JEDDAH, 21 December 2003 — Namsha Muhammad Al-Nazih, from the southern Asir region, is the world’s oldest woman at 132, Al-Watan Arabic daily claimed. The paper said Namsha is 16 years older than a Chinese woman who is currently named in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest woman.
Namsha, who was born in 1871 in Aqeda village, 50 km north of Dhahran Al-Janoub, lives in a mud brick house and enjoys good health. However, her memory is almost gone and she can move only with the help of relatives.
One of her grandsons, Ahmed Al-Hajri, told the paper he saw his grandmother go to hospital only once — for an eye operation about 20 years ago. Her diet consists mostly of wheat, corn, butter, dates and milk, the grandson said, adding Namsha ate meat only sparingly. “She has never eaten any canned food,” he said.
Rashid ibn Mubarak Al-Qahtani, 80, one of her sons-in-law, said Namsha prayed five times a day and observed Ramadan fasting punctiliously. “She never watches television and sleeps about 10 hours a day,” he added.
