Memories of Egypt: Why There are So Many Unfinished Houses in Egypt
More views from the non-sleeper train...
In this video, my husband tells you why many of the houses in Egypt look unfinished.
We were told (by our lovely Egypt guide Sal) that the reason that the houses in Egypt look half finished is basically because they are!
The reason for this is so that people don't have to pay property tax.
If a house is completed and has a roof, then the owners have to pay property tax.
That's why the houses don't look that nice from the outside, but they are wonderful on the inside I'm sure.
Sal said it was a way of the government making the people feel as though they are getting something, so it is possible that they have changed this law by now, as this was recorded in 2007.
One thing that pleasantly surprised me about Egypt was the amount of greenery. I had in my mind that it would be desert everywhere, with towns full of houses and ancient ruins, but the Nile is a life source and there is lush and beautiful greenery on its banks.
My husband studiously took footage and photos of everything on our Egypt trip. His nose was always behind the camera, capturing everything in case we forgot it.
Unfortunately, we posted half of our photos on a photo site and didn't log into it for a couple of years, so it appears that they were all deleted, but videos survived (they survived longer than the marriage too)
But with my Egypt journal and reminders such as these videos the cherished memories of this once in a lifetime trip lives on in full technicolor.
Previous Memories of Egypt posts:
Memories of Egypt: Egyptian Laws (2007)
Memories From Egypt: The Tale of Two Mummies
Memories of Egypt: Cairo Calling
Memories of Egypt: Calamity Camel
Memories of Egypt: Going Underground and the Spectacular Sphinx
A Real Life Magical Mystery Tour: Hot Air Balloon Over Karnak Temple, Egypt
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interesting! They should hire some architects ahah!
I'm sure it couldn't be too hard to design an functional building without a roof, so it doesn't look unfinished.
Great shot there and a nice video to explore thanks for sharing that :D
Lots more to come.
INteresting, in Costa Rica near Puntarenas I was in a neighborhood where most of the houses looked unfinished. They had roofs, but also clearly looked like they were all in mid construction to add a second floor, and indeed some had a second floor. They explained it was common for the first kid to add a top floor unit. It's cheaper than to buy their own property and adds value to their parents property. Plus it's a good selling point for the developers too lol
Thank you for that added insight too, I love finding out more about the world and similarities and differences.
I found it super interesting, and it made sense too. Costa Rican culture is very family oriented, big family dinners almost every week. It's quite common to have 2, 3, even 4 generations living together, or at least very close to each other lol
Awnnnnn what a lovely post and video, wow i too thought that egypt was desert and nothing else,its good to learn that it also has green parts,i love the diligence of your husband while taking the footages,he put his heart into it, thanks for sharing @hopehuggs
I'm glad I'm not the only one to think that
Wow, this is really a "meaningful law"...
Sometimes I really wonder, if I have seen and heard all dumb and silly thing and everytime I think about it I read things like these
But I still want to go to egypt to dive there one day
All the houses are finished in Sharm el Sheikh. The Red Sea is amazing. That was the last leg of our journey and I didn't write the journal the days we were there, so will have to rely on the photos and memory.
I often heard about the fact that in Egypt, many unfinished houses. It's always been interesting why this happens. Now thanks to you we know the truth :)
Good or not, it's not for me to judge. But some people skillfully use loopholes in the law, which allows them to save on taxes (that is, not to pay). Simply put, a good one is probably used by people.
Another question is how long will this continue? I think it's possible when the law can be corrected.
I'm not sure how much has changed in last 10 years to be honest. I suppose from a societal point of view it keeps the poor poor, which unfortunately is a symptom of many governments' actions today.
When we visited Cairo this was one thing which amused me, first I thought houses are under construction but then when there were so many, then our guide told us about the problem that people have, this was in 2013 so things didnt change over the years and I guess its still the same.
Egypt is a wonderful place to visit. I loved the Karnak temple. Memories are getting refreshed with your post :)
I have many many photos and videos from the ground and a hot air balloon over Karnak. Definitely one of the many highlights.
Egypt looks beautiful and stunning thanks for sharing amazing video
It is an amazing place and so much more to come.
egypt seems to be close to your heart nice place
It was a dream come true to visit there.
We have similiar in Croatia, we can have a structure built without permitt if it doesn't have a roof, but unlike Egyptians we have 95% of houses finished haha :)
I love Croatia too. I fell in love with Dubrovnik and Mljet - can't wait to go and visit again one day. I visited in 1998, so its been while.
It's been a whole lot of while, I was born in 1999 xD You haven't visited it in my lifetime yet hahah. I recommend visiting Vodice, Krk. :)