Steve McCurry never guessed at the time, that a 15 minute photo session of a young Afghan girl would lead to an image that would become the international symbol for the ‘reign of terror’ that has made Afghanistan a living hell for the last 23 years. And certainly he never knew that it would plague him every day since then. "Not a day has gone by, says McCurry, when someone has not asked about the whereabouts of her. I have wondered myself, whether or not she survived."
Sharbat Gula
Now he knows. Sharbat Gula is somewhere around the age of 29, with 3 daughters, one who is older than she was during her first and only other session in front of the camera...sitting for the same photographer. Along with her children, Ms. Gula lives, in Jalalabat, Afghanistan, with her husband who is a baker, her mother-in-law and her brother; the same one who escaped with her after their parents were murdered years ago.

The world renown, green-eyed woman traveled a mile or so, across the border to Peshawar, Pakistan to meet Steve, an interpreter and a TV film crew to share her life's story. The meeting took place not far from the schoolhouse where the first photos were taken.

When asked how she survived all these years, Sharbat answers, "It is god's will."