An Afghan from the famous National Geographic cover welcomes asylum in Italy

Published on 11/262021 11:00 / Updated on 11/26/2021 13:12

Afghani Sharbat Gula, who became famous all over the world for her appearance on the cover of the magazine National Geographic, in 1985, exiled in Italy after leaving Afghanistan with The Taliban took over the country in August. Italy is one of the European countries that have received the largest number of Afghan refugees fleeing the regime.

On releaseThe Italian government, issued on Thursday (11/25), said that the organization of the withdrawal of Afghans from the country was carried out after it requested their exile through non-profit organizations. Also according to the statement, Gula is in Rome and the Italian government will support its integration in the country.

The green-eyed Afghan became known after landing for the photographer Steve McCurry In a refugee camp in Bexaur, Pakistan, when she was only 12 years old. At that time, Sharbat Gula left Afghanistan due to the conflicts she was experiencing with the Soviet occupation. Tatet Sharbat Gula, at the age of six, walked to Pakistan with her siblings and grandmother.

The cover of 1984 became one of the magazine’s most popular covers. The picture has been compared to the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. “Sharbat Gula has gained worldwide fame, so much so that it symbolizes the vicissitudes and struggles of the historical stage that Afghanistan and its people were going through,” highlights the statement from Italy.

Steve McCurry saw her again in 2002, when she was living in Nasir Bagh, Pakistan. Sharbat Gula left the country and returned to Afghanistan in 2016 after the Pakistani government accused her of buying a false identity card to stay in the country. Returning to her country of origin, she got a house from the Afghan government and a salary of about R$2,400 per month.