Shirali Muslumov
Shirali Muslumov in 1970
Born(1805-03-26)March 26, 1805 (claimed)
Barzavu, Lerik District, Talysh Khanate
Died(1973-09-02)September 2, 1973 (aged 168?)
Barzavu, Lerik District, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
OccupationShepherd
Known forClaimed longevity
Children23

Shirali Farzali oghlu Muslumov, also spelled as Muslimov (Talysh: Şirəli Fərzəli zoə Müslümov; Azerbaijani: Şirəli Fərzəli oğlu Müslümov, pronounced [ʃiɾæˈli musˈlumov]; Russian: Ширали Фарзали оглы Муслимов; allegedly March 26, 1805? – September 2, 1973) was an Azerbaijani[1] shepherd of Talysh ethnicity from the village of Barzavu in the Lerik District of Azerbaijan, a mountainous area near the Iranian border. He claimed to be the oldest person who ever lived when he died on September 2, 1973, at the alleged age of 168. In 1966, the studio Azerbaijanfilm shot a documentary film about him, Shirali descended from the mountain.

Life

A brief description of Muslimov's life was first published in an article for Life magazine in 1966.[2] The article alleged that Muslimov was born in Barzavu in 1805 and that he was given a copper plate with his birth date and name inscribed.[3] The plate was lost and was never verified but Muslimov was issued a passport in 1939. The article also alleged that Muslimov was never sick, worked full days and ate a diet consisting of rice soup, sheep milk, boiled meat, sweet tea and yogurt. Muslimov claimed that he could recall incidents from 150 years ago such as bandits attacking his village.[3] In the absence of accurate records such as a birth certificate, gerontologists have disputed Muslimov's age claims.[4]

Muslimov's story was picked up in 1973 by National Geographic,[5] which told that on the occasion he still rode horseback and tended an orchard planted in the 1870s. National Geographic later recanted on the claim. According to his obituary, published by Time, when Muslimov was 136 years old, he married 57-year-old Khatum-Khanum (1884–1988).[6]

The only evidence in favour of Muslumov's age claim is a passport that listed his birthdate. Muslumov had no known birth certificate.

Fame

The case of Muslumov became known in 1963, when a young photojournalist of TASS, Kalman Kaspiev, went to Barzavu to interview the centenarian. The story was picked up by the Soviet press, by National Geographic, and by the Danone company, which for promotional reasons suggested that the longevity of Muslumov was linked to a diet of dairy, and yogurt in particular. This interest changed the life of the small Azerbaijani village, which was connected to the electricity grid and started receiving radio and television broadcasts.

In the 1970s, Westerners were made aware of these extreme claims of longevity in Azerbaijan and elsewhere in the Caucasus region when a U.S. Danone yogurt commercial invoked some of these people to suggest that the secret of their long lives lay in the frequent consumption of yogurt. However, the idea that peoples of the Caucasus region live longer because of eating yogurt is a myth not supported by any factual evidence.[7] Yogurt is rarely eaten in the Caucasus mountain region.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Советский комитет солидарности стран Азии и Африки, Институт востоковедения (Академия наук СССР), Институт Африки (Академия наук СССР). Asia and Africa today. — Asia and Africa Today, 1990.  : Shirali Mislimov, an Azerbaijani peasant, who was the oldest among the Soviet Supercentenarians, died in 1973 at the age of 212. His surviving widow at that time was 120..
  2. ↑ Haycock, David Boyd. (2008). Mortal Coil: A Short History of Living Longer. Yale University Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-0300117783
  3. 1 2 Young, Peter. "Yes, Death is Afraid of Us". Life. (September 16, 1966). pp. 123-124
  4. ↑ Nancy N. Chen . (2009). Food, Medicine, and the Quest for Good Health. Columbia University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0231134842
  5. ↑ Alexander Leaf, (Jan. 1973). "Search for the Oldest People". National Geographic, pp. 93–118.
  6. ↑ Evgeniya, Petrova (June 16, 2004). "Long-livers work all their lives and live in villages". Pravdareport.com. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  7. ↑ Lopez-Carr, D; Ervin, D. (2012). "A Geriatric Fountain of Youth in the Caucasus or Spurious Census Data: Spooning through the Yogurt Myth" (PDF). Rural Studies. 27: 135–148.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Lerik Journal; Yogurt? Caucasus Centenarians 'Never Eat It'. nytimes.com. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
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