Dozens of pigeons take flight and gather on the cobblestone pavement at Tahrir Square (Midan El-Tahrir) in Wust El-Balad (Downtown Cairo), with the square's bilingual street sign clearly visible. An Egyptian police van, a city bus, and the iconic mid-century sandstone buildings surrounding the square appear in the background under a partly cloudy sky. Tahrir Square is one of Cairo's most historically significant public spaces, serving as a central hub of Egyptian civic and political life.