Longevity
A land of long-livers: Shirali Muslimov, the Museum of Longevity and the secret of long life.
Where people live longest
Lerik became famous around the world as a land of long-livers. In the mountain villages of the district, people who passed the hundred-year mark lived from generation to generation, and Lerik became one of the symbols of human longevity alongside the other 'blue zones' of the planet.
A man who lived 168 years
Lerik's most famous long-liver was the shepherd Shirali Muslimov from the village of Barzavu. According to legend and the Guinness Book of Records, he lived 168 years — from 1805 to 1973 — herding flocks in the mountains all his life, working in the open air and eating simple village food. His exact age is not documented, but the name of Muslimov has become a legend of longevity.
The ingredients of a long life
Mountain air
The clean, cool air of the highlands, without city dust or haste.
Spring water
Cold water straight from the mountain springs — drunk every day.
Simple food
Milk, herbs, honey, greens and natural village food from one's own yard.
A way of life
Physical work in the open air, movement in the mountains and an unhurried, calm rhythm.
The Museum of Longevity
In the town of Lerik works the Museum of Longevity, one of a kind. Its exhibition is devoted to the long-livers of the district: their photographs, personal belongings and life stories. The museum keeps the memory of people for whom a hundred years was no limit.
The secret is simple: the mountains, work and calm — and so year after year, a whole century.