Workers are cleaning, paving and planting Tahrir square following the orders of Prime Minister Hisham Qandil who declared his intention to turn the square into a global tourist attraction. According to Qandil, the plans aim to upgrade the square that was the epicenter of the revolution against Mubarak’s rule at the beginning of 2011.
Tahrir will host art exhibitions, open seminars, and memorials to demonstrate the historic importance of the square. Notably absent in the plans and recent images from Tahrir are the fleets of food vendors who have plied their trade in the square for the past 18 months.