10The Afghan Girl (1984)
Steve McCurry’s photograph of a young Afghan refugee girl with striking green eyes, taken in a refugee camp in Pakistan, became one of National Geographic’s most famous covers. The image, taken in 1984, conveys the profound hardship and resilience of refugees displaced by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Her piercing gaze reflects both fear and defiance, making the photo a symbol of the human cost of war. Decades later, the girl, Sharbat Gula, was identified, and her story became a powerful narrative of survival and identity.
