Zaro Aga

Zaro Aga
Born c. 1777 or c. 1837
Mutki, Ottoman Empire
Died 29 June 1934 (aged 157? or 97?)
Istanbul Province, Turkey
Nationality Turkish
Citizenship Ottoman Empire, Turkey
Occupation Porter, laborer, doorman
Known for Longevity
Children 13

Zaro Aga (Turkish: Zaro Ağa, Kurdish: Zaro Axa‎) was a Turkish-Kurdish man who claimed to be one of the longest-living humans ever. He claimed birth between 1774 and 1777, and died on 29 June 1934[1] in Istanbul, Turkey. He was allegedly aged 157 when he died, and thus claimed to be one of the longest-living humans ever.

Debate

There is a debate as to his actual age when he died[2][3]. According to the death certificate provided by his Turkish doctor, Zaro Aga's age was 157. He died in Istanbul, although some confusion about the place of death exists, probably because the body was sent to the US right after his death. However, an investigative report published by Walter Bowerman in 1939 indicated that Zaro Aga was around 97, not 157[4][5].

Biography

Aga was born in Medan village (present-day: Meydan ) in Mutki (Bitlis Province, Ottoman Empire), worked as a construction worker when he was young, and then moved to Istanbul, where he worked as a porter and finally retired as a janitor. He was a major attraction to popular press during his last years as allegedly the world's oldest living man and one who had traveled to many countries, including the United States[6], the United Kingdom, France and Italy. His body was sent to the US for research purposes after he died.

Zaro Aga had come into Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's presence twice and called him "Sultan". Turkish newspaper Taraf claimed that when Zaro met with Mustafa Kemal, he mentioned his having done very good jobs, but he allegedly criticized his giving much freedom to the women.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Mecid Efendi (one of the son-in-law of Zaro Aga), Cumhuriyet, July 1, 1934.
  2. ↑ http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1930/07/25/page/13/article/zaro-agha-views-new-york-expert-doubts-his-156-years
  3. ↑ https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/ijdhd.2015.14.issue-2/ijdhd-2014-0015/ijdhd-2014-0015.xml
  4. ↑ http://www.isgeschiedenis.nl/nieuws/oudste-man-ter-wereld-zaro-aga/
  5. ↑ http://www.gahetna.nl/actueel/nieuws/2012/zaro-a%C4%9Fa-oudste-man-ter-wereld
  6. ↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/35117181
  7. ↑ "‘Modern Methuselah’ Zaro Ağa - Ayşe Hür - Taraf.com.tr - Düşünmek Taraf Olmaktır". 14 February 2015.

Further reading

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