With the rise in frequency of severe climate change events, more and more vulnerable populations are suffering from extreme heat waves. This paper explains a hands-on experimental approach to testing vernacular passive cooling strategies using traditional Shisha clay funnels for the hot and dry Egyptian climate. Several clay funnels were investigated in terms of shape, size and form. The clay funnels were measured and simulated for their efficiency in accelerating air flow inside residential units and ability to enhance the air velocity if used in combination with cross ventilation strategies. Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted in ANSYS Fluent to understand the airflow behaviour inside the simulated test shoe boxes resembling living rooms - using the standard k-ε turbulence model - for single and multi-unit configurations. The results showed significant enhancement in air flow and air speed inside the test room compared to using the conventional windows. Further continuation for this study is needed for testing the thermal performance and the ability of the Shisha clay funnels to reduce indoor air temperature. The study proved that inspiration can be drawn from passive vernacular strategies to enhance thermal comfort and reduce the impact of climate change especially in hot and dry climates.