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The centre of modern Cairo is a concrete assertion of national pride, which threatens to burst as it pumps traffic around the city. Created on the site of Britain's Qasr el-Nil Barracks after the 1952 revolution, Midan Tahrir (Liberation Square) embodies the drawbacks of subsequent political trends. During the 1960s, two bureaucratic monoliths and several transport depots responsible for much of Egypt and all of Greater Cairo were concentrated here, as Nasser adopted Soviet-style centralization. A decade later, Sadat rejected his mentor's "Arab Socialism" in favour of an Infitah (Open Door) to Western capitalism, causing private car ownership to soar almost as fast as Cairo's population. Impending gridlock was only averted by digging a metro; in spite of which, buses and roads are still grossly overcrowded. The entrances to Sadat metro station serve as pedestrian underpasses linking these depots and buildings with the main roads leading off Tahrir. Despite clear labelling in English, it's easy to go astray in the maze of subways and surface at the wrong location. Many Cairenes prefer to take their chances crossing by road - a nerve-wracking experience for newcomers. Though some landmarks are obvious, rooftop billboards and neon signs flanking the end of streets like Talaat Harb (between Leccio and Sprite) or Qasr el-Nil (beside the Cleopatra Hotel) also help with orientation. To watch the square over tea, try one of the Arab cafes beneath the Saudia sign; the one with a new brick facade was bombed by Islamic radicals in 1993.
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