True story.
Now I don’t think many of the Modern Egyptians would have seen the 1989 classic ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’. But if they did, I bet they would have said the same thing about the missing roof trend that developed in Egypt over the last 20 years. And not just in Cairo, houses in Luxor, Aswan and even little brick shelters in rural Egypt have a peculiar similarity: a missing roof. It seems as if all newlywed couples had the same thought pattern.
Wife: This looks like a perfect place to build our new home!
Husband: Sounds great. Let’s get to work.
(6 months later)
Wife: Doesn’t our house look beautiful? All that is left is to put a roof up.
Husband: But honey, I like it just as it is. One and a half stories high. No external walls or ceiling on the second floor. Gives off the open space vibe, don’t you think?
Well actually the Modern Egyptians are a lot smarter than we think. Turns out, one smart cookie figured out that a house does not have to pay tax when it is still externally under construction. Therefore no roof equals no tax on your house. Our tour guide said that once this trend caught on, many perfectly stable houses had fake extensions added to them to weasel out of the system. Ten, twenty and thirty years later these houses are still ‘under construction’ and completely roof free. Many locals use this extra space as a place to keep their chickens, goats and donkeys. Brilliant idea. I don’t know how well that would go down in Australia, but I give you my full encouragement!
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