Amou Haji, an Iranian hermit dubbed the “World’s Dirtiest Man,” has died at the age of 94, according to state media reports.
Locals from the village of Dejgah in the southern province of Fars claim that Haji’s leathery skin had not been washed by soap and water for more than six decades and believe that he decided to live alone after suffering from an emotional setback in his early years.
World dirtiest man, Amou Haji has died in Iran at age 94.
An Iranian man nicknamed the "dirtiest man in the world" for not taking a shower for decades has died at the age of 94.
Amou believes that he has survived for so long by keeping himself dirty. pic.twitter.com/dY8LFXYGU3
— Raihana-voice-of-Fulbe🇳🇬 (@Fulani_Tutor) October 25, 2022
Haji reportedly lived alone in a soot-covered shack made of cinder blocks. Previous stories regarding Haji’s lifestyle noted that he ate roadkill and smoked a pipe filled with animal feces, believing cleanliness would make him sick.
The lonely man’s favorite food was reportedly the rotten meat of dead animals, particularly porcupines.
Reports by locals also claimed that Haji drank five liters (1.5 gallons) of water per day that he got from puddles, according to The Telegraph.
A few months before his passing, villagers persuaded Haji to wash for the first time, according to a report by Iran’s state media agency IRNA.
A short documentary film titled “The Strange Life of Amou Haji” was made about his life in 2013.
An Iran state report added that earlier this year, a team of doctors led by Dr. Gholamreza Molavi, a professor at the Tehran School of Public Health, ran a series of tests on Haji, the Daily Mail reported. The doctor was surprised to discover that Haji had not suffered from any bacteria or parasites apart from Trichinosis, a bacteria that comes from eating raw meat.
Molavi suggested that Haji was perhaps able to remain healthy due to a strong immune system from living in difficult conditions.
A similar account of a man who has lived for decades without bathing was reported in the Hindustan Times in 2009. The outlet noted that Kailash “Kalau” Singh of Varanasi, India, had not bathed in more than 30 years.