CELEBRITY

Afghan Girl

1972 - Today

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Sharbat Gula (Pashto: شربت ګله; born c. 1972) is an Afghan woman who became internationally recognized as the subject in Afghan Girl, a 1984 portrait taken by American photojournalist Steve McCurry that was later published as the cover photograph for the June 1985 issue of National Geographic. The portrait was shot at Nasir Bagh, Pakistan, while Gula was residing there as an Afghan refugee fleeing the Soviet–Afghan War. Despite the photograph's high global recognition, Gula's identity remained unknown until 2002, when her whereabouts were verified and she was photographed for the second time in her life. Having lived and raised a family in Pakistan for 35 years, Gula was arrested by Pakistani authorities in 2016 and subsequently deported to Afghanistan in 2017 on the charge of possessing forged identity documents. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in 29 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 27 in 2024). Afghan Girl is the 98th most popular celebrity (down from 90th in 2024), the 104th most popular biography from Afghanistan (down from 86th in 2019) and the most popular Afghan Celebrity.

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Among CELEBRITIES

Among celebrities, Afghan Girl ranks 98 out of 265. Before her are Marita Lindahl, Barbara Karinska, Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, Christine Keeler, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Manolo el del bombo. After her are Kourtney Kardashian, Natascha Kampusch, Georgina Rizk, Jane Morris, Sally Hemings, and Tinka Kurti.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1972, Afghan Girl ranks 114. Before her are Beth Hart, Christian Oliver, Gabriel Mann, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, Rebecca Romijn, and Kim Keon Hee. After her are Sofia Helin, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Özcan Deniz, Jonny Lee Miller, Victor Ponta, and Ari Behn.

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In Afghanistan

Among people born in Afghanistan, Afghan Girl ranks 104 out of 177. Before her are Mohammad Yaqub Khan (1849), Ibrahim al-Nazzam (760), Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad (1139), Rabia Balkhi (1000), Suhail Shaheen (null), and Mohammed Fahim (1957). After her are Qabus (1000), Farrukhi Sistani (980), Abdul Kabir (1958), Mohammad Afzal Khan (1811), Zalmay Khalilzad (1951), and Zuhal Atmar (null).

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Among CELEBRITIES In Afghanistan

Among celebrities born in Afghanistan, Afghan Girl ranks 1. 

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