| Title | The Square, Al Midan |
| Artist / Creator | Islam Aly |
| Place of Publication | Iowa City, IA |
| Publication Date | 2014 |
| Process / Technique | Laser Cut, edge painting, laser etching |
| Structure / Binding | Ethiopian and Coptic binding |
| Medium / Materials | Red oak wooden covers, Linen thread |
| Paper Stock | Mould-made Johannot |
| Number of Pages | 20 sections, each section four folios, total of 160 pages |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 4.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches |
| Edition Size | Edition of 40 |
| Signed & Numbered | Signed and numbered |
Egyptian uprising called for democratic reform. Tahrir Square in Cairo became the focal point and the most effective symbol of the protests in January and February 2011. For 18 days Egyptians repeated the slogan: The People Want to Bring down the Regime (al-sha`b yurid isqat al-nizam) until the regime stepped down on the 11th of February 2011.
This book focuses on the revolution slogan. Using Arabic Kufic script the words of the slogan are repeated in an ascending sequence. Section 19 contains the English translation for the slogan The People Want to Bring down the Regime. The last section contains the time and date when the regime stepped down along with the sentence Al Saa'b Askat al Nezam with its English translation 'The People have Brought down the Regime'. Cairo's map is laser engraved on the book covers. Three edges of the book are colored then laser engraved to show the streets of Cairo.
Artist Bio
Islam Aly received a BA and an MA in Art Education from Helwan University, Egypt. He is currently a doctoral candidate in the College of Education's Art Education program at the University of Iowa. In August 2013 he finished the MFA program at the University of Iowa Center for the Book. His books explore the possibilities of historical bindings in contemporary book art practice. They have appeared in international exhibitions in the United States and abroad, and in private and public collections including the NewYork Public Library, the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library at the University of Alabama, the National Library of Chile, the University of Iowa Special Collections, and Bibliotheca Alexandrina.