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Photos that Changed the Worldphotosthatchangedtheworld.com or ptctw.com |
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| "Sometimes Breathtaking. Sometimes Horrific Each photo has the power to inspire." One new Photo added Everyweek! |
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Posted on July 13, 2008 - Total Views 111976
Afghan Girl
Who would forget these eyes that have seemed to reflect the harshness of the war? This is the famous photo of the Afghan girl taken by Steve McCurry of National Geographic. It is very rare for a man to see faces of Afghan girls mainly because they are well-covered, thus McCurry seized the opportunity when she showed her face for a few moments. Her photograph made it to the cover of the magazine later on.
This Afghan girl, whose identity was revealed in 1992 to be Sharbat Gula, is now married and mother of three girls. She and her family lives in Pushtun, an ethnic region in Afghanistan.
And of course the afghan girl, picture shot by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry. Sharbat Gula was one of the students in an informal school within the refugee camp; McCurry, rarely given the opportunity to photograph Afghan women, seized the opportunity and captured her image. She was approximately 12 years old at the time. She made it on the cover of National Geographic next year, and her identity was discovered in 1992.
Afghan Girl Now
She’s now the married mother of three girls and living in a remote ethnic Pushtun region of Afghanistan with her family. “There is not one family that has not eaten the bitterness of war” - Afghan merchant
| Photographer : Year : More Info : |
Steve McCurry Wikipedia |
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(56 votes, average: 4.71 out of 5)
Loading ...Tags for this Photo: Afghan Girl , Afghan Girls , Afghan Women , Afghanistan , Bitterness , Ethnic Region , Faces , Few Moments , Girl Picture , Harshness , National Geographic , National Geographic Photographer , Opportunity , Photo Girl , Photograph , Refugee Camp , Sharbat Gula , Steve Mccurry , Three Girls
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August 26th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
This is arguably the finest photograph ever taken.
August 27th, 2008 at 1:29 am
She looks like she’s on drugs! You know, that leaf-chewing drug, the Qat plant (catha edulis Forssk)!
August 27th, 2008 at 1:31 am
I first saw this photo when I was little, and even then I could feel the power behind that look.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:58 am
shes really pretty ?
August 27th, 2008 at 4:09 am
She has THE most intense eyes I’ve ever seen, amazing.
August 27th, 2008 at 5:12 am
she has wild eyesss
August 27th, 2008 at 5:24 am
From a aesthetic point of view the photo it is perfect with pleasing composition, contrast between each element, beautiful lighting and tonal reproduction, intriguing facial expressions etc. What makes this photo truly special is the story of the behind it. It attempts to create awareness to the plight of one of Afghanistans many Shia minorities (In this case the Hazara tribe); it encaptulates the numb feeling of decades of persecution under a Taliban regime that believed such tribes were ‘infidels’, although the eyes also seem to hold a certain hope - and yes they are incredibly beautiful eyes!
August 27th, 2008 at 9:54 am
She has Bettie Davis eyes.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
They have such fine table-cloths there.
August 27th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I think what really did it for me is the fact that the picture is SO pretty. It’s almost like the overflow of ‘gritty’ pictures were not getting through to anyone in the western world so using our love of vanity seemed the perfect way to grab attention. I am not saying this photo isn’t ‘real’ or even ‘gritty’ I am just saying I like the fact that it is the beauty of her as a woman that is (in my opinion) more prominent.
August 28th, 2008 at 3:12 am
The “wildness” or intensity of her eyes seems to me due to the unusual constriction of her pupils!
August 28th, 2008 at 7:34 am
***** got old on me.
August 28th, 2008 at 10:46 am
She must have had a nice ***… now she looks old like a crack hoe
August 28th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Disgusting comments yet again. It makes me want to kill you.
This is such a beautiful picture, her eyes just shock me to my core. She deserved a better life, like everyone out there.
August 29th, 2008 at 4:09 am
The eyes shows the bitterness of war. The eye speaks in this photograph.
August 29th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Good comment Madhu. I agree…those are very beautiful and haunting eyes.
In later years, she’s still very pretty!
Some of these comments are so disgusting and sick…but had to laugh at F13 LOL. Sorry, just struck me as funny!
August 30th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
dude she has such penetrating eyes .
August 30th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
“# F13 Says:
August 27th, 2008 at 9:54 am
She has Bettie Davis eyes.”
typical american comment. she has her OWN EYES. DON’T YOU SEE?
August 31st, 2008 at 12:07 am
You know guys I’m an afghan as she is. We have everything, from beautiful eyes to beatiful faces to beautiful & rich land and & rich mines. but war & other countries didn’t wanted us to have them. taking it all from us. otherwise Afghanistan would be one of the most wealthy country in the world.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:37 am
Ah the ravages of war! Fear and terror change the innocent and pure. Nothing seduces the eye better than purity telling of a thousand lives before a word is uttered.
Was there hope in the younger? Is there any hope at all left for the elder?
Unfortunately I see a plea for peace in the younger picture and bitterness in the elder.
See what happens when years of torment destroy any hopes? Thanks for making the pictures. The Baldchemist
August 31st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
wow her eyes are gorgeous, i remember sitting in elementary school seeing this photo and couldnt stop looking at those eyes, of course i didnt know the meaning of it but i was fully aware of this magazine, but to this day this image still stuns me, and at only the age of 12, she was very beautiful
August 31st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Tor, enough of the anti-americanism…
Beautiful picture too!
August 31st, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Pretty. You can see how worn she looks now, though… she must have had a pretty hard life.
September 1st, 2008 at 1:35 am
I read that the photographer caught her attention and snapped the picture just offhanded. Her eyes weren’t showing the ravages of war, they were showing the “who the hell is saying hey you” look.
Great picture nonetheless.
September 1st, 2008 at 12:38 pm
This is a very powerful photo, it really caught the attention of the world. I remember seeing it, on the NG cover, when it came out, and thinking, wow! look at her eyes!..
They are beautiful,
The later photo shows the bitterness that her people still suffer, there.
September 1st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
[...] Afghan Girl [...]
September 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
There’s no argument, this is the best photograph in the world.
R.
September 1st, 2008 at 5:51 pm
theres a whitey in the wood pile for sure…..
September 1st, 2008 at 11:16 pm
SHe has ‘Alexander the Great’ invasion and mixed marriages times eyes. Poor Afghan People, enduring years in a corner of the world that is a passage and border clash for so many empires.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:12 am
so basically your saying they are mongrels?
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
women, so beautiful when young and fresh, so hardened and miserable after a few short years pass by, why you can almost see this process in time lapse with these three pictures…young and fresh with succulent lips…then suddenly almost as if overnight a sharp beaked old harpy, no longer willing to provide the pleasures once so greedily consumed. Ah, suck them dry then find another my friends, this is the only reasonable recourse to a life chained to misery.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:11 pm
One of the best photos I have ever seen.
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I remember this photo on the cover of National Geographic Magazine when I was a young boy, and I thought she had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, But I didn’t want her to catch me staring!
September 4th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Man what a hotty! I would love to take a dump on her face.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:48 am
I remember first seeing her eyes. They are really beautiful. Now seeing her grown up, it is amazing the kind of story her life is. I wish that they would go back to her and have her tell her side of life.
September 5th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Beautiful an expresive photo. I like it and its history.
September 6th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I like the ads for meeting beautiful afgani girls!!
September 6th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
anonymous and evildildo you both are the most idiot people ever write comment about this photo I think.
this sick of minds that are pionneered such as abu gharib.bugs will have to lean forward for spitting you on the face
September 6th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
my iridoligist says dark rings around the iris like that is indicative of fecal impaction poisoning the system. This girl needs colon cleansing, my guess is they dont have adequate health facilities over there to get this information to her.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
or it could be she has worms….thats pretty common in these poor third world nations.
September 7th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Id hit that bigtime when she was younger, apparently she had a hard life because she aged pretty crappy.
September 7th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I remember seeing this picture in grade school and for 4 days i stared at it wondering what she was thinking. I finally brought the magazine home and snuck into the bathroom. That night i took it out and beat my meat until it was raw. We had a great relationship for about 2 days until my dad found the mag under the carpet and threw it out…. but boy did she hurt me
September 7th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
***** reminds me of the last time I cut the cheese in church.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:50 am
ha ha id like to dump on her face too
September 8th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
I agree that this is one of the finest photos ever taken and almost wish that she had never been found. The power of those eyes can never be deminished, she is an anomoly. Those eyes bore right into everyones very soul!!!
September 10th, 2008 at 3:22 am
[...] Image SourceThis is likely the most famous photograph that the National Geographic every put on their cover. Taken by Steve McCurry in the eighties, This 12 year old girl became one of the most recognizable faces in the world without her even knowing it. What is even more interesting is that Steve had no idea what her name was. Her identity was only discovered in 1992. Her name was discovered to be Sharbat Gula. Some twenty years after the photo was taken, Steve decided that he wanted to find her again. The only was he was to recognize the girl was with her bright green eyes. He did successfully find the girl, now a woman who is married with three children. As the picture below shows, life in Afghanistan is not one of the easiest to live. [...]
September 10th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
A haunting photograph.
Interestingly enough, the comments on these pages are a good reflection of all humankind.
There are some intelligent, thoughtful and insightful people in this world, people for whom compassion and empathy are not weaknesses, but strengths.
Then there are the others, those with no hope, those who’s defense mechanism is one of hate and vulgarity, the same people who have screwed this world up from day 1.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
@Andrew, yes, your responsibility is great…stupid and brutish American.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:20 am
I’ll bet she’s got a hairy quim.
September 15th, 2008 at 1:44 am
@jeri responsibility? I think you mean observation you dumbass brit.
September 15th, 2008 at 1:55 am
@Jim…Im american, hahahaha, whos the dumbass now! hahaha!
September 15th, 2008 at 1:56 am
hahaha, you thought cuz i said an american was stupid and brutish that i must be british..hahahah stupid dumbass!
September 16th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Eyes to remember. Beautiful
September 16th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
she is soooooooo pretty!!!
September 19th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Simply beautiful!
September 20th, 2008 at 11:46 am
That first photo.. man, She’s got most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen in my entire life!
September 20th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I’d like to know what would she looks like if she have lived in the western world since that picture taken.
September 21st, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I remember this picture when I was young. She had an impact on how I looked at the world. Now even more, when you see how life hasn’t improved in all these years back there. Very Sad, but even sader when you read how insensitive posters write about seeing her trying to live her whole life in a country in war. These are the same kind of people who cry for “mommy” when times get tough. This woman has seen horrible things all her life, but is still strong. She still has beauty in her eyes……………
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:30 am
let this be a lesson to everyone
young women in afghanistan are hot, but when they grow up
they look like christopher walken
September 29th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Shut the **** up Sarah!
September 29th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Has it struck anyone that she is only 28[approx] in the bottom photo?
Time took its toll on even those wild eyes.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Graphics….and nothing else. Check the combination of both of the eyes of the girl in the first picture.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I agree with the posters who remember the original photo from the National Geographic cover. An amazingly beautiful girl with the most amazing and unique eyes ever.
As a woman, I too wonder how the second picture of her older would differ had she matured in a western culture that didn’t subjugate women. The look of suspicion on her face is truly depressing.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Ill be happy when women here look like that, *******!
October 9th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I remember seeing this photo as a kid and being so entranced by it. I think it’s one of my favorite photos of all time.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
love this pic.
October 14th, 2008 at 1:26 am
haha shes as high as a kite
October 14th, 2008 at 2:48 am
hey americans these is your and russian’s problem solving method to share the world. this is a member of afghan people. don’t you remember what you did in the afghanistan at 80s. don’t it show you something???
October 14th, 2008 at 6:42 am
u guys know that average age in Afganistan is about 37 …and cuz of bad condition of life there they look like too older than their real age,,,
and under Taliban Rejime and Islamic strict f. rules to the women ,,,what the f.
we must try to free and help Middle east women and fight for their rights as the equal with the men ,,,
October 14th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
One war at a time, Kathy….one war at a time!
I used to have a subscription to NG and remember this paticular issue. The picture just seemed to leap off the page. I’m an amateur photographer but I hope to hone my skills to the point that, one day, I’ll be able to shoot like Steve McCurry or Ansel Adams. I’m only in my 40’s so Chasing the Dream isn’t out of the question.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
They say a picture doesn’t capture everything, which is true, you can’t tell how the person inside is, how many brothers and sisters she has? Who her parents are? It’s the fact that her eyes tell the story for us, not the picture, the picture is merely a snap shot of a story on pause. Here eyes show us the seriousness of her condition, i would rather look as beautiful as her and live in a world of sadness and sorrow than look like i do now living in a world built on lies.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Sorry, Her eyes**
October 16th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I have heard that her brother has the same piercing eyes as she does, i wonder if her whole family does?
October 17th, 2008 at 12:13 am
thang God this woman was finally baptized and accepted Jesus into her heart, once she got out of afganistan and safely into Canada her soul has been saved. Glory hallelujah!
October 17th, 2008 at 11:28 am
But why it changed the world ? eyes can change the world ?
October 20th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
its funny how she looks pretty when young but ugly as **** when older Lol
October 21st, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Tor your like shit ‘ your everywhere
October 24th, 2008 at 8:40 am
To those you say “this is the best photograph in the world” - i would have to disagree quite Strongly for the simple fact that their is quite clearly a good deal of post-shot digital Levels and curves tweaking (most likely in photoshop) when you compare the contrast of the green on her inner clothing compared to that of the maroon cloak, it is a little too harsh, - i believe in colour balancing all gpreens have been pushed up.
Also ther are many other photographs of inence on the spot historic notoriety on this site which could easily vie for the title of ‘worlds best photo’ if such a grand title can be acclaimed to any one image?? (lunchtime atop a sky scraper, Tianemen Square, EarthRise, Assassination of Asanuma???? all contenders)
A great piece of artistic photo journalism , no doubt, but i think a lot of the intensity is owed to modern methods of digital post production. I would very much like to see the original shot…. even comparing her eye’s etc to the woman she is today gives clues…
Still a lovely image of a beautiful but war torn young girl, who mercifully is alive and well today.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
This is scary
October 25th, 2008 at 8:55 am
She has beautiful eyes…
October 25th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Great picture, though the last one is depressing.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:29 am
how could those brilliant greenish looking eyes look drugged up anyone is beyond me!… Before you really show your arrogance and how stupid you are, read your typed opinion b4 u press submit…
October 27th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
here is a product of rape if I have ever saw one.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:35 am
hi
she is … & she has …
October 29th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I cannot forget those eyes in my whole life…
November 1st, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Her eyes … awesome …
I knew this photograph … but always… revive me…
Good Luck In The Life!
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
omgggg my eyes are the same… lol wow… her eyes are almost as pretty as mine.. but to the point… wow the picture says so much
November 3rd, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Wow her eyes are so captruring they are so amazing you can see all the suffering that she went through through them they are so beautiful i wish i had those kind of eyes!
November 5th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
wow, her eyes always give me an erection! why doesnt she hide them modestly? ****!
November 6th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
What is wrong with you people? Grow up, please!
This is such a beautiful picture, and you are mocking it to the core,
which is making me mad.
She was beautiful when she was younger, and she is beautiful now. She just got older, you all will get old too!
November 6th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Have you seen her cat?
http://nonsai.com/pics/afghanicat.jpg
November 6th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I may get old but Ill never get that hard and bitter looking, I dont have to kowtow to a bunch of misogynist ******** with 2nd grade educations who call themselves holy men.
November 8th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
i don’t know any words to describe how her eyes make me feel what i know is that i want to cry for her and for all mankind espcially for the idiots who mock her
she almost makes me believe in god almost and that is an achievement…
after 20 years… she s angry thats all
November 8th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
she looks defeated and bitter like a dried up old prune….a harpy and harridan now, no doubt.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:18 am
as afghan girl as she is we have got lot’t of thing in our country but we are in situation that other countries don’t want to have them and they always try to take all these thing from us specialy pakistan and amreca who always have intervention in our country .
in krachi city of pakistan they taliban trianing there by support of amreca and another countries then they sent to our country believe me that is true
November 9th, 2008 at 11:44 am
she was wonderful, now is terrible
November 10th, 2008 at 12:45 am
I love this picture. However I could never own it, her eyes are so pretty, but they kinda freak me out. The photo is breath taking though. Beautiful lighting, she is off centered just enough to dawn more attention to other details. She looks shocked and scared, or stunned. I cant blame her. She is beautiful and the colors are amazing. Everyone knows this photo.
November 11th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Could Be A CRACKHEAD!
November 11th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Im just reporting all the nice comments and leaving the ones from asswholes!
November 12th, 2008 at 1:53 am
I could look at this picture for hours. It’s safe to say this is my favorite portrait ever. It’s gorgeous, but makes me want to break down all the same.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:14 am
salam .mashallh she have a beuty eyes but its r not good for all people which r watxching a our sisters, on webside, its r joke with all afghanistan and his womens in the world . ali afghan
November 13th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Holy shit, those are the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen in my life! She looks like she can look through your soul.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:43 am
tl4avl5kp3eyp9f1
November 15th, 2008 at 11:02 am
could you imagine her sucking your **** back when she was younger? those eyes looking up at you with your throbbing manhood filling her mouth…you’d splooge so hard that she’d gain 5 lbs - 100% pure ****.