Forty-one years after Sharbat Gula appeared on the cover of National Geographic, her portrait remains instantly recognizable. Yet the photograph captures only one moment in a life shaped by displacement, family responsibilities and the search for a secure home.

Known internationally as the “Afghan Girl,” Gula left Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. That November, Italy confirmed her arrival in Rome after helping organize her departure. It marked another major change for a woman whose childhood image had become a symbol of refugees worldwide.

Photographer Steve McCurry took the portrait in December 1984 at a refugee camp in Pakistan. According to National Geographic, Gula was about 12 then. The image appeared on the magazine’s June 1985 cover, bringing worldwide attention to a child whose name readers did not yet know. Her direct gaze became closely associated with the human consequences of Afghanistan’s conflict.

International recognition, however, offered no guarantee of stability. In October 2016, Pakistani authorities arrested Gula over an illegally obtained Pakistani identity card. She was subsequently deported to Afghanistan in November that year, returning to a country that continued to face insecurity and war.

Five years later, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Gula appealed for assistance to leave, and the Italian government helped arrange her transfer as part of its efforts to receive and support Afghan citizens.

In a December 2022 interview with La Repubblica, Gula said she appreciated the privacy she found in Italy, despite language barriers. She also expressed regret over the difficulties the photograph had brought her. Her attention was on her family’s future: her daughter hoped to become a doctor, and Gula wanted to support that ambition. She was also taking Italian lessons herself.

Her story gives the celebrated photograph a wider context. Behind the familiar face is a woman who has repeatedly had to rebuild her life—and whose experiences deserve attention beyond the image that made her famous.