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Tahrir Square has undergone a facelift. It is no longer possible to demonstrate in it

The focus of the revolution in Egypt has been renovated, with the installation of pharaonic monuments and private security guards. Al-Sisi's government claims that the square has been upgraded as in Europe, but opponents of the regime see this as an attempt to prevent future demonstrations against the dictatorial regime. "The message - the square does not belong to the people, but to the state"

• Egypt
• Tahrir Square
• Cairo

Reuters

Tahrir Square in Cairo, which was the focus of the revolution against the Mubarak regime nearly a decade ago, was renovated by the Egyptian government, which placed pharaonic monuments and private security personnel.

Authorities say the square has been upgraded similar to famous squares in Europe, and its renovation - including new lighting on repainted buildings - has garnered some praise on social media for its impressive effects.
On the other hand, some see this as an attempt to tighten control over a symbolic public place and prevent future demonstrations in the place. Some archaeologists fear damage to four dance sphinxes placed in a crowded square.

"I think the main message is that the people do not belong to the square and that the square does not belong to the people. The square belongs to the state," said Khaled Fahmi, a professor of history at Cambridge University who participated in the 2011 demonstrations and chaired a short-term committee that documented them.

Egypt's media bureau did not respond to questions about the redesign of Tahrir Square.

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Tahrir Square has political symbolism. It gained a worldwide reputation as the cradle of revolution against ruler Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Two years later, masses gathered in the square once again in protest against Muhammad Morsi, the first president-elect in Egypt and ousted by then-army chief Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi. Al-Sisi's supporters see 2013 as a year of amendment, which allowed him to win the presidency a year later and stabilize the country.

A short inscription on the ancient obelisk recently placed in the center of the square hints at an official mood. According to the inscription, Tahrir Square symbolized the "freedom and resilience of the Egyptian people" after the anti-colonial revolution in 1919 and the events of 2011, but "became a symbol of the Egyptians and their freedom in the June 30 (2013) revolution".

For Sisi’s opponents, 2013 marked the beginning of a comprehensive repression, which put an end to the liberated atmosphere of the revolution and the period that followed. Fahmi, the historian, said authorities see discussions, meetings and posters about 2011 as a "deep subversion".

After rare demonstrations against al-Sisi last September, the regime tightened security around Tahrir Square and went into a wave of arrests, with spot checks of pedestrians in and around the square becoming more common.

In recent weeks, security guards from the private security group "Falcon" have been observed in the square, rushing to passers-by approaching the monuments. The company declined to comment.

Some residents said the renovation brought them pride. However, Muhammad Abdu, a 25-year-old "Uber" driver, said it was a waste of money, depriving people of a place to sit and rest.

"You close it, say you can not do this or that, or sit there," he said. "Before that it was open to everyone."

Others fear the state of preservation of the four dance sphinx statues placed around the obelisk in the square. They were copied from a complex in Luxor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located 500 km south of Cairo.

Salima Ikram, an expert in Egyptian archeology at the American University in Cairo, said that although the marble obelisk should withstand the climate and pollution of Cairo, "it will be more dangerous for the Sphinxes because they are made of sandstone, and the rain, combined with the pollution, can be harmful."

Mustafa al-Waziri, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Antiquities Council, said the project could save the obelisk from an area northeast of Cairo and repair it, and that the Sphinx statues were supposed to survive the pollution.