 shirali farzali oglu muslimov (also mislimov) (, pronounced ; ; 26 march 1805 &ndash; 2 september 1973) was a talysh shepherd from the village of barzavu in the lerik region 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. this is 46 years older than french woman jeanne calment, who had the longest confirmed lifespan in history at 122. ==life== according to legend, muslimov worked hard every day, up to 167 years, did not smoke or drink, but ate fruits, vegetables, wholemeal bread, chicken broth, low-fat cheese and yogurt. he had several wives through his lifetime. muslimov became ill with pneumonia between 1972 and 1973, but survived only to die later in 1973. muslimov's story was picked up in 1973 by national geographic magazine,alexander leaf, (jan. 1973). "search for the oldest people". national geographic, pp. 93-118. 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. the same story was told by the guinness book of world records, stated as unconfirmed along with other similar claims.the guinness book of records, 1974 his marital status was also controversial. according to national geographic, he had an 120-year-old wife whom he had married 102 years earlier. however according to his obituary, published by time magazine, he was survived by his 107-year-old third wife. according to another claim , at the purported age of 136 he married and had a daughter. the only evidence in favor of muslimov's age claim is an official passport that listed his birthdate. muslimov had no known birth certificate. ==fame== the case of muslimov 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 the national geographic, and by the danone company, which for promotional 
1805_births 1973_deaths Azerbaijani_people_of_Talysh_descent Longevity_claims Longevity_traditions Shepherds