Kodak Agfa Presents: Quick look to Tahrir square after renovations at night

Here is a small glimpse of  World famous Cairo's Tahrir square after its renovation from the car in April.

Tahrir square after renovation 

The facades of the neoclassical, modernist and Art deco buildings were recoloured and re-painted with the pastel beige and had this new lighting system at night.

The building at the intersection of Tahrir square and Mohamed Mahmoud street

The new lighting system was made by the Public sector ministry and it cost LE 60 million. 

I wonder if all those lights are turned off at a certain time at night or how they manage it. Here is a shaky photo of some of Tahrir square’s buildings.

Sorry for the shaky shot, I was in a moving car

Maybe a short tour after midnight, like at 2 AM can answer those questions. 

Also, I wonder if the cost of those lights will be paid by the governorate or by the buildings and their owners or residents. We are speaking about 21 buildings including places like the League of Arab States, hotels in addition to residential buildings. 

The Mid-century and the Neo-classical buildings were renovated alike 

That new lighting system was installed and operated in three months according to official statements.

According to the Egyptian Cabinet, the full renovation of Tahrir Square cost nearly LE 150 Million. The renovation started in 2019 and it took about 10 months.

That final new look was revealed completely during the Golden Pharaohs Parade if you remember in early April.

Some of those buildings are more than a hundred-years-old
and considered from Khedival Cairo

The government aims to restore the glory of Khedival Cairo and turns Tahrir square into a square that competes with other world-famous squares. Honestly, it is already world-famous without all those renovations

Back to the pastel beige colour, Some very few buildings survived that colour including the Egyptian Museum of Cairo despite ironically it is said that its origin paint was pastel beige based on old coloured photos. 

Some buildings had their facades only re-painted and the rest was ignored !!

Yes, that dark side of that Neo-classical building
was left out of the repaint process

Among Those buildings are the Franciscan missionary HQ which distinguishably got that pink colour like the old Italian Consulate in Al-Galaa street and the neo-gothic building “ I am guessing its style” beside it.

The Italian Franciscan missionary building, I believe it is one of the oldest 
buildings in the square 

Technically speaking they are more in Abdel Moneim Riyad than in Tahrir square when I think about it.

One of my favourite buildings in the Tahrir area

Here is another photo of that neo-gothic building. I feel its architect was Italian.

The new lighting system gave more beauty at night I have to say. 

I could not snap a photo of the obelisk in Tahrir square due to traffic. Actually, I do not know if I can snap photos with a professional camera now for the obelisk as there are security guards protecting it.

I know that there is a mention of the 25 January 2011 Revolution on the pedestal. 

The Tahrir square buildings after new lights and re-paints 

I wish that a memorial dedicated to the martyrs and injured of the 2011 Revolution would be erected in one of Tahrir square’s islands garden especially since a decade passed but those days are forgotten.

Instead, some celebs shared photos comparing to those days in 2011 in Tahrir square and how it looked during the Golden Pharaohs Parade.

Ironically if it were not for that revolution, those kids and their blood, we would not have reached those days or that parade if you think about it. 

Steigenberger hotel in Tahrir square

Anyhow, history has already been written.

Now to my favourite two shots from this very short and quick tour. The Cleopatra Hotel after the renovation and re-opening.

The Cleopatra Hotel after renovations

It looks like a scene from an old 1950s technicolour film.

Cleopatra square of Tahrir square 

Till next tour and hopefully, we see all the squares in Egypt like that and even better inshallah.