Mariam Amash
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Mariam Amash (born c.1888[1]) is a claimant to the title of the oldest living person in the world.
Amash, a Bedouin, lives in the town of Jisr az-Zarqa in northern Israel. Her claim to be 120 years old arose when she applied for an identity card from the Israeli government.[2] The date of her birth, in 1888, appears on her birth certificate, issued by the Ottoman authorities.[1] The Guinness Book of Records, the group who authorizes the 'official' oldest living person record, have not yet validated her claim.[2] If validated, she would be the final survivor of the 1880s, five years older than Edna Parker, the current official oldest living person. Her birth month has not been reported, but if she was 120 years old, she would be older than Sarah Knauss, currently recognized as the third oldest person ever. If she were to still be alive, she would pass the age of the oldest ever living person, Jeanne Calment, in the summer of 2010.
As of February 2008, Amash was reported as being "remarkably sprightly",[1] with 10 children, 120 grandchildren, 250 great-grandchildren and 30 great-great-grandchildren.[1]
[edit] Verity of claim
Some doubts have surfaced about the truthfulness of the longevity claim.[3] According to a Danish news publisher, her oldest son is reported as being 80, meaning that Mariam Amash would have had him at the age of 40, which is practically unheard of in an Arab society.[3] Another child was reported as 40 years old, according to a CNN journalist, meaning that Mariam Amash should have given birth at 66 years of age.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Paitience, Martin; 15-02-08 World's 'oldest' person in Israel BBC News. Accessed 15-02-08
- ^ a b Associated Press; 14-02-08 Woman Applying for New ID Says She's 120 ABC News; Accessed 16-02-08
- ^ a b c "Tvivl om verdens ældste kvinde", Politiken, 2008-03-03. Retrieved on 2008-03-03. (Danish)
