Gaby
Not many people have heard of the town of Lerik in southern Azerbaijan. However, it is renowned for its exceptionally high concentration of centenarians. Rumor has it that residents of this area live to be 130 and even 168 years old.
Nestled in the Talysh Mountains, Lerik is home to the world’s only Museum of Longevity. This is hardly surprising, as the mountain dwellers of Azerbaijan have their own unique recipe for a long and healthy life, according to CNN.
Established in 1991, the Museum of Longevity houses over two thousand exhibits. It showcases household items and memories from the oldest residents of the region. In the year the museum opened, Lerik District, which had a population of 63,000 at the time, recorded more than 200 individuals over the age of 100.
The museum’s collection is rich with artifacts from various eras: irons, jugs, scarves, shirts, socks, and rugs. Handcrafted textiles have retained their colors to this day. The walls are adorned with photographic portraits of centenarians, whom the locals take great pride in. These works, dating back to the 1930s, were created and gifted to the community by French photographer Frédéric Lachop.
According to museum records, the most famous centenarian from Lerik was shepherd Shirali Muslimov. He passed away at the age of 168 (!). On the yellowed pages of his passport, you can see his birth year: 1805. His gravestone indicates that he died in 1973. If this is indeed true, he would have been the oldest person to ever live on Earth.
Shirali Muslimov’s passport (
However, in the early 19th century, newborns in such remote settlements were rarely registered. So, some may find the birth date rather questionable. Yet, the people of Lerik are confident that the information about the shepherd is accurate.
Shirali Muslimov (
In defense of the museum’s legend, numerous letters were sent from around the world to celebrate Shirali Muslimov’s birthdays. They attest that he indeed reached a remarkably respected age. The museum believes that the minimum acceptable margin of error could be 20 years.
Khalima Kanbarova, Shirali Muslimov’s daughter (
The shepherd’s descendants have inherited the genes of longevity. For instance, his daughter Khalima, born in 1924 (when her father was well over a hundred), told reporters that she plans to live, if not to 168 like her father, then at least to 150 like her grandfather, or to 130 like her aunt.
The Ingredients of Longevity
There are many places on our planet known for their centenarians, and each explains this phenomenon through different factors. For example, the residents of Okinawa, Japan – the “Land of the Immortals” – attribute their longevity to a balanced diet and a wise approach to life. Meanwhile, the population of Campodimele, Italy – the “Village of Eternity” – credits their long lives to a Mediterranean diet.
As for the residents of Lerik, they prefer to sleep on the floor, using a thin sheet instead of a mattress. They believe this promotes healthy sleep and allows the back to rest properly.
The local centenarians eat meat, fruits, and fresh dairy products – such as sour cream, butter, milk, and ayran. They also drink plenty of mineral-rich spring water and nourishing herbal teas. When you add daily physical labor in the fresh mountain air, the recipe for Lerik’s longevity is still not complete.
The highest number of centenarians is recorded among mountain dwellers (
In the town, it is said that the secret to longevity also lies in a “peace of mind.” According to museum staff, the locals stay away from stress, view life philosophically, and live in the present.
Interestingly, a study conducted in 2017 by the University of Navarra (Spain) showed that living at high altitudes reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Additionally, research by American scientists from the University of Colorado in Denver has proven that mountain people live longer than other humans.
