There are billions of people around the world, and most of them live lives that are so different from ours, it’s hard to imagine. This story is about one of those people, a man who lived a truly unique life.
Curious to know more? Keep reading!
For most people, taking a bath or a shower is a normal part of daily life, no matter where they’re from. Sure, how often people bathe might vary, but almost everyone agrees that it should happen regularly.
But Amou Haji, an elderly man from Iran, saw things differently. He decided not to bathe for 67 years! And he had his reasons.
Amou Haji was born in 1928 in a small Iranian village called Dez Gah. No one really knew his true name, so everyone just called him “Amou Haji,” which means “old man.” Some people said he became a recluse after a broken heart, withdrawing from the world and choosing to live alone.
Before dying at the age of 94 in 2022, Amou Haji was known as the 'World's Dirtiest Man.' He lived in a cinder block shack and had not bathed with water or soap for over 60 years.
— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) December 19, 2023
Haji's other peculiar habits were well documented, which included consuming roadkill, smoking a… pic.twitter.com/7yDmRdP5OC
His home was a simple shelter on the outskirts of town, made of cinder blocks. Despite his unusual habits, he didn’t bother anyone.
One thing was clear: Amou Haji wasn’t interested in hygiene. He didn’t bathe for more than six decades! If his beard or hair got too long, he had a unique way of trimming it—he would set it on fire! He didn’t seem to care much about his appearance, as his skin and hair turned a similar shade of gray over time.
Despite his peculiar lifestyle, he lived to be 94 years old and appeared to be in good health throughout his life.
When it came to water, people might think Amou Haji avoided it completely, but that wasn’t true. He would drink water, but only from an old, dirty tin can. In fact, he drank up to five liters of water daily, completely unbothered by how filthy the container was.
His eating habits were just as strange. Amou Haji preferred to find his own food on the ground rather than accepting fresh food from others. He was known to eat roadkill, even if it was rotting. He once declared, “Porcupine is my favorite!”
But it didn’t stop there. Amou Haji was also known for smoking in a way that would shock most people—he smoked animal feces from a pipe! He also loved cigarettes and was often seen puffing on several at once.
Despite all this, people were amazed at how healthy he seemed to be. Even Dr. Gholamreza Molavi from Tehran University of Medical Sciences was surprised when he examined him. “We couldn’t believe it,” said Dr. Molavi. “His health was remarkably stable for someone with his habits!”
However, Amou Haji did contract trichinosis, a parasitic infection usually transmitted through food. Given his habit of eating dead animals by the roadside, it wasn’t surprising. But even this didn’t seem to affect him much.
Unfortunately, after decades of living his way, Amou Haji passed away at the age of 94. Interestingly, his death came just a few months after his neighbors convinced him to take his first bath in decades.
Amou Haji’s story is a testament to living life on your own terms, no matter how strange those terms may seem to others. He lived in a way that most of us can hardly imagine, and he seemed content with his choices until the very end.
Check out the video:
He allegedly passed away months after having his first bath: