Sultan Kösen (born 10 December 1982) is a Turkish farmer who holds the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for tallest living male at . Of

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

ethnicity, he is the seventh-tallest man in history. Kösen's growth resulted from the conditions

gigantism Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...

and

acromegaly Acromegaly is a disorder that results from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There may also be an enlargement of the forehead, jaw, and nose. Other ...

, caused by a

tumour A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

affecting his

pituitary gland In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland, about the size of a chickpea and weighing, on average, in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The ...

. Due to his condition, he uses

crutch A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. History Crutc ...

es to walk.

Biography

Kösen, a Turkish man of ethnic

descent, was born in the village of Alibey in

Mardin Province Mardin Province ( tr, Mardin ili; ku, Parêzgeha Mêrdînê; ar, محافظة ماردين) is a province of Turkey with a population of 809,719 in 2017, slightly down from the population of 835,173 in 2000. Kurds form the majority of the popu ...

of Turkey. Kösen was unable to complete his education because of his height; he instead worked part-time as a farmer. He describes the advantages of being tall as being able to see a great distance and being able to help his family with domestic tasks such as changing

light bulbs An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...

and hanging

curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium ...

. He lists disadvantages as not being able to find clothes for his legs measuring and for his arms with a sleeve length measuring or

shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...

that fit (his once record-breaking length of for left and for right foot, whereas his hands are the longest measured in a living person at ), as well as finding it difficult to fit into an average-sized car. Starting in 2010, Kösen received

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is surgery using radiation, that is, the destruction of precisely selected areas of tissue (biology), tissue using ionizing radiation rather than excision with a blade. Like other forms of radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) ...

treatment for his pituitary tumour at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Medical School and was provided with medication to control his excessive levels of

growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...

. It was confirmed in March 2012 that the treatment was effective in halting Kösen's growth. In October 2013, Kösen married

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

-born Merve Dibo, who is ten years younger than him. In an interview, he said that his biggest problem with his wife is communication, as he spoke

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

but his wife spoke only

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

. The pair divorced in 2021 citing the language barrier as one of the key problems. Kösen hopes to marry another woman someday. On 13 November 2014, as part of Guinness World Records Day, Kösen met, for the first time, the world's shortest man ever,

Chandra Bahadur Dangi Chandra Bahadur Dangi (30 November 1939 – 3 September 2015) ( ne, चन्द्रबहादुर डाँगी}, , or ) was a Nepali man who was the shortest man in recorded history measuring . Dangi was a primordial dwarf. He broke ...

(, at an event in London. In 2014, Kösen joined the Magic Circus of

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

and participated in various shows around the world. Kösen turned 40 years old on 10 December 2022. He celebrated his

birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many relig ...

a few days early by visiting the

Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, and posing next to a life-sized statue of

Robert Wadlow Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 July 15, 1940), also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, was an American man who was the tallest person in recorded history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He was born and raise ...

, the tallest man ever, at 272 cm (8 ft 11.1 in).

Records

On 25 August 2009, Kösen's standing height was recorded at in his home country by ''Guinness World Records'', overtaking former world record holder Bao Xishun, who stands tall. Kösen also holds the current Guinness record for the largest hands, at , and the second-largest feet: (left foot) and (right foot). On 25 August 2010, according to the

, a height of up to had been confirmed by doctors, who stated that this might be Kösen's actual height, artificially lowered by scoliosis and bad posture. On 9 February 2011, Kösen was remeasured by ''Guinness World Records'' at . They also remeasured his hands at , which broke his previous record.

References

External links

Dünyanın en uzun insanı bir Türk – NTV

The Tallest Man in the world
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosen, Sultan 1982 births Living people People with gigantism People from Mardin World record holders Turkish Kurdish people