Hava Rexha
| Hava Rexha | |
|---|---|
| Born |
22 August 1880 Shushicë, Ottoman Empire |
| Died |
8 November 2003 (aged 123) Shushicë, Elbasan District, Albania |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Known for | Longevity |
Hava Rexha (born 22 August 1880? — died 8 November 2003) was said to be the oldest woman in Albania, and perhaps the oldest living person in the world, when she died at the claimed age of 123.[1] Those claiming that she was born in 1880 did not send to the Guinness Book of World Records sufficient documentation to prove her age before she died. One article claimed her birth in 1880 was recorded in 1946, which is long past the margin of acceptable proof.
Rexha was forced to marry at age 14 to a man who was aged about 60, a fact that she still resented and said that she did not love him. She was however buried next to his grave when she died. She had six children, though four died in childhood. She was buried next to her husband's grave in a ceremony attended by a crowd of hundreds of people, as well as her only surviving daughter, Vule (aged 80).[1]
See also
- List of Albanians
- Longevity claims
- Longevity traditions
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Albania's oldest woman dies at 123". Television New Zealand. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 13 November 2010.