Syrian centenarian Aush Glishan Glishan passed away at the age of 124, during which she witnessed both the Ottoman rule and the French mandate in Syria. Aush Glishan Glishan, the oldest resident in the eastern region of Syria, known locally as "Daya Aush" in the rural areas of Raqqa province, was born in the village of Kdaro in the town of Debsi Afnan, located 125 kilometers west of Raqqa city, in 1910. According to her ID card, obtained decades ago, her family claims she received it after turning ten, as there were no official registration offices for Syrians during the Ottoman period, especially in the desert and remote regions.
One of her grandchildren, Nasser Jad'an Al-Moussa, born in 1976, stated that his grandmother "lived for about 124 years, spending more than half of that time as a widow after her husband, Jad'an Al-Moussa, passed away around 62 years ago." She had over 100 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. For more than 60 years, she worked as a midwife, known locally as "Daya", helping deliver babies, and also worked in agriculture until 2012, when a leg injury prevented her from performing her duties.
Nasser added that throughout those years, his grandmother consistently helped the poor and needy from her village and over ten surrounding villages, often traveling on foot or by horse-drawn cart to assist women in childbirth for free. She also engaged in farming and sheep herding while raising eight children (six daughters and two sons) after becoming a widow in 1960. The burden of years took a toll on her health after the deaths of six of her children and her leg injury, which confined her to bed for the last 12 years of her life. Her two daughters and granddaughter took care of her until her recent passing in her home in Kdaro, Debsi Afnan, west of Raqqa, while she remained mentally alert.
Nasser shared that his grandmother would narrate timeless human, social, and tribal stories and held a vast memory of Bedouin poetry. She lived through significant historical events, including the forced conscription of Syrians into the Ottoman army during World War I in 1914, the French mandate until the French withdrawal in 1946, and the construction of massive dams in Raqqa and the region's urban development. She also experienced the war in Syria, which brought many factions and terrorist organizations, the latest being the terrorist group ISIS, until her village was liberated by the Syrian Arab Army and its allies in the Russian army.
Nasser added, "My grandmother lived over 100 years of her life raising sheep and farming. She performed the Hajj pilgrimage at the age of 80 when she was in good health and had a sharp memory. Throughout her life, she followed a strict natural diet consisting of sheep’s milk, its derivatives, flatbread, and Arabic ghee. She never suffered from any chronic illness and rarely used medical drugs unless absolutely necessary."
