Barzavu

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Barzavu is a village in the Lerik Rayon of Azerbaijan, a hilly region near the Iranian border. It is 150 miles south of Baku and is known as the hometown of Shirali Muslimov (aka Mislimov), an ethnic Talish shepherd who was believed by some to have been the oldest man that ever lived. His birth certificate read 1805, making him 168 when he died in 1973. Although this was surely inaccurate, the area has been studied by experts who agree that centenarians are unusually common in the area.

The area and its largely Talish inhabitants suffered from a major earthquake in 1998 but the nearby town of Lerik contains a history museum, a Karabakh War memorial and a hotel. The countryside around the town is celebrated for its beauty and scenery.