世界一背の低い男性と一日を過ごしました

世界一背の低い男性と一日を過ごしました

This is Afshan. He’s 23 years old and stands at just two feet tall. Despite his positive attitude, even the smallest of tasks can be a big inconvenience. He’s been bullied by his peers, rejected by schools, and denied job opportunities because of his height. So what is life really like in a world designed for people three times his size? To find out, I’m heading to Afshan’s village in western Iran to spend a day in his shoes. We’ve been driving for two whole days across Irani Kurdistan and we have finally arrived in the small town of Bukhan, where no tourists ever come. And the world’s shortest man lives in a small village about 20 minutes away from here. So right now we’re buying some gifts in the shop for him and his family and we’re about to roll up and this is for sure going to be one of the most emotional and interesting stories that I’ve ever told. Kurdistan is an unofficial region that stretches across parts of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and right here in Iran. The Kurds are actually the largest ethnic group in the world without a country of their own and as it turns out, the world’s shortest man is one of them. I don’t know his exact address, so my friend Amin and I are hitting the streets to ask around and hopefully someone can point us in the right direction. We’ve just entered the village. Now we got to find his house. You must ask. We can’t find the house so we’re asking around. A little bit of chaos here trying to find the house. Do you know where Qaderzadeh’s house is? She knows. That’s the dad? That’s the dad. Okay, a little bit of a chaotic entrance to find his house but I think we found it. We’ve got his dad. Nice to meet you. I can just say that this gentleman is very, very kind. Very genuine. Hello, hello. Why do they touch their face? You actually put the hand on the eyes. We have an expression in some parts of Iran. Literally, it means that we are happy that you step on our eyes. Which means that you’re most welcome to our place. Nice. We got like half the village following us. It’s so beautiful out here. It’s like mountainous. We got the town of Bukan right there where we just came from. But it’s beautiful up here. Salaam, salaam. Hey buddy. Salaam. Salaam, salaam. How are you? How are you? Khoobi? Khoobam. Khoobam. Salaam Afshin. This is Ebi. Thank you, thank you. So I came here. I just want to meet you and hang out and spend a day in your life. So whatever you want to do, I’m interested in. Merci. Thank you. He says that I’m okay. You like the Los Angeles Lakers? Basketball? Basketball. Cute. Afshin, your village is really, really beautiful. Like the views of the mountains and you can see Bukan. It’s like really nice. He says that Kurdistan is beautiful. But unfortunately, the facilities and equipment is not that much here. All right, Afshin is going to give me a little tour inside of his house. It’s really, really nice in here. It’s very white. A lot of rugs. What does a day in your life look like? He has a friend. Sometimes they do some videos together for their page. Most of the time, he plays with the neighbors and friends around. He loves to marry, but his dad doesn’t agree with that. How about the man get married? His dad’s saying that he needs to have a house first and then marry, you know? Have his own house. They receive lots of guests here, but their house is small. He would like to get a bigger house in town so more people can come and visit. We’re just chilling in his living room. Mom’s walking by. Ladies are cooking in the back. And oh, cool. It’s out of charge. One guy, he’s, I mean, fixing motorbikes in Bukan. Made it for him. It’s out of charge. And he’s off. He’s giggling so much. Cruising around the house. It’s cool that they made it. Awesome. Let’s go. He says, let’s go. Okay, I’m coming. He waits for me to get up. See that? He doesn’t move until I get up. Okay. That’s what I love about the culture out here is like, everyone just sits on a rug and just hangs out. It’s really chill. In Turkish Kurdistan, I met Sultan Kosan, who’s the world’s tallest man. He knows him? Yeah, and he likes to meet him as well. Yeah, he’s 2.3 or 4 meters. So Afshin has two Guinness World Records. The first one here, it was awarded in Dubai for being the shortest living man alive. Measured at two feet, one inches. And the other one, it’s the smallest hands on a human. Could you tell me a little bit about Kurdish culture and what does being Kurdish mean to you? He says that we are all Iranian there. Doesn’t matter that they are sect in religion, they are following. We are just like brothers and we are human. So it sounds like they’re not nationalistic for Kurdistan. Exactly. Afshin, what does it mean for you to be Kurdish? Courts are really nice and it’s an honor for him to be a court. I think Kurdish people are some of the nicest in the world. What’s going on here is they offered to cook us dinner and we were like, no, no, we can take you out somewhere. And now they’re insisting that we stay here and eat. Then I said, why don’t we go to the market and buy food? Yeah, and the gentleman said, no way, that everything is available at home. You don’t need to do that. And we will prepare everything for you. That’s just the hospitality here, you know. Afshin, if you could say any message to Americans and anybody watching this video, what would you tell them? As the family gets ready to cook, we have some free time. So Afshin wants to take me around his neighborhood where everybody knows him. He’s showing me the town. Oh, there he is. Hello. Afshin’s dad’s driving and we’re rolling around town. He keeps giggling. All right, we just made it to the main part of town. Eh? They know him and they follow him on Instagram. Really? Oh, so cute. I’m from America. Here, look at this. Look at, look at this. He shoots a ball. Is that a boy? I’m sure he’s better than you. Yeah, I suck. American doesn’t know anything about soccer. Good job, buddy. Oh, Ronaldo. Look, bro. Chris Ronaldo, you know that when he scores a goal, he does like this. You like Ronaldo? Tell me about Afshin. You live in the same village, so what’s he like? They think that he’s really cute and he’s really fun and he’s a very nice guy. It’s a nice seat you got there. Best seat in the house. Can you tell me what it was like when Afshin was born and you realized that he had a condition? So when he was born, he was only 100 grams. 100 grams? 100 grams. They did lots of tests and things like that. Finally, after 17 years, he could grow to almost 64 centimeters and 6.5 kilograms. He’s weighing now. It must have been very difficult when he was born for you and your family. So tell me about how you felt and maybe some of the struggles that you had growing up. The main difficulty was that when they understood the situation, the way to cure him was really expensive. They spent 10 months out of 12 months of a year mostly in hospitals and clinics. And the problem was that they used to live in a village far from everywhere, so they didn’t receive any support from the organization. They have to pay everything from their own pocket. But did they ever find out the reason why that he was born so small? The doctors told them that the main problem was because of genetic problems, because he and Afshin’s mother, they were close relatives married. Oh, really? So he married his cousin? Yeah, cousin. When you were growing up, some of the schools here in town, I heard, didn’t allow you to go there and you had a lot of difficulties like kind of mingling with the other people. Tell me about some of the hardships you had growing up. They took him to a school, but unfortunately, they didn’t accept that actually. But now when they moved to this village, the teachers at the school here, they teach him. So now he has graduated from second grade, and this year in September, he goes to the third grade. His classroom mates are like 10. The teacher takes him to the office and teaches him privately. Afshin, what are some of your hopes and dreams and goals as you get older? He says that he wished that he could start earlier to learn his lessons. He’s sad that he couldn’t start earlier his school. She says that he’s really talented. He, you know, that immediately remembers and memorize the phone number, for example. Tell me about Afshin. How many do you say he started? She says that he regularly goes and visits his place, his family. She says that most of the people of the village, they really love him. The people of the village call him Muhammad. Because he’s like the prophet? Yeah, probably. Can I call you Muhammad? This is amazing. Look at this. We just random house in the village. Thank you. She says that he’s very good in memorizing things. He’s always happy, smiles to people, and everybody loves him here. It’s really nice to see how well received he is among the community. Everybody that sees him, they like him, speaks really highly of him. And it’s a really amazing village that he lives in. Everyone’s super friendly. It’s difficult for Afshin to walk more than a few steps. So he kind of just latches on. It’s what he’s used to. And we’re cruising around village right now. There’s not a whole lot going on. It’s kind of a sleepy town. But nice people everywhere. Friendly faces. Salaam, salaam. They’re calling him Muhammad. They really do call him Muhammad. I need help. They said that they asked where you are from. And he said you are from United States of America. And they said that tell him welcome to our place. Behind us is one of the only shops in the whole town. Afshin, pick out some things that we can bring to home. He likes watermelon. Watermelon. Let’s go. How is this a watermelon? This is a different type of watermelon. I’ve never seen a watermelon that looks like this. We’re going to bring this one to your house. All right. Tell him whatever he likes. What do you want? What do you want? Choose whatever you want. He’s a typical Iranian man. He’s just small. That’s it. How are you? I’m fine. Thank you. You know Afshin? Yes, I know. Tell me about him. He’s just small. But he’s so smart. He’s a singer. And he plays football. He’s a singer? Yes. How long do you know him? How many years? For two years. Two years. Yes. You can see Afshin just in his element hanging out with the kids in town. And they love him. He loves them. It’s really, really special to witness. Seriously. Salaam. Salaam. How are you? Afshin wants to take me to Bukan, the nearby town just 20 minutes away. And I’m curious to see what life is like beyond his village. Before we continue our journey, I have a and his father. It’s funny how when they’re walking in public, you see people make eye contact, and they recognize them, but they’re too shy to ask for a picture. We’re checking Mohammed to get a fresh haircut here. Looking nice and clean. What do you think about this? Words cannot describe. He’s cute, but at the same time, when you follow his life, you feel sorry at the same time, because he misses lots of things that normal people can’t do. But look at his face. He’s happy. He’s smiling. Mohammed, how do you feel? It feels very good, and he’s happy with his barber. How do you always stay so happy? You’re always giggling and smiling. He says that I’m always happy. I’m always happy. He’s happy because people love him, actually. His father just picked up a buzzer and just started shaving in the corner over there. The Kurdish man has a very nice mustache, all of them, like very thick. You got to keep it nicely groomed. What’s amazing about Mohammed is everything about him is normal, as if he’s one of your friends. He just happens to be really small. Good haircut. He doesn’t accept me to pay because he says that he never gets money from me. Salam, how are you? I’m fine, how are you? Good. Fresh. Got to be careful crossing the street because he’s really fragile, clearly, so just got to protect him a little bit. Hello. What is the best and the worst part about being small? The difficult part for him is he’s not able to get a job. He’s not able to work, have his own income. He likes to be just like a normal guy. He can work and, you know, actually earn money, but it’s impossible for him. Now, what’s the best part? He’s well known right now, but he would like that everywhere in the world knows him, not only in Bukhan and in Ahmadabad, the towns around here, everywhere in Iran and also in other countries. Hopefully through this video, you’ll get more well known. What kind of job would you like to have? He likes football and movies a lot, so he would like to be actually a football player or an actor, especially, you know, to play a role in international movies or an engineer. Engineer. You’re very smart. I can see that happening. Everybody knows him. Mohammed, you’re a superstar. See, everyone’s taking pictures. There’s about 15 people, like, all wanting to take pictures with him right here. This guy’s carrying an actual baby, and this is a 23-year-old option. You can see the perspective here. This baby’s 10 months and he’s 23. Just cruising around town. Yep, Bukhan. It’s actually a bustling place. There’s a lot going on here. Mohammed, how does it feel to be the most famous person in town? He’s happy. Which one do you like? I mean, those would probably fit him better, but… Too big. Let’s get a smaller one. Good? All right, let’s get him one. One million riyals for the sunglasses, which is about a dollar? About two dollars. This is 500,000 riyals, and this is 500,000 riyals. So one million together. Merci. Merci. Thank you. It’s been a pretty incredible day so far, hanging around Bukhan with Mohammed and his father. But now it is time to eat. It is about noon, and if there’s one thing that I love about Iran, it is the kebabs. And Mohammed has taken me to his favorite kebab restaurant. Here we go. Follow me. All right, so we got his Zamzam. What is that? Zamzam is Iranian Coke. Imagine getting a Coke bottle served to you when you’re sitting down and it’s like up to your head. Crazy. Can you eat all this, buddy? That’s a big portion. All right, so we got minced lamb kebab here, which is just the classic Iranian food with grilled tomatoes and flatbread. How does he eat? Does he do it himself or his father does it? His father helps. Every kebab. This is one of the best. He’s asking what kind of food you have in the U.S. We have really unhealthy food. We have burgers, sandwiches, cheesesteaks, and then like steak. We really like our steak. He would like to visit us. We would love to have you. He says that if he goes there, he won’t come back here. He may be small, but one thing’s for sure, Afshin can eat. After a delicious kebab, we’re heading to the tailor to see how the world’s shortest man finds his clothes. Right now, Mohammed is getting fit for a traditional Kurdish outfit. They’re taking all of his measurements. Mohammed, what color do you want? He wants the white one. He says which model he likes. We are going to measure Mohammed. Step on it. 63 centimeters. With shoes on. Let me see your hands. 6.5 centimeters. The gentleman is joking with him and he says that you have to have your wife feed yourself because they are filming you. And I said that we are arranging a marriage for him. He really likes to get married. Someday, inshallah. Mohammed, I see that, you know, in order to get around, you’re mostly carried by your father. Is it difficult to walk? No. He says that after walking for a while, then he feels tired. After walking for a while. And his dad also, he likes to, you know, have it in his arms. Yeah, it’s almost like it’s so natural for the father just to carry him around everywhere. Ismail, how do you feel that your son gets so much attention in public? He’s really delighted when people come to him and they love him and he has a special, you know, that feeling. He says that it’s because of Mohammed that everybody pay attention to him and his family. Wonderful. Just getting surrounded by people here as we stand. It’s been a full day of exploring Bukhan and I got to admit, Afshin is not the only one who’s tired. We’re heading back to his place to rest and enjoy a home-cooked meal. And apparently, I’m in for a treat because Afshin is going to sing me a song. Very handsome. That was amazing. In here now is a call to prayer. It’s a beautiful time of evening. It’s prayer time right now and Afshin is washing his hands and feet. And he’s about to go inside the mosque and pray with his father. In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful. Across the remote areas of Iran, daily life is deeply rooted in Islam, with people praying five times a day. But here in Irani-Kurdistan, the majority of Kurds practice Sunni Islam, which differs from Shia Islam that is dominant in the rest of the country. It’s such a complex religion, but it’s obvious that for Afshin, these practices aren’t just religious. They’re deeply personal. How long have you known Afshin? First of all, we would like to welcome you to their place. The gentleman is here for about two years. He knows Muhammad as a nice gentleman, but he said that he’s just here for two years. So to the extent that he knows Muhammad is a very nice people and everybody in the village likes this gentleman. That was a really nice prayer. Thank you so much. Actually, he’s delighted to hear what you said about, you enjoy listening to his prayers. He also likes, you know, that your behavior is that when you come in, if you have not started to speak, he wouldn’t distinguish that you are not from here. Always have to be respectful. It’s important to be respectful when visiting new places and cultures. And that’s the way that it should be like this. Everybody has to respect, you know, that whatever other people all around the world, you know, that they believe. As I told you, the people of the village, they love Afshin or Muhammad. And the gentleman was just saying that it’s because of him, we can see someone from far away. United States has come here to our village, to our small village. That’s awesome. I could bring people together. Yes, exactly. And I’m also really happy that I get to be introduced to your culture because without him, I wouldn’t even know about this place. What do you think about that moment? I’ve been traveling all around this country for about 16, 17 years. And in last few days, we’ve been in Kurdish region in Iran, Kurdistan of Iran. I think they are among the most hospitable people in this country. They are really friendly. Every single place that we go, they insist to invite us to their place. They bring us tea. They bring us water. It’s incredible. It’s unbelievable. I love that. It’s true. Good night. After the mosque, the sun has already set and we’re heading back home to see what Afshin’s mother has prepared for dinner. She’s back. I know her, Jyoti, the world’s shortest woman. Jyoti, yes. I know her. I want to arrange it in a way that they can meet. I’m going to set them up so they can get married. At least they can meet. Because his dad says that he likes a girl in Karbala in Iraq, Kurdistan of Iraq. Yeah, I know Jyoti. She’s awesome. Let’s send Jyoti a picture of us. Okay, send it to Jyoti. Bon appetit. He’s going at it. This is an amazing experience. Just in the middle of the village. Everyone’s super friendly. And they cooked us dinner. And she keeps bringing out more dishes. I thought that that was all. All of a sudden, there’s a lot of commotion. Everybody come over here to eat. And it’s a full like street-long dinner. Tomato sauce. It’s fantastic. It’s like a soup. You can’t even believe how friendly these people are. I keep saying that in Iran, but this family specifically. Mohamed, what’s your favorite food? He likes most of food, especially kebab and pizza. How about Italian food when you were in Italy? Did you like it? He says that they brought some food. But when he looked at the food, he couldn’t eat it. I cannot eat. It’s funny that he doesn’t like Italy. Yeah. I think it’s hilarious. Mohamed, if you could visit any country in the world, which country would you go to? Almost everywhere. United States of America, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Emirates. Everywhere. Dubai. He likes Dubai. What do you like about America? The governments don’t like each other, but the people are wonderful. Yeah, Greece. Everybody is a good teacher. You’re done? No more? You’re full? He just gives me a nice hug after the meal. Thank you for inviting me over. For me, this was an incredible experience to meet your family and to enjoy. Yes, thank you. Thank you. Goodbye. Bye-bye. Thank you. It’s been a humbling 24 hours with Afshin in his hometown of Bukhan. I came here to see how he navigates his tiny world. But he taught me something much bigger. That joy and purpose aren’t limited by size or circumstance. And sometimes, the smallest voices leave the biggest impact. I really enjoyed his family’s hospitality. From the second we arrived, they treated us like family. No country in the world does hospitality like Iran. In the end, we are all just humans who want to be seen, heard, and loved. No, he kissed me.

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I had the honor of meeting Afshin, the world’s shortest man, in his hometown of Bukan in Western Iran. It was honestly one of the coolest experiences of my life.

From the moment I walked in, his family welcomed me like I was one of their own. They were so kind, warm, and hospitable, and I felt the love in their Kurdish home every second we were together.

Despite being less than 2 feet tall, Afshin’s spirit is HUGE. He’s funny, positive, and full of life. Spending time with him reminded me that our size, background, or limits don’t define us — our attitude does.

If you enjoyed this video, comment on your favorite moment, and share it with a friend who needs a smile today.

Thanks again to Afshin and his amazing family for opening their hearts and home ❤️

#travel #world #iran

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