Meet Kurdistan's 123-year-old living across three centuries
Mam Osman shares that he has spent his entire life in the village, maintaining a diet of natural and local products. Until recent years, he consumed only animal fat for cooking.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Mam (the Kurdish word for uncle which is used to show respect to the elderly) Osman Abdinia, a resident of Pir Bahadin village near Bokan in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran), known as "the man of three centuries," continues to walk his village streets at the remarkable age of 123, maintaining both his mobility and memory.
According to a report published by IRNA news agency, officials had planned to feature Abdinia during World Elderly Day celebrations.
He is known in his village as a respected elder who has maintained a tradition of hospitality, welcoming travelers and strangers to Pir Bahadin village.
Abdinia is father to five children and grandfather to 83 grandchildren, with a recent addition to the family.
His wife Khendan, who was also his cousin, passed away ten years ago. He currently lives with his youngest son Ismail and maintains good health, with only some hearing difficulties.
According to his own account, in his youth, he became a devoted follower (murid) of a local Sheikh and completed a challenging 40-night spiritual retreat of prayer and meditation.
"We were a group of young men who entered the retreat. Though it was difficult, a few of us succeeded in completing the full 40 nights, while others withdrew in the first week," he recalls.
Mam Osman shares that he has spent his entire life in the village, maintaining a diet of natural and local products. Until recent years, he consumed only animal fat for cooking.
His sole unfulfilled wish remains performing the Hajj pilgrimage, which he hasn't yet been able to undertake.