Amou Haji, 'World’s Dirtiest Man’, Dies at 94 Less Than a Month After Washing for First Time in 60+ Years
After decades-long superstition kept him from washing, villagers persuaded Amou Haji to bathe and he passed away soon after.
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| World's Dirtiest Man - Amou Haji |
Amou Haji, a strange man from Iran known around the world as the “world’s dirtiest man”, died at the age of 94 in the Dejgah village of Fars province. He passed away less than a month after locals convinced him to take a bath for the first time in over sixty years.
According to Iran’s IRNA news agency, Haji had feared water and soap ever since a traumatic experience in his youth, believing cleanliness would make him sick. His refusal to wash persisted for over six decades, during which he lived alone in a rudimentary brick shack or in a hole he dug himself near the fringe of his community.
During his lifetime Haji developed unusual habits that only added to his notoriety around the world. He reportedly survived on rotten roadkill, drank dirty water from an old oil can or puddles, smoked animal dung in a pipe and often lit several cigarettes at once. His skin was coated in soot and pus and he occasionally burned his hair with a flame to manage it. Locals said attempts to wipe or shower him made him deeply upset.
Finally, after a very long time local people convinced him to bathe. He entered a bathroom and washed with water for the first time in decades. Shortly after that event his health declined. As per IRNA report, he fell ill and passed away on 23 October 2022 at his home in Dejgah.
Despite his extreme uncleanliness his health remained remarkably intact for most of his life. Medical experts in Iran observed that while he tested positive for a parasite infection called trichinosis the condition appeared asymptomatic. One public health professor speculated that his unconventional immune system may have adapted to his environment.
His story attracted global fascination during his lifetime. A short documentary named “The Strange Life of Amou Haji” explored his unique existence. After his death there was debate about whether another man in India might now hold the unofficial record for the longest period without bathing.
Amou Haji’s life and unusual final bath serve as a poignant tale about deeply held beliefs, community intervention and the fragile balance between ritual and mortality.
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