1,64,430 stitches | 677 Hours

Her eyes are the green of the oceans – deep and haunting. In them, you can read the tragedy of a land drained by war. Sharbat Gula became the face of the struggles of Afghan refugees in Pakistan when she and her piercing green eyes landed on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. Many have tried to paint Sharbat Gula without much success in bringing out the pain in those eyes – the most defining part of a portrait that is a global legend. In fact, SHARBAT GULA – The Tapestry, is the only hand-embroidered rendition that manages to successfully capture the pathos in those haunted – and haunting – eyes, without using any stencil or graph.

Title of Tapestry: SHARBAT GULA

Year of Creation: 2012-13

Medium: Petit Point/Needle Point Embroidery

Size: 58”x35”

Materials used: 4 ply woollen yarn/double mesh Penelope canvas/hand-embroidery needle

Source of Inspiration: Sharbat Gula, the Afghan girl who appeared on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in 1985

Note: No graph or stencil has been used in the creation of this tapestry