Tahrir Square

square, Cairo, Egypt

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

Tahrir Square is a major public square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. It is a significant historical and cultural landmark, most notably serving as the focal point for the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. The square, whose name means "Liberation Square," became a symbol of protest and calls for political change. It is also home to the Egyptian Museum, which houses a vast collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. The square's development has been influenced by European city planning, with modern districts built to the west of the older city core.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Egypt
Unrest in 2011: January 25 Revolution
…supporters fought antigovernment demonstrators in Tahrir Square in Cairo, resulting in at least five deaths; an estimated 1,500 people were injured. It was widely suspected that many of the Mubarak supporters who participated in the fighting were members of the the regime’s plainclothes security force launching a coordinated attack on…
Read More
…supporters fought antigovernment demonstrators in Tahrir Square in Cairo, resulting in at least five deaths; an estimated 1,500 people were injured. It was widely suspected that many of the Mubarak supporters who participated in the fighting were members of the the regime’s plainclothes security force launching a coordinated attack on…
Read More