Tahrir Square

Tahrir Square, also known as Martyr Square, is a major public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political demonstrations. The 2011 Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak occurred at the Tahrir Square. History The square was originally called "Ismailia Square", after the 19th-century ruler of Egypt, Khedive Ismail, who commissioned the new downtown district's 'Paris on the Nile'. After the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, the square became widely known as Tahrir (Liberation) Square. In 1933 King Fuad I (r. 1922–1936), the son of Khedive Ismail, renamed the square officially to Khedive Ismail Square. Before the end of his reign in 1936, a roundabout with a garden was created at the center of the square. Under his successor, King Farouk (r. 1936–1952), a pedestal was installed in the center of square which was intended to support a statue of Khedive Isma'il, but the commissioned statue was never installed. The square was officially renamed to "Tahrir Square" in 1953, after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 which changed Egypt from a constitutional monarchy into a republic.