 20 of them). She allowed.
He was attracted by the look of one girl. He asked the teacher about her. She toldthat the girl and her remaining relatives traveled several weeks through the mountains after a helicopter attack on their village. Naturally, the little girl took this situation hard, because she lost the people closest to her.
McCurry made a portrait of an Afghan girl Gula (he did not recognize her name then) on color film, and without additional lighting.
This "photo shoot" only took a couple of minutes. It was only after returning to Washington that McCurry realized what an amazing picture he had taken. Photo preparation (prepress) by art agent Georgia (Marietta).
The picture was so heartfelt and hard to see that the National Geographic photo editor didn't want to use it at first, but ended up putting it on the cover of this magazine with the caption "Afghan Girl".
Sharbat life today
For a long time the fate of the heroine of the famous picture remained unknown. After McCurry found her again after a long search in 2002, something came to light about how her difficult fate had developed.
Sharbat's life is quite complicated. She got married at the age of 13 (according to her memoirs, and her husband believes that at 16). Every day before sunrise and after sunset, she always prays. Every day he does ordinary household chores: fetching water from a stream, doing laundry, cooking, taking care of his children. The meaning of her whole life is children.
Her husband, Rahmat Gul, lives mainly in Peshevan, where there is a bakery where he makes a small living.
Still haveserious he alth problem. Sharbat has asthma, and this does not allow her to live in the city. She's better in the mountains. She lives with her family in the most warlike tribe (Pashtuns), which at one time formed the backbone of the Taliban movement.
Afghan girl about herself and those events
In 2002, led by Steve McCurry, a National Geographic magazine team was organized specifically to search for the same girl (before that, certain searches were also undertaken).
And so, soon a new picture was taken, but already matured Sharbat: in a long robe, a women's cloak and with a raised veil (with the permission of her husband). And again, the lens captured the eyes of an Afghan girl, but already grown up.
In her opinion, she survived by God's will. She believes that her family lived better under the Taliban than under numerous bombings.
She also says that the Americans are ruining their lives, just like the Russians once did. People, in her opinion, are tired of wars, invasions and loss of blood. As soon as the country has a new leader, the people of Afghanistan gain hope for the best, bright, but every time they are deceived and disappointed.
Also, Sharbat showed dissatisfaction with that very childhood photo of her: you see, she was filmed there in a shawl with a hole, which she still remembers, how she burned it over the stove.
Conclusion
The beautiful face of the girl with her bewitching gaze speaks of hidden excitement at the same time with determination, steadfastness anddignity. Although it is clear that she is poor, there is genuine nobility and strength in her. And most importantly, in her eyes you can see the full severity of the suffering and torment that the simple, long-suffering Afghan people endure.
