‘World’s dirtiest man’ didn’t wash for 60 years and died soon after he finally decided to have a bath
A man who was labelled as the 'world's dirtiest man' did not wash for decades of his long life, dying not long after he had a bath.
Many of us might worry about how we look or smell after a few days or a week without having a shower, but Amou Haji went for 60 years without washing.
Amou was a nickname given to him by others in the community as it is an affectionate term for an elderly person, sort of like 'old-timer'.
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He lived in Fars Province in Iran, where he became a hermit after he experienced some 'emotional setbacks in his youth', and would go on to believe that soap would cause him to have health problems.
A writer who went to visit Amou even said that he was so dirty that when he sat still he 'resembled a rock', and that he 'blended into the barren landscape' in Southern Iran due to how much mud and dust covered him.
He led an unusual lifestyle, reportedly living off carrion that he found, drinking filthy water, and smoking animal faeces from a pipe.
Despite this extremely unhealthy lifestyle and not bathing for decades, Amou lived an extremely long life, being in his mid 90s when he passed away.
The 94-year-old lived between a hole in the ground and a brick shack which was built by locals in the Iranian village of Dejgah.
His favourite food was said to be rotten porcupine, as well as the corpses of other dead animals he would come across, before he then washed his unappetising meals down with unsanitary water from puddles or rusty oil cans.
As well as that, Amou was reportedly partial to puffing on a pipe filled with animal faeces - but despite his unhealthy and downright bizarre habits, he somehow still lived a long life and made it to his mid 90s.
The world's dirtiest man passed away on 23 October, 2022, just a short time after villagers had finally persuaded him to take a bath.
Amou had been badgered by residents for years to clean up his act, but he stuck to his guns and always refused.
He reckoned that soap and water might cause disease, so avoided them both like the plague, which meant his skin was covered in 'soot and pus' after years and years of grime had built up.
He explained that offers of water, food and attempts to bathe him from his peers made him feel 'sad', suggesting that Amou was perfectly happy with the alternative way he lived his life.
According to local media, he finally succumbed to the pressure and had a wash a few months before his death - but as he had feared, he became sick shortly afterwards and passed away.
Amou has certainly left a lasting legacy though, as well as sparking a lot of debates about the importance of good hygiene.
People got an insight into his unusual lifestyle thanks to a short documentary he was the subject of, titled The Strange Life of Amou Haji, which was released in 2013.
Topics: World News, Weird, Health
Olivia Burke