Each time I see that car on the rooftop of my house, hundreds of memories of my husband and my family rush through my mind. That’s why I will never sell it and will never take it down from that rooftop.
The car is a LADA. My husband, George Tallo, bought it in 1977 in Baghdad for 3,000 Iraqi Dinars, and was using it as a taxi between the cities. It has been on the rooftop for 10 years now.
My name is Jamila Gorges. My husband died two years ago, and keeping the car on the rooftop was one of his wishes, so we will do as he wished.
My husband bought and sold several other types of cars, but the LADA was precious to him, that’s why he held on to it.
Many have been wanting to buy the LADA. One businessman has even offered a substantial amount for it. But keeping the memories is more valuable than money, and we will not sell it regardless of how much we get offered.
Our home is in a Christian-majority part of Duhok. That car has become a sort of emblem for our family; many media outlets and individuals come to take pictures of it or want to hear the story behind it.
