Sultan Kösen is a farmer who hails from Turkey. His claim to fame is thanks to his towering height which has got his name into the Guinness World Record as the tallest man alive. He has a height that places him even taller than basketball stars such as Yao Ming who is considered to be one of the tallest NBA players ever.
He made it into the record books in 2009 when his official height was measured at 8 feet 1 inches. Since then, he has become and celebrity, and although the emphasis has always been on his height, there are also many other interesting things of note about him.
Biography and Early Life Of Sultan Kösen
Sultan Kösen was born on the 10th of December 1982 to his parents Abdulkadir and Camile Kosen in the Southeastern part of Mardin Turkey. The tallest living man was brought up alongside a brother whose name is Hasan Kosen.
Sultan couldn’t complete his education possibly because of his condition as well as the physical and medical problems that come with it like not being able to fit into a normal-sized car, or a classroom, or sit with his peers. More so, he has the fear of his health deteriorating, so he spends most of his time farming.
He also spends most of his time helping his parents around the house like fixing stuff, changing light bulbs, hanging curtains, and others.
Sultan Kösen Is Married To Merve Dibo
Sultan is married to the love of his life Merve Dibo, a Syrian woman who is 10 years younger than him. Also a Muslim like the tallest man, Merve was born and raised in Syria and was there until she finally met Sultan.
The two met through a mutual friend who introduced them. Merve was the person who then had to travel all the way from her country (Syria, Hasaki) to meet up with him in Turkey where their love story began. After dating for a while, they got married on 28 October 2013 when they had an elaborate ceremony of about 1500 guests including family members.
Before meeting Dibo, Sultan had always had the fear that he might never find a wife. This is as other women were scared of him as a result of his height and his giant build. However, his wife revealed that she fell in love with him immediately after she looked into his eyes. She said it was the kindness of his heart that attracted her to him in the first place- though many warned her not to marry him because of his height she did anyway.
At the time they got married, Sultan mentioned that one big problem he has with his marriage is communication. You see his wife Merve speaks only Arabian while her husband on the other hand speaks Turkish so this seems like a problem to them at that time. It is possible that since then the two have been able to work out an effective communication system among each other.
His wife is said to be about two-and-a-half feet shorter than Sultan.
Interesting Facts About The Tallest Man In The World
1. He made it to the Guinness Book in 2009
It was on 25 August 2009, that Sultan Kosen made it into the Guinness World Records as the tallest man alive when he measured 8 feet 1 inch. Before then, the tallest man was Chinese-born Bao Xishun with 7 feet 9 inches.
He would go on to beat his own record in 2011 when he measured 8 feet 2 inches, even though the university of Virginia claimed in 2010 that he was actually over 8 feet 4 inches but was only made shorter by his poor posture and scoliosis, which is a curve in the spine.
He was 26 years old when he became the tallest man and was the first man in 20 years to measure more than 8 feet by the Guinness World Records.
2. His height was due to condition
It is important to point out that the height of Sultan Kösen is not a result of nature. He was birthed with a condition called Gigantism and Acromegaly which is caused by a tumor that affects his pituitary glands. This caused his unusual rapid growth, and poor posture, forcing him to walk with the support of crutches.
3. Sultan Kösen stopped growing in 2012
Although a man is designed to stop growing tall by the age of 18 to 20, Sultan continued growing until the age of 30 after doctors halted his growth in 2012.
He underwent surgery in 2010 at the University of Virginia Medical school where he received Gamma Knife treatment and was also provided with medications to help control the growth of his body. Fortunately, the procedure was successful and it is safe to say that as of 2012 Sultan’s growth was medically stopped.
4. He joined a circus
At some point in 2014 Sultan joined a circus called Magic Circus of Samoa where he participated in several shows traveling all around the world.
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5. Sultan Kösen has another record to his name
Sultan is not only in the Guinness books of record for being the tallest man in the world, his hands and feet are also in the records for the largest with his hands measuring at almost 9inches and his feet at 14 inches long.
6. He stands above the tallest woman in the world
Interestingly, Sultan stands above the tallest woman in the world who is also from Turkey, Rumeysa Gelgi who has a height of 7 feet 0.7 inches. She was recorded in 2021 at the age of 24, by the Guinness World Records as the tallest woman alive. Her height is also due to a condition which is known as Weaver Syndrome which causes one to grow very fast.
In spite of his massive height, Sultan stands shorter than the tallest man to ever live, Robert Pershing Wadlow who had a height of 8 feet 11 inches. However, he is taller than Sandra Elaine Allen, who is the tallest woman to ever live, standing at 7 feet 7 inches tall.
7. How he stands against the shortest man
Sultan stands a long distance from the shortest man in the world, Chandra Bahadur Dangi who stands at only 54.6 cm (21.5 in).
