LAURA EL-TANTAWY

PERSONAL PROJECTS: IN THE SHADOW OF THE PYRAMIDS: EGYPT (ongoing): part 2: TAHRIR SQUARE

A tearful Egyptian man weeps in central Cairo. Many Egyptians feel their country has been stolen from them and is now owned and controlled by the minority who rule. The class divide between rich and poor has reached unprecedented levels. The middle class in Egypt has disappeared and people are now classed as either rich or poor, with the latter composing the wider majority. At least 30 percent of Egyptians can not read or write and estimates say more than 10 million Egyptians are living outside Egypt in pursuit of better education, better quality of life and ultimately a better future.
   
Nabil Yusuf AbdelGhani (top right) is among the thousands of protesters gathered for the 11th day at Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square. He came to fight for a better life for his three children. Following Friday prayers on February 4, 2011, a weeping AbdelGhani raised his fists in the air and prayed Mubarak would step down from power: "All these people are poor," he said. "We are all tired (of this regime)."
   
Nabil Yusuf AbdelGhani is among the thousands of protesters gathered for the 11th day at Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square. He came here to fight for a better life for his three children. Following Friday prayers on Febrauary 4, 2011, a weeping AbdelGhani raised his fists in the air and prayed Mubarak would step down from power: "All these people are poor," he said. "We are all tired (of this regime)."
     
  
Pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir Square.
   
An anti-Mubarak demonstrator receives treatment in a makeshift clinic set-up on a street corner behind Tahrir (Liberty) Square in Cairo on Wednesday February 2, 2011. Hundreds of pro-Mubarak supporters had redirected their demonstration towards Moustafa Mahmoud Square in the neighborhood of Mohandessen in Cairo and clashed with anti-government demonstrators who had been at Tahrir Square since last week. Reports say up to 650 people were injured in Saturday's clashes.
   
A man reads verses from the Holy Koran ahead of Friday prayers. Mubarak’s rule made it virtually impossible for opposition parties to play any active political role, with the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s strongest opposition group, being banned from political participation. The group’s members constantly faced arrest and bullying by police.
     
  
An anti-Mubarak demonstartor receives treatment in a makeshift clinic set-up on a street corner behind Tahrir (Liberty) Sqaare in Cairo on Wednesday February 2, 2011. Hundreds of pro-Mubarak supporters had redirected their demonstration towards Moustafa Mahmoud Square in the neighbourhood of Mohandessen in Cairo and clashed with anti-government demonstators who had been at Tahrir Square since last week. Reports say up to 650 people were injured in Saturday's clashes.
   
Tens of thousands of Egyptians converged upon Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Cairo on Friday, February 11, 2011 in anticipation of Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak's announcement to resign. Hours before, news had circulated the president would resign his post after 18 consecutive days of sit-in protests where anti-government demonstrators demanded the regime be toppled.
  
Egyptian anti-government protesters sleep on the tires of a military tank stationed on Tahrir (Liberation) Square, which for the past two weeks has been the center of a sit-in protest by thousands of Egyptians demanding the government step down from power. Protesters created a human shield and barricades to fend off pro-Mubarak supporters from getting into the square and to prevent the military from an overnight attack to clear the square from the protesters.
     
  
A photograph captured through a hotel room window shows pro-democracy demonstrators hurling stones at pro-Mubarak supporters to prevent them from coming into Tahrir Square on Thursday, February 3, 2011.
   
A woman cries in desperation as she seeks answers from above. "I am praying to God," she said. "We are drowning".
   
An Egyptian pro-democracy protester speaks on his mobile telephone while sitting on top of a light pole in Tahrir (Liberation) Square.
     
  
As the evening ushers in, Tahrir Square becomes a center for political discussions among pro-democracy protesters debating the country's future. The old sit with the young and the more knowledgeable become friends with the less knowledgeable and the square becomes a lively hub of conversation. Protesters sing patriotic songs and dance into the early hours of the morning.
   
An Egyptian anti-government protester is seen behind a plastic sheet covering the makeshift tent where he sleeps at Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square.
   
An anti-government protester flashes a peace sign.
     
  
A man cradles his son on his shoulders as hundreds of thousands of Egyptians converged upon Tahrir (Liberation) Square to celebrate the resignation of Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak a day earlier. People sang and danced on the street, breaking into chants, saying: "The People Have Toppled the Regime".
   
Night time ushers in at Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square where anti-government protesters have staged a sit-in protest demanding the government step down. The square comes to life in the evening, with hundreds of protesters sleeping in makeshift tents and the anti-government chants and patriotic songs continue through the night.
  
After 18 days of a sit-in protest by anti-government demonstrators in Cairo, Egyptians took to the streets of the capital to celebrate the resignation of Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak on Friday, February 11, 2011. Hundreds of thousands poured into Tahrir (Liberation) Square in song and dance, chanting: "The People Have Toppled the Regime".
     
  
Anti-government protesters gather around a fire sipping tea and discussing the future of the country.
   
Protesters in Tahrir Square by night.
   
Egyptian anti-government demonstrators take shifts standing as security to guard the roads leading into Tahrir (Liberation) Square to prevent pro-Mubarak supporters and the military from moving into the square.
     
  
Protesters calling for the Egyptian government to step down sleep in makeshift tents in Tahrir (Liberation) Square.
   
A somber mood takes over Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square on Thursday February 10, 2011 as Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak addresses the people and makes it clear he will not resign, but instead hands down his power to newly appointed vice president Omar Sulieman. Anti-government protesters demanding the government step down have staged a sit-in protest in the square for the last 17 days. Mubarak's address angered the hundreds of thousands of protesters who had come to the square anticipating he would step down, many taking off their shoes and waving them in the air.
  
An Egyptian man is seen behind an Egyptian flag as thousands converged upon Tahrir (Liberation) Square on Saturday, February 12, 2011 to celebrate the resignation of Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak a day earlier.
     
  
An anti-government demonstrator chants slogans as a carnival-like atmosphere fills Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square on Thursday February 10, 2011 ahead of Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak address to the nation, where he was expected to announce his resignation. Instead, the mood became somber when Mubarak said he would only hand down his power to newly appointed vice president Omar Sulieman. Anti-government protesters demanding the government step down have staged a sit-in protest in the square for the last 17 days. Mubarak's address angered the hundreds of thousands of protesters who had come to the square anticipating he would step down, many taking off their shoes and waving them in the air.
  
After 18 days of a sit-in protest by anti-government demonstrators in Cairo, Egyptians took to the streets of the capital to celebrate the resignation of Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak on Friday, February 11, 2011. Hundreds of thousands poured into Tahrir (Liberation) Square in song and dance, chanting: "The People Have Toppled the Regime".
   
An Egyptian anti-government demonstrator waves the Egyptian flag as hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets of the capital on Friday, February 11, 2011 to celebrate President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak's resignation. People sang and danced on the street, breaking into chants, saying: "The People Have Toppled the Regime".