Sultan Kösen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sultan Kösen
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Kösen in 2009
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| Born | 10 December 1982 Mardin, Turkey
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| Occupation | Farmer |
| Known for | Tallest living man 7th verified tallest person in history |
| Height | 251 cm (8 ft 3 in) |
| Spouse(s) |
Merve Dibo
(m. 2013; div. 2021) |
Sultan Kösen, born on December 10, 1982, is a farmer from Turkey. He holds the amazing Guinness World Record for being the tallest living man! He is 251 cm (8 ft 2.82 in) tall.
Sultan grew so tall because of a special medical condition. He had a small growth, called a tumour, on a part of his brain called the pituitary gland. This gland controls how we grow. Because of his height, Sultan sometimes uses crutches to help him walk.
Contents
Sultan's Life Story
Sultan Kösen was born in a village called Alibey, in the Mardin area of Turkey. He is from a group of people known as Kurdish. Sultan could not finish school because of his height. Instead, he worked as a farmer.
What It's Like to Be So Tall
Sultan has shared some interesting things about being very tall. He says it's great because he can see far away. He can also help his family with chores around the house, like changing light bulbs or hanging curtains.
However, there are also challenges. Sultan finds it hard to buy clothes that fit his long legs, which are 126 cm (49.61 in). His arms need sleeves that are 97 cm (38.19 in) long. Finding shoes that fit his big feet is also tough. His hands are the longest ever measured on a living person, at 28.5 cm (11.2 in). It's also hard for him to fit into a normal-sized car.
Health and Treatment
In 2010, Sultan started getting special treatment for the growth on his pituitary gland. He went to the University of Virginia Medical School. Doctors gave him medicine to control his growth hormone. In March 2012, it was confirmed that the treatment worked! His growth had stopped.
Family Life
In October 2013, Sultan married Merve Dibo, who was from Syria. Sultan once said that a big problem for them was talking to each other. He speaks Turkish, but his wife only spoke Arabic. They divorced in 2021, and the language difference was one of the main reasons.
Meeting the Shortest Man
On November 13, 2014, something very special happened. For Guinness World Records Day, Sultan Kösen met the shortest man ever recorded, Chandra Bahadur Dangi. Chandra was only 54.6 cm (1 ft 9+1⁄2 in) tall. They met in London, and the height difference between them was huge: 196.4 cm (6 ft 5.32 in)!
Traveling the World
In 2014, Sultan joined the Magic Circus of Samoa. He traveled and performed in different shows around the world. In 2022, Sultan celebrated his 40th birthday. He visited the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum in Orlando, Florida, in the United States. There, he posed next to a life-sized statue of Robert Wadlow. Robert Wadlow was the tallest man ever recorded in history, at 272 cm (8 ft 11.1 in).
Amazing Records
Sultan Kösen holds several amazing Guinness World Records because of his height.
- On August 25, 2009, Guinness World Records measured Sultan at 246.4 cm (8 ft 1 in) in his home country. This made him the tallest living man, taking the record from Bao Xishun.
- Sultan also holds the record for the largest hands, which are 27.5 cm (10+7⁄8 in) long.
- He has the second-largest feet in the world. His left foot is 36.5 cm (14+3⁄8 in) long, and his right foot is 35.5 cm (14 in) long.
Updates to His Height
On February 9, 2011, Guinness World Records measured Sultan again. His height was confirmed at 251 cm (8 ft 2+7⁄8 in). They also remeasured his hands, which were now 28 cm (11 in) long, breaking his own previous record!
More About Tall People
- List of tallest people
- Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in recorded history
- Rumeysa Gelgi, the tallest woman alive (also from Turkey)
- Zeng Jinlian, the tallest woman in recorded history
See also
In Spanish: Sultan Kösen para niños
