At 117 years old, Qamile Marra doesn’t worry too much about proving that she is perhaps the oldest woman in the world, nor about convincing the Albanian social security offices that she is not dead. For a woman born under Ottoman rule, who turned 36 two weeks before the end of World War II and who survived the communist dictatorship in Albania, the main goal remains to enjoy life.
“Life is beautiful, like Mount Tomorr in bloom,” he told AFP with a smile, referring to one of Albania’s highest peaks, as he sat outside his house in Ferras, about 100 kilometers south of the capital. Surrounded by fruit trees, Marra has spent almost her entire life in this village, growing her own produce and caring for livestock. “You live as long as God has decreed,” he said, his deeply wrinkled face framed by the traditional white handkerchief on his head.
Two days older than Britain’s Ethel Caterham
According to the date of birth reported on various official documents – 19 August 1909 – Marra would be two days older than the British Ethel Caterham, recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest living woman in the world. Determining with certainty the age of “supercentenarians” can prove complex.
According to a study that won the 2024 Ig Nobel Prize – a recognition given to unusual scientific research – many of the people known for their extreme longevity come from areas where record-keeping is poor and cases of fraud against the pension system are frequent.
However, Marra has extensive documentation that appears to confirm his age. His family contacted the Guinness Book of Records, showing a birth certificate issued in 1945, a passport from 1978 and a recent identity card: all documents show the same date of birth.
The pension suspended for one hundred years
His longevity took even the local authorities by surprise, who stopped providing him with a pension when he reached his hundredth birthday, according to his eighty-year-old son, Hysen. “They didn’t believe my mother was still alive,” she said, recalling how she had to provide evidence, including testimonies from other people, to get the meager benefits to be paid again. Earlier this month, the government granted her a special state pension in recognition of her age.
The secret of longevity
The secret? Perhaps the answer lies in Marra’s habits and lifestyle. He gets up early to sweep the yard, water the flowers and feed the chickens, before sitting down to enjoy his favorite coffee. She still loves taking walks in her orchard, looked after with great care, together with her son who lives with her; along the way, he stops to pick ripe pomegranates.
Furthermore, she usually puts basil leaves in her pocket to “enjoy the scent”. Whatever the secret, her son says the woman never even went to a doctor. “He is in good health and has never taken any medication.”
Seven children and five generations
Marra’s husband passed away 36 years ago, but she still smiles when she talks about the decades they spent together: an arranged marriage, yet full of love. “Otherwise, how could I have had seven children with him?” she says. Today he has seen five generations of his family grow up around him. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered family and friends who are no longer here, but her face lit up when a niece called for a chat.
“I saw them get engaged, married and build a home and a life of their own,” he says. “When I see people coming and going around the house, I’m very happy.” She has only one photograph of her youth: an image almost a century old that portrays a young woman with a white scarf, identical to the one she herself wears. «I was 18!», he exclaims.