ABSTRACT
Literature on Arab cities describes how they are built inside out in what seems like a cell division around inner courtyards. The urban squares so characteristic of urban culture in Europe are not a dominant feature. In 2011, however, news media replaced the “Arab street,” a negative shorthand for crowd mentality, with a number of Arab squares, not least Tahrir Square in Cairo. This square was constructed following Khedive Ismail’s visit to the World Exposition in Paris in 1867; he wanted to create “Paris along the Nile.” In 2011, it became the central scene for the political uprising. Years before the uprising, however, Egyptian writers depicted the tense interplay between architecture and culture in Cairo. A special focus is dedicated to Alaa Al Aswany, who became a prominent figure during the uprising. His novel The Yacoubian Building (2002) offers a literary account of the private and public spaces that would later frame the revolutionary events of the Arab Spring.
