Iranian Amou Haji claims the title of “World’s Dirtiest Man” after declaring that he has not bathed in 60 years, and you won’t believe what he smokes.
World’s Dirtiest Man?
According to a story that first appeared in The Tehran Times in January of 2014, an 80-year-old Iranian man has laid claim to being the dirtiest man alive. Amou Haji, who lives in the southern Iranian province of Fars, has not bathed in over 60 years, allegedly shattering the previous confirmed record of a 66-year-old Indian man (Kailash Singh) who had not bathed in 38 years. This new entrant to the “World’s Dirtiest Man” title reportedly believes that abstaining from bathing will ward off sickness.
Haji, who suffered what have been described as emotional troubles as a child, decided to withdraw from human society and live the life of an isolated hermit. He purportedly survives by eating the rancid meat of decaying animal carcasses (his favorite meal was reported to be rotten porcupine) and drinking water from a rusty oil can. An article in the Daily Mail states that Haji sleeps in a hole that somewhat resembles a grave, but he sometimes retreats to a shack built by local villagers who were concerned for him. His clothing is made of rags, and he has an old military war helmet that he likes to wear to help keep him warm when the temperature drops. Mr. Haji apparently uses the rear-view mirror from an old car to groom himself, and burns off his hair when he needs a haircut.
For relaxation, Haji allegedly is in the habit of smoking a pipe filled with animal feces. The Huffington Post reported that he is also fond of smoking multiple cigarettes at a time.
Bottom Line
In early 2014, a hermit in Iran named Amou Haji claimed to be the “World’s Dirtiest Man”. After an article about the man’s isolated lifestyle appeared in The Tehran Times, subsequent reports followed in other media outlets such as the Daily Mail and the Huffington Post. It was reported that Haji had not bathed in 60 years, yet there seems to be no way to adequately and accurately confirm such claims.
Updated January 25, 2015
Originally published January 2014