Zaro Aga

Zaro Aga (claimed 1777?- 6 May 1933) was a Turkish-Kurdish man who was believed to be one of the longest-living humans ever. His was believed to be born between 1774 and 1777, and died on 29 June 1934 in Istanbul, Turkey. He was allegedly aged 157 when he died, and thus claimed to be one of the longest-living humans ever.

Biography
He was born at an uncertain date in Medan village (present-day: Meydan) in Mutki (Bitlis Province, Ottoman Empire), worked as a construction worker when he was young, and then moved to Istanbul, where he worked as a porter for more than 150 years and finally retired as a janitor. He was a major attraction to press during his last years as the world's oldest living man and one who had traveled to many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Italy. His body was sent to the US for research purposes after he died.

Zaro Aga had come into Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's presence twice and called him "Sultan". Turkish newspaper Taraf claimed that when Zaro met with Mustafa Kemal, he mentioned his having done very good jobs, but he allegedly criticized his giving much freedom to the women.

Debate
There is a debate as to his actual age when he died. According to the death certificate given by his Turkish doctor, Zaro Aga's age was 157. He died in Istanbul, although there exists some confusion about the death place, probably because the body was sent to the US right after his death. However, an investigation report published by Walter Bowermann in 1939 indicated that Zaro Aga was around 97, not 157. The investigation wasn't however reliable.