Amou Haji has gained notoriety for being recognized as one of the most unkempt individuals to have ever lived.
For most people, the thought of going a week without a wash would be their worst nightmare. However, this individual miraculously managed to evade contact with a bar of soap for an astonishing 60 years.
It’s undoubtedly an impressive achievement, but abstaining from bubble baths isn’t exactly a reputation most people strive for.
Nevertheless, Amou Haji, affectionately dubbed ‘the world’s dirtiest man’, remained indifferent to his rather undesirable reputation as the most unkempt individual to roam the earth.
So encrusted in grime was his skin that an author who ventured to visit him in Iran remarked that he seamlessly melded into the desolate surroundings, often resembling a motionless rock.
It’s undeniably a unique distinction, but few are eager to vie for the title of the world’s dirtiest individual.
Haji, whose name is actually an endearing term for an elderly person, remarkably went over six decades without bathing, driven by his belief that cleanliness would lead to illness.
He believed that soap and water could potentially induce illness, thus steering clear of both like the plague. Consequently, his skin became enveloped in layers of grime over the years, described as being coated with “soot and pus” due to the accumulation.
Amou Haji was dubbed the world’s dirtiest man after going more than 60 years without a wash. (AFP via Getty Images)
The 94-year-old resided amidst a crevice in the earth and a modest brick dwelling, constructed by villagers in the Iranian hamlet of Dejgah. Moreover, he adopted an unconventional manner in his eating and drinking habits.
Reportedly, his preferred delicacy was rotten porcupine, along with the carcasses of various other deceased creatures he encountered. Afterward, he would quench his thirst by consuming unsanitary water sourced from puddles or rusty oil cans, a rather unpalatable practice.
In addition to his peculiar diet, Haji purportedly indulged in smoking a pipe filled with animal feces. Despite these unhealthy and outright bizarre habits, he managed to defy the odds and live a long life, reaching his mid-90s.
The world’s dirtiest man met his demise on October 23, 2022, shortly after villagers had successfully convinced him to take a bath.
For years, residents had persistently urged Haji to clean up his act, yet he remained steadfast and consistently refused to comply.
He died aged 94 in October 2022 shortly after bathing. (AFP via Getty Images)
He expressed that gestures of water, food, and attempts to bathe from his peers evoked a sense of ‘sadness’, implying that Haji found contentment in the unconventional manner he led his life.
As per reports from local media, he ultimately yielded to the pressure and consented to a wash a few months before his demise. However, as he had dreaded, he fell ill shortly afterward and subsequently passed away.
Haji undeniably left a lasting legacy, igniting numerous debates about the significance of maintaining good hygiene.
People gained insight into his unconventional lifestyle through a short documentary titled “The Strange Life of Amou Haji,” which featured him as the subject and was released in 2013.
Haji asserted that he had adopted a nomadic lifestyle as a result of ’emotional setbacks’ stemming from a heartbreak he experienced in his youth.
