Barzavu
Encyclopedia
Barzavu is a village and municipality in the Lerik Rayon of Azerbaijan
, a hilly region near the Iranian border. It is 150 miles south of Baku
, and has a population of 637.
It is known as the hometown of Shirali Muslimov (aka Mislimov), an ethnic Talysh
shepherd who was believed by some to have been the oldest man that ever lived. Though he had no birth certificate, the date of birth given in his passport was 1805, which, if true, would make him 168 when he died in 1973. The area has been studied by experts who agree that centenarians are unusually common in the area.
The area and its largely Talysh inhabitants suffered from a major earthquake in 1998 but the nearby town of Lerik contains a history museum, a Karabakh War memorial and a hotel. The countryside around the town is celebrated for its beauty and scenery.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, a hilly region near the Iranian border. It is 150 miles south of Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, and has a population of 637.
It is known as the hometown of Shirali Muslimov (aka Mislimov), an ethnic Talysh
Talysh people
Talysh are an Iranian people indigenous to a region shared between Azerbaijan and Iran which spans the South Caucasus and the southwestern shore of the Caspian Sea. They speak the Talysh language, one of the Northwestern Iranian languages...
shepherd who was believed by some to have been the oldest man that ever lived. Though he had no birth certificate, the date of birth given in his passport was 1805, which, if true, would make him 168 when he died in 1973. The area has been studied by experts who agree that centenarians are unusually common in the area.
The area and its largely Talysh inhabitants suffered from a major earthquake in 1998 but the nearby town of Lerik contains a history museum, a Karabakh War memorial and a hotel. The countryside around the town is celebrated for its beauty and scenery.