Shirali Muslimov

**Shirali _Baba_ Muslimov** (also **Mislimov**) (allegedly born 26 march 1810? –  8th September 1978) was an Azerbaijani 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 8  1978, 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. 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. 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. In the absence of accurate records such as a birth certificate, gerontologists have disputed Muslimov's age claims.

His marital status was also controversial. During Muslumov’s youth, as he told it, the now extinct Caspian tiger was still relatively common in the Talysh mountains, as was kidnapping as a rite of courtship: Muslumov ‘stole’ his first wife in 1833, when he was 28 and she 12. ‘I rode into the next village on my horse and grabbed her. I was in the czar’s cavalry at the time. I loved her very much,’ he told photojournalist Kalman Kaspiev in 1963. Routine, too, seems to be key when it comes to enjoying a long life, whether it regards virtue or vice. Those who credit long life to smoking or drinking rarely fail to mention the dogged regularity (and moderateness) of their indulgences. Muslumov’s particular vice seemed to have been lust and he was dogged in its pursuit. He reportedly fathered a son at 80, with his second, 36-year-old wife. Local rumour has it that during Muslumov’s 150th-birthday celebration, a Russian colonel arrived at the party with his young wife. When the moment for presents arrived, Muslumov reportedly cried out, ‘I don’t want anything. Just give me that pretty woman!’ During his lifetime, his supposed 330 descendants extended into the fifth generation.

Muslimov's story was picked up in 1973 by _National Geographic_, 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), and on the same year a baby girl was born to his family. This is the most advanced age in the whole world history which saw a man to become a father. His father lived for 110 years, mother - 90, and his last - third wife - 104 years outliving her husband for 15 years.

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

According to him, the angel of death couldn't reach him in the mountainous area.

## 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. Yogurt is rarely eaten in the Caucasus mountain region.

## Other websites

- A lesson in longevity
- New York Times obituary (bottom of page)
- "Azerbaijan's Legendary Centenarian", a 1996 article detailing the story behind Muslimov's claims of incredible longevity

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Shirali Muslumov
- **birth date**: March 26, 1810(claimed)
- **birth place**: Barzavu, Lerik District, Talysh Khanate
- **death date**: September 8,1978
- **death place**: Barzavu, Lerik District, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
- **known for**: Longevity claims, Claimed longevity
- **occupation**: Shepherd
- **children**: 23