Skip linksSkip to Content
play
Live
Navigation menu
  • News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • Explained
  • Opinion
  • Sport
  • Video
    • Features
    • Economy
    • Human Rights
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Podcasts
    • Travel
play
Live

In Pictures

Gallery|Arab Spring

Egypt Revolution: 18 days of people power

Country marks five years since the start of demonstrations that led to the downfall of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Save

Share

facebooktwitterwhatsappcopylink
Egypt Revolution 2011
A crowd of demonstrators walks through Cairo on January 25, 2011, to demand the end of President Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30 years in power. [AP]
Published On 25 Jan 201625 Jan 2016

The 2011 revolution in Egypt started with marches, demonstrations and civil resistance on January 25.

Protesters were inspired by the successful uprising in Tunisia, where demonstrators succeeded in bringing down the government.

People came on to the streets demanding the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. They complained of poverty, unemployment, corruption and autocratic governance of the president who had ruled the country for 30 years.

Demonstrators included Islamic, liberal, anti-capitalist, nationalist and feminist elements.


WATCH: Egypt burning – the defining moments of the revolution


Violent clashes between security forces and protesters resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and thousands more were injured. 

After 18 days of protest, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced on February 11 that Mubarak would resign as president, handing over power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

The announcement sparked jubilation on the streets and sent a warning to autocrats across the Arab world and beyond.

Egypt Revolution 2011
Anti-government protesters clash with riot police in the port city of Suez, 134km east of Cairo, on January 27. [Mohamed Abd El-Ghany/Reuters]
Advertisement
Egypt Revolution 2011
A protester stands in front of a burning barricade during a demonstration in Cairo on January 28. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]
Egypt Revolution 2011
A protester shouts in front of anti-riot police who block a bridge in Cairo on January 28. [Ahmed Ali/AP]
Egypt Revolution 2011
A protester holds an Egyptian flag as police use water cannon during clashes in Cairo on January 28. [Yannis Behrakis/Reuters]
Egypt Revolution 2011
A protester displays a tear gas canister during clashes in Cairo. [Yannis Behrakis/Reuters]
Egypt Revolution 2011
A protester looks at a burned Egyptian Army armoured vehicle in downtown Cairo on January 28. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]
Advertisement
Egypt Revolution 2011
Protesters clash with riot police in Cairo on [Ben Curtis/AP]
Egypt Revolution 2011
Protests turned violent in Suez on January 28. [AP]
Egypt Revolution 2011
People pray in front of army tanks in Tahrir Square on January 30. [Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images]
Egypt Revolution 2011
Protesters gather in Tahrir Square on February 1. [Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images]
Egypt Revolution 2011
Egyptians climb on to tanks after hearing the news of the resignation of Hosni Mubarak on February 11. [John Moore/Getty Images]
Egypt Revolution 2011
Protesters celebrate in Tahrir Square after the announcement of Mubarak's resignation. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
Egypt Revolution 2011
A woman waves an Egyptian flag from a balcony as tens of thousands gather in Tahrir Square on February 18. [Khaled Elfiqi/EPA]
Egypt Revolution 2011
A girl attends Friday prayers in front of an army tank in Tahrir Square on February 18. [Suhaib Salem/Reuters]

Related

  • Born after the Arab Spring: 37 million Egyptians have no memory of 2011

    One-third of Egyptians were born after the 2011 Arab Spring protests which removed longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

    Published On 26 Jan 202626 Jan 2026
    INTERACTIVE---Arab-spring-poster-1769071103
  • OPINIONOPINION,

    Why the Arab Spring was never a failure

    The uprisings did not collapse into irrelevance. They transformed how millions understood citizenship and dignity.

    Opinion by Larbi SadikiLarbi Sadiki
    Published On 18 Dec 202518 Dec 2025
    Protesters celebrate in Tahrir Square after the announcement of Mubarak's resignation
    quotes
  • OPINIONOPINION,

    The Arab Spring hasn’t ended, and Arab regimes know it

    Fifteen years on, repression is deeper, dissent is criminalised, but democracy is still the public demand.

    Opinion by Mohamad ElmasryMohamad Elmasry
    Published On 18 Dec 202518 Dec 2025
    Riot police force protestors back across the Kasr Al Nile Bridge as they attempt to get into Tahrir Square on January 28, 2011 in downtown Cairo, Egypt. Thousands of police are on the streets of the capital and hundreds of arrests have been made in an attempt to quell anti-government demonstrations [Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images]
    quotes
  • From: By the Numbers

    What are things like for women, 15 years after the Arab Spring?

    Fifteen years after the Arab Spring, the women who lit the spark still struggle for influence, equality and protection

    Published On 17 Dec 202517 Dec 2025
    BTN arab spring
    Video Duration 02 minutes 37 seconds play-arrow02:37

More from Gallery

  • Photos: Manila’s streets empty as fuel prices surge amid Hormuz crisis

    A sharp increase in prices of basic commodities and the possible loss of employment for thousands of people due to the fuel price hike have raised the spectre of stagflation in the Philippines.
    This gallery article has 10 imagescamera10
  • Photos: More than one million displaced by Israel’s evacuations in Lebanon

    Over one million displaced by Israel’s evacuations in Lebanon
    This gallery article has 10 imagescamera10
  • Migrants march in southern Mexico to denounce immigration restrictions

    Migrants, some carrying children, walk on the highway through the municipality of Huehuetan, Chiapas state, Mexico, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, after leaving Tapachula the previous night. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
    This gallery article has 9 imagescamera9
  • Photos: Iran fires new waves of missiles at Israel

    This picture shows damaged buildings at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv
    This gallery article has 8 imagescamera8

Most popular

  • Israel vows no let-up in Iran attacks despite US push to end war

    TOPSHOT - This video grab taken from images released by the Iranian state broadcaster (IRIB) on March 26, 2026, shows what it says is the second phase of the 82nd wave of missiles launched against Israel and US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
  • How extensive is Russia’s military aid to Iran?

    Iranian missile strikes
  • Saudi, UAE, Iraq: Can three pipelines help oil escape Strait of Hormuz?

    TOPSHOT - Indian vessel 'Nanda Devi' carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) arrives at Vadinar Port in the Jamnagar district of Gujarat state on March 17, 2026 after Iran allowed it to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy corridor that remains disrupted by the Middle East war.
  • ‘Raising 10 red flags’: Is Israel’s army exhausted?

    Israeli soldiers

  • About

    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Sitemap
    • Work for us
  • Connect

    • Contact Us
    • User Accounts Help
    • Advertise with us
    • Stay Connected
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Paid Partner Content
  • Our Channels

    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
  • Our Network

    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network