A man formerly described as the ‘world’s dirtiest’ has died soon after he was finally talked into having a shower.

Amou Haji reportedly gave up washing 67 years ago after becoming convinced that it could bring him bad luck, and even kill him.

Sadly, he did in fact end up dying shortly after he had a shower, though no link has been established.

State media said he died at the age of 94, although previous media reports about him in January this year had said he was 87.

The hermit, known as Amou Haji (Uncle Haji – a term of endearment for an older man) – lived in Iran.

He was well known for his unusual lifestyle choices, with the Tehran Times reporting in 2014 that he liked to eat raw roadkill, drink from puddles and smoke a pipe filled with dry animal excrement when he ran out of tobacco.

In 2018, he was pictured smoking four cigarettes at once while covered with soot.

A short documentary called ‘The Strange Life of Amou Haji’ was made about him in 2013.

As well as his hygiene habits, he was also known for his good health, with scientists even running tests on him last year to see if he had any diseases or parasites.

Dr Gholamreza Molavi from the School of Public Health in Tehran said that all they found was a Trichinosis parasitic infection which appeared to be causing no symptoms.

He concluded that he must have remained so healthy by developing an extremely strong immune system.

State-controlled news agency IRNA said that after rebuffing requests to shower for years, he finally relented after being told that a wash would help him win more friends.

They quoted a source saying ‘for the first time a few months ago, villagers had taken him to a bathroom to wash’.

But he became ill and then died at his home this weekend in Dejgah, a village in Fars province.

His funeral was due to take place today in Deirm Farashband.

Villagers believe that he decided to live in isolation after suffering from an emotional setback in his youth.

Local media reported that he previously twice managed to avoid attempts to get him to wash.

On one occasion, a group of local youths tried to take him for a bath but he ran away, and on a second occasion men from the village put him in a car to drive him to the river, but he opened the door and escaped while it was still moving.

After that, they had given up until recently when they took this time to a proper bathroom and gave him a shower.

Perhaps surprisingly, given his remote lifestyle, he was known to be well educated and one recent visitor discussed the pros and cons of the French Revolution with him and also his views on how well the Russian Revolution turned out for the people.

He also followed current affairs but complained that international publicity had made life difficult for him, and although his neighbours respected him, he said people turned up occasionally to taunt him, and even throw stones at him.

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Jen Mills

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