Egypt Burning

Through interviews with correspondents on the ground, Al Jazeera tells the story of 18 days when history was made.



Egypt Burning tells the story of the Egyptian revolution that forced Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled the country for 30 years, from power.

Through interviews with Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground - whose coverage of the popular uprising made them the target of a state campaign to get Al Jazeera off the air - the three-part series revisits those critical moments as history unfolded.

The first episode of Egypt Burning tells the story of five days in January 2011 when the people of Egypt broke through a barrier of fear they had known for a generation and rose in revolt against their president.

Anger had long been brewing in Egypt - strikes, unemployment and sectarian tension were on the rise.

Small networks of activists had been agitating against Hosni Mubarak's autocratic rule for years. But it was only when another Arab country, Tunisia, rose up against its tyrant that the Egyptian activists attracted mass support.

People took to the streets across Egypt demanding political freedoms, an end to state corruption and a better quality of life for the impoverished population.