Zaro Ağa (Kurdish: Zaro Axa), claimed as 1774 or 1777; Mutki, Ottoman Empire - 29 June 1934;[1] İstanbul, Turkey), allegedly aged 157 when he died, is claimed to be one of the longest-living humans in the history of mankind.
There is a debate as to his actual age when he died. In his 1976 book Arthur C. Custance cites a News Review article from 22 December 1938, wherein a number of instances of individuals who survived to remarkable ages were given, among whom was a Kurdish man named Zaro Ağa who died in the United States in 1933 at the age of 164 years. Nevertheless, according to the death certificate given by his doctor, Zaro Ağa's age was 157. He died in Istanbul, although there exists some confusion about the death place, probably because the body was sent to the U.S. right after his death.
He was born in Gundê Meydan in Mutki (Bitlis, Ottoman Empire), worked as a construction worker when he was young, and then moved to Istanbul, where he worked as a porter for more than 100 years and finally retired as a janitor. He was a major attraction to press during his last years as the world's oldest living man and one who had traveled to many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and France. His body was sent to the U.S. for research purposes after he died.
Zaro Aga had come into Mustafa Kemal's presence twice and called him "Sultan". When he met with Mustafa Kemal, he mentioned his having done very good jobs, but he criticized his giving much freedom to the women.
His statements on the Sheikh Said rebellion that was published in the dailynewspaper Cumhuriyet was as follows:
I know neither an unblessed called Sheikh Said, nor his men. God damn him.—Turkish original, Ben ne Şeyh Said denen o melunu tanırım, ne de adamlarını bilirim. Allah belasını versin.[2]