The ‘world’s dirtiest man’ has sadly died after his first wash in 60 years.
Amou Haji died aged 96 on October 2022 and was known to his community in Iran as being the ‘world’s dirtiest man’.
A writer once visited Haji and claimed he ‘blended into the barren landscape’ because he had a layer of dirt and mud so thick, over his entire body.
They also claimed he ‘resembled a rock’ when he was sat still.
Right before he died, his community managed to convince him to bathe, for the first time in 60 years.
It was later announced by IRNA news agency that he became unwell not long after and passed away just a few months later.
It has now been revealed that he may have suffered from ablutophobia – a fear of bathing, cleaning, or washing oneself.
This is described by Healthline as an ‘anxiety disorder that falls under the category of specific phobias.
He allegedly did not bathe because he was afraid once he was clean, he would become sick.
Dr Siva Yechoor from The Toledo Clinic: shared that “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.”
Yechoor explained it usually shows up in young children who have experienced some sort of trauma; “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,”.
Before his death, the 96-year-old lived in a hole in the ground between a brick shack.
The public learned more about him in his 2013 documentary; The Strange Life of Amou Haji.
RIP.