• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
'World's dirtiest man' hadn't bathed with water or soap for over 60 years

Home> Community> Life

Updated 10:42 18 Feb 2024 GMTPublished 15:06 20 Dec 2023 GMT

'World's dirtiest man' hadn't bathed with water or soap for over 60 years

Amou Haji was convinced that having a wash would make him ill

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

While you'd think not washing yourself properly for years on end might negatively affect your life expectancy, the 'world's dirtiest man' lived to the age of 94.

Amou Haji went a staggering 60 years without washing himself with soap and water.

Amou lived in a cinder-block shack in Iran and, as well as not washing, he had quite an unusual lifestyle in general.

According to the Tehran Times, the elderly man would eat roadkill and smoke a pipe filled with animal excrement.

Apparently porcupine meat was a particular favorite of his, and he'd drink a whopping 1.5 gallons of water a day.

Advert

He was also under the impression that washing would do more harm than good and actually make him ill.

Known to locals who lived nearby to his shack, Amou was said to have been reluctant to wash because he had experienced 'emotional setbacks in his youth'.

But in the months leading up to his death, villagers had finally persuaded Amou to have a wash.

Amou Haji died in 2022.
YouTube/Rajasthan vlogs

Advert

Years of going unwashed left his skin filled with 'soot and puss'.

Iran's IRNA mews agency say he fell ill shortly after washing again for the first time and died a few months later.

He did keep his hair trimmed but, as you'd probably expect, he didn't do so using a pair of scissors. Instead, Amou is said to have burnt his hair off.

It's evident that that Amou had some kind of phobia of washing - something that's known as ablutophobia.

Advert

Speaking about the phobia to The Blade, Dr. Siva Yechoor from The Toledo Clinic said: "Ablutophobia is extremely rare. Right now, we see it more often in people who are older.

"They refuse to get cleaned up, but it’s more of an avoidance behavior than a phobia."

The elderly man hadn't washed for decades.
YouTube/Rajasthan vlogs

As to who he's seen develop the condition, Dr. Yechoor continued: "What happens with them is they are usually younger people who had some sort of traumatic experience.

Advert

"We had a man in his 20’s who had an almost death experience in a body of water, and developed this aversion and fear of even going into the shower or taking a bath."

Genetics and brain function may also play a part in developing ablutophobia, according to Healthline.

Symptoms include sweating, rapid heartbeat, panic attacks and difficulty breathing.

Ablutophobia seems to be treated like many other mental health conditions - through therapy. A person might be advised to try cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), as well as exposure therapy.

Advert

Betablockers or sedatives may also be prescribed.

Featured Image Credit: AFP via Getty Images

Topics: Life, News, Iran, World News

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

X

@niamhshackleton

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

23 mins ago
an hour ago
3 hours ago
22 hours ago
  • 23 mins ago

    Man named Andy Byron opens up about ‘strange 24 hours’ after being mistaken for CEO caught with employee on Coldplay jumbotron

    Another man named Andy Byron has been mistaken for the Astronomer CEO

    Community
  • an hour ago

    Woman given ‘less than 2%’ chance of survival after being shot in the face shares important message about horrific trauma

    Amedy Dewey was shot in the face in 2018 and has undergone 37 surgeries since

    Community
  • 3 hours ago

    Andy Byron's company shares update after married CEO was caught with employee on Coldplay jumbotron

    The pair were seen looking extremely cozy at a recent Coldplay gig

    Community
  • 22 hours ago

    Woman who filmed CEO and employee on Coldplay jumbotron speaks out after shocking video goes viral

    The concert goer filmed the now viral moment and posted it to TikTok

    Community
  • Heartbreaking reason why the 'world's dirtiest man' went over 60 years without washing himself
  • Weightlifter banned from sport for life after being spotted shaking hands with competitor
  • Man diagnosed with life-threatening cancer after having seemingly harmless symptoms for years
  • Man with 'world's biggest penis' shares the one question he's always asked at airports