Shirali Mislimov

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Shirali Mislimov (also Muslimov) (March 26, 1805?—September 2?, 1973) was a Talish-speaking shepherd from the village of Barzavu in the Shiral region of Azerbaijan, a mountainous area near the Iranian border. He was the subject of an extreme claim of a longevity myth, inspired by the Soviet press, claiming to be the oldest person who ever lived when he died on September 2 (or 4), 1973 at the alleged age of 168. At the purported age of 136 he married and had a daughter.

The only evidence in favor of Mislimov's age claim is an official passport that listed his birthdate as 1805. Mislimov has no known birth certificate, however, and as such, many refuse to accept his claim.

The story was taken up by National Geographic Magazine,^[1] which later recanted on the claim. In the 1970s many Westerners were made aware of these extreme claims of longevity in Azerbaijan and elsewhere in the Caucasus region when a Dannon yoghurt commercial invoked some of these people to suggest that the secret of their long lives lay in the frequent consumption of yoghurt. In spite of possible exaggerations, the region has been noted by experts as a place where centenarians are unusually common, and Mislimov remains a treasured symbol of the celebration of long living in Azerbaijan.