Kurd from Rojhelat confirmed as world’s shortest man

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Guinness World Records on Wednesday announced that it had confirmed a Kurdish man, measuring 65.24 cm,  from western Iran (Rojhelat) as the shortest man in the world.

Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh, 20, is from the Kurdish city of Bukan. The Guinness World Records said on its website that it measured Ghaderzadeh three times over the course of 24 hours in Dubai, “resulting in the accurate record height.”

“He is almost 7 cm (2.7 in) shorter than the previous record holder, 36-year-old Edward ‘Niño’ Hernandez (Colombia),” said the records body.  

Ghaderzadeh’s parents accompanied him to Dubai. His father, Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh, was cited by the website as saying that his son does not have mental issues but his “continuing treatment and my son’s physical weakness are the main reasons why he stopped studying.” 

The new shortest man in the world has been unable to attend school but has recently learnt how to write his name. 

The tallest man in the world, Sultan Kosen, is also a Kurd. He is from the Kurdish province of Mardin province in southeast Turkey (Bakur).