CNN
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There are many travel destinations around the world famous for the longevity of their residents.
In Japan, Okinawa's centenarians have earned it the nickname “Land of Immortality.” Campodimele, Italy's “village of eternity,” is a testament to the Mediterranean diet. A community of Seventh-day Adventists reaps the rewards of clean living in the sunny California town of Loma Linda.
There's a corner of the planet with longevity that you probably haven't heard much about, and it's home to the world's only longevity museum. This is Lerik in southern Azerbaijan.
The South Caucasus country has several regions known to produce triple-digit populations, including Lankaran and Nagorno-Karabakh. However, another Lerik is known to have the highest concentration of centenarians.
In this emerald land, high above the clouds of the Talysh Mountains, after a twisting road, people seem to have discovered the secret to a long and healthy life.
Built in 1991 and renovated in 2010, the two-room Longevity Museum features more than 2,000 exhibits documenting the lives and memories of the area's oldest residents.
It charts an individual's lifespan through end-of-life household items, such as an iron spanning three generations. There are boxes full of headscarves and shirts, silver jugs and crockery, beautifully knitted socks and hand-dyed rugs that are still brightly colored despite their age.
And there are also letters written in Azerbaijani and Russian. This is a personal artifact that is so old that the ink has started to fade.
Perhaps most eye-catching are the portraits of centenarians that fill the museum's walls. This image, taken in the 1930s, was donated by French photographer Frederic Lachop.
Museums and official Azerbaijani statistics define “100 years and older” more loosely than expected. In this case, it means everyone over 90 years of age.
However, in 1991, out of Rerick's population of 63,000, there were more than 200 people registered as being over 100 years old.
Since then the numbers have been less impressive. Local residents variously blame radiation and environmental degradation from telecommunication towers, but stricter record keeping could easily bring them down.
Currently, there are 11 people over 100 years old out of the local population of 83,800.
![Is this the world's oldest man? Probably not.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/191204223702-museum-of-longevity-10.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Relic's current oldest citizen is Raji Ibrahimova, who is 105 years old. It's a good vintage, but nothing compared to the age of the region's most famous centenarian, Shepard Sirali Muslumov, who is believed to have lived to be 168.
The yellow page of his passport says he was born in 1805, and his tombstone says he died in 1973. If true, he would be the oldest person ever.
Unfortunately, there are no records confirming when he was born, as in the early 19th century births were rarely registered in remote villages such as Barzavu, where he was born.
The numerous letters sent from all over the world on his various birthdays leave no doubt that he was indeed of a very respectable age, but it is best to consider a margin of error of at least 20 years.
Among those with whom Muslumov corresponded was Vietnamese Communist leader Ho Chi Minh, who sent him a postcard with an affectionate greeting: “To my grandfather.”
This longevity gene appears to run in families. His 95-year-old daughter, Halima Qambarova, told CNN Travel that if she doesn't live to 168 like her father, she hopes to at least live to 150 like her grandfather or 130 like her aunt. .
When the weather gets colder, most centenarians migrate to the more temperate coastal province of Lankaran, but CNN Travel took a trip to my father's modest two-story home (perhaps a contemporary), surrounded by giant apple and pear trees. At the time of my visit, Qambarova was still in Barzavu, the village of Lerik. her famous father).
Dressed in a shawl and sitting by the window, she speaks with a slight accent, often switching to her native language, Talysh. Talysh is a dialect spoken by just 200,000 people and classified as “vulnerable” by UNESCO.
Her passport does not show her date or month of birth, only the year: 1924. Although she is 95 years old, she remains intact and chats with her great-grandchildren, displaying a lively sense of humor. When asked how old she was, she cheerfully replied, “15.”
“Stillness of the mind is part of their secret,” says the museum guide. “They avoid stress, think very philosophically about life, and take each day at a time without much planning or worry about the future.”
Good nutrition and natural remedies
![Halima Qanbarova is a young 95-year-old. She is said to have lived to be 150 years old, her father to be 168, and her aunt to be 130.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/191204222501-halima-qanbarova-95-years-old1.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Qambarova's day begins at dawn. She doesn't oversleep. “I wake up as soon as I open my eyes,” she says.
She spends most of her day working in the garden or around the house. Her room is small, with a thick, soft carpet on the floor and pillows. Many people here prefer to sleep on the floor with a thin blanket instead of a mattress, as they believe it is the healthiest way to rest their backs.
Contrary to popular belief, Rerik's centenarians eat meat, but have inherited a preference for fresh dairy products such as shor (cottage cheese), butter, milk, and the yogurt drink ayran. Because of the economic situation.
Qambarova's daughter-in-law brings a platter of pears and apples from the garden and aromatic tea.
You can feel the herbal, flowery, and refreshing scent. Back at the museum, our guide shows us a table with a variety of herbs unique to Rerick.
“The secret to longevity is good nutrition, minerals in spring water and herbs added to tea to prevent disease, so there is no need to take medicine and only use natural remedies,” the guide says. In fact, Qambarova claims she has never taken any medication.
Beyond her window, the town may seem quiet and serene. But the physical labor the villagers put in every day is enormous. From sunrise to sunset, they work in gardens and fields, as well as around the house. They sew, knit, and care for their large families.
This was the lifestyle of 103-year-old Mammadkhan Abbasov from the village of Jangamiran. Sitting on the carpet across from the window, the 100-year-old man has almost completely lost his eyesight and barely hears his son say that a guest has arrived, but when he finally catches on, he begins to sing and offer prayers and good wishes.
Next to Abbasov is his great-grandson. There is a difference of 100 years between them.
Like Qambarova, Abbasov was a busy villager his entire life, working in the fields until his eyesight began to fail about seven years ago.
![Lerik demonstrates the benefits of fresh mountain air.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/191204222827-lerik-landscape.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
“He was always a good person and lived his life right,” his son said.
When it comes to food, he eats “everything God gives him,” with only one restriction: no alcohol.
Abbasov attributes his longevity to daily physical activity sufficient to challenge the body but not to the point of exhaustion.
He would drink liters of ice-cold spring water, rich in minerals said to promote longevity, along with the good nutrients from produce.
Mountain altitude can also be a factor in causing headaches.
A 2017 study from the University of Navarra in Spain found that living at high altitudes reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. A 2011 study from the University of Colorado Denver found that these sky-high residents live longer.
The ages of these famous centenarians are still debated, but here in Lerik their legacy lives on through those who still follow the simple secret of Lerik's longevity: physical activity, good nutrition, plenty of water, and an attitude toward life. It's alive. Say: We live only once. But if you live it right, once is enough.
Longevity Museum, 22 A.Asadullayev street, Lerik, Azerbaijan; (025) 274-47-11