This Cairo Airbnb Tells the Tale of Egypt's Iconic Tahrir Square

An intellectual and architectural dialogue between a rich, reverberating history and a conscious, contemporary present that does not forget (or neglect) what helped shape it – this is the very essence of ‘5 Tahrir Square’, the newest Airbnb to take Downtown Cairo by storm. 

“Tahrir Square is the centre of everything. When you go on GoogleMaps and type ‘Cairo’, it brings you here. Not just to this square, to this exact building.” Yara Yehia, the host of ‘5 Tahrir Square’, shares with SceneTraveller. “So, of course, I wanted to create a space right here.”

With an enviable location right in the beating heart of the metropolis, Tahrir Square, the geographical nucleus of the Egyptian renaissance, has long acted as a starting point for travellers looking to explore Cairo to the east and the west. And Yehia’s contribution to the area is as lavish as it gets. 

After a gruelling renovation process that involved building an entirely new roof, as well as creating distinct backstories for each one of the vibrant bedrooms, Yehia and Interior Designer Moataz Zaitoun are finally ready to share their creation with the world of hospitality.

Consisting of four bedrooms with imagined previous owners (more on that in a minute), two Tahrir-facing bathtubs, and a private rooftop, this Airbnb is one of the only ones in this historic area to actually pay homage to, well, the history. 

Owned by two fictional parents – a chef and an artist – that lived with their ballerina daughter, photographer son and college-bound twin boys between 2011 and 2013, this apartment does not only tell the story of a run-of-the-mill Egyptian family, it also takes you on a journey through their opinions, perspectives, and personalities, especially as they relate to the political happenings of the time. 

No matter where you are in the space, you can still hear, see, feel the distant echoing chants of reformation ringing out across the thoughtfully constructed hallways and airy bedrooms, never letting you forget that all roads (and revolutions) lead to Tahrir Square.