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7 Wednesday , June, 2023
Official Portal of Cairo Governorate
Top News
Tahrir Square Development Project

Tahrir Square Development Project

 

Tahrir Square (Midan Al-Tahrir) is one of Cairo's largest squares located at the heart of the city. In the past, Tahrir Square was known as Khedive Ismail Square. Then after the July 23rd revolution in 1952, the square's name changed to Tahrir or liberation after the end of monarchy and the establishment of an independent republic. 

 

http://www.cairo.gov.eg/en/Photos/English_site/new%20in%20cairo/tahrir_square3.jpg 

 

Currently, the Egyptian Government is working on a major project to turn the 150-year-old square into an open-air museum to fit its history as one of Cairo's oldest squares and to be a symbol of modern Egypt.

 

After the revolutions of January 25 and June 30, the government started cultivating palm and olive trees in the area surrounding the square, in addition to removing signs that undermine the beauty of the buildings.

 

http://www.cairo.gov.eg/en/Photos/English_site/new%20in%20cairo/tahrir_square_80.jpg   

 

The development project aims at preparing the square to receive the Egyptian obelisk. This is in addition to painting the façades of shops and buildings to match the artistic value of the historical area. The square will also include a new fountain, water works and lights.

 

Moreover, four statues from the first courtyard at the Karnak Temples, located behind the first edifice of the temple in Luxor city, will be transferred to Cairo to be eventually placed in Tahrir Square

 

The rams that are currently being transferred do not belong to the Rams Road (Avenue of the Sphinxes) that connects the Luxor Temple to Karnak or the rams of the Karnak temple façade. They come from the rams of the first courtyard located behind the temple and built of mud bricks.

 

Four very special rams were chosen to be moved from Karnak Temple to Cairo to decorate Tahrir Square. Each of the four statues weighs approximately 5.5 tons. The rams will be placed around the obelisk that has been moved from San el-Hagar in Sharkia Governorate. These rams have the body of a lion and a ram's head. It is a sacred symbol of the famous god Amun Ra. Two of the statues have already been transferred from the courtyard to the temple. The two remaining statues are being transferred to the same site, in preparation for taking new preservation measures before the transfer to the capital.

 

The square’s redesign will feature date, olive, fig, and carob trees, all characteristic of the Pharaonic era, along with the famous ancient Egyptian papyrus. A new lighting system has been installed in the square and at the Egyptian Museum to highlight their distinguished architecture at night.