Cairo’s Tahrir Square

Egyptians in Cairo’s Tahrir Square walk past graffiti of a head composed of the faces of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, right, and Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, leader of Egypt’s ruling military council, with a slogan reading, “The revolution continues.” (Mohammed Hossam / AFP/Getty Images)

March 24, 2014 2:33 PM PT

The square is where Egypt reclaimed its dignity, but for some it has turned into a symbol of vows broken.

A boy watches an Egyptian artist and activist at work during a campaign to paint a reproduction of the streets behind walls erected to block the route to Tahrir Square. (Nasser Nasser / Associated Press)

Egyptian protesters pull down a barricade on a street leading to Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the Egyptian revolution last year. (Mohammed Hossam / AFP/Getty Images)

Egyptian protesters gather to break a concrete wall erected by security forces to separate the prime minister’s headquarters and Tahrir Square. (Khalil Hamra / Associated Press)

Egyptian activist Samira Ibrahim, center, attends a protest in the square. (Nasser Nasser / Associated Press)

Egyptian police look on as a man watches protesters pull down the protective barricade made of cement blocks along Qasr el-Eine street which lead to Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the Egyptian revolution which saw last year’s overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak (Mohammed Hossam / AFP/Getty Images)