Africa: Tahrir Square

Tahrir Square - Egypt

Tahrir Square in 1941

The square was originally called "Ismailia Square" . after the 19th-century ruler Khedive Ismail, who commissioned the new downtown district's 'Paris on the Nile' design. After the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 the square became widely known as Tahrir (Liberation) Square, but the square was not officially renamed until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, which changed Egypt from a constitutional monarchy into a republic. The square was a focal point for the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.


Tahrir Square 2011

The citycentre is filled with institutions, commercial establishments, governmental offices, universities, and countless hotels, creating a dense pattern of constant activity. The ever-busy Midan al-Tahrir is one of the main and largest public squares; the absolute center of the city. You can go to anywhere from there ( Cairo Airport.Nile River,Metro).You also will find all kind of hotels,you can shopping for what you need

Northeast of Tahrir and centered on Talaat Harb Street is the bustling commercial downtown district. The city's main train station at Midan Ramses marks the city center’s northern extent. Heading east, the city center ends at Midan al-Ataba where medieval Islamic Cairo takes over. Opposite downtown area is the island of Gezirah linked to Tahrir Square by the famous lion guarded bridge, Kasr al-Nil, while al-Rodah Island - home of al-Manasterly Palace - lies just further to the south.

Tahrir Square, is typical of the more modern, commercial centre of Cairo; it houses numerous important old and modern structures in addition to it being a public transport hub, all of which have turned the square into one of the most important and busiestareas in the city. However, Tahrir Square witnessed a series of past events and changes of regimes throughout the history of the country.

Tahrir Square is a sprawling, amorphous, open space on the east bank of the Nile at the center of Cairo. The east side of the Square is bounded by Haussmann-inspired seven story buildings containing many hotels with some shops at street level. On the opposite side, between the square and the river are monumental, free-standing buildings, including a fifteen story hotel. At the north end is the Egyptian Museum, at the south are government offices. By different estimates there are at least eight, and perhaps as many as twenty-three streets and two bridges leading into it, making it impossible to close off the square.