# Canonical recap data for Cairo Fire & Popular Uprising (1952)
# Source: https://recap.at/1952/cairo-fire-1952
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: cairo-fire-1952
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1952/cairo-fire-1952"
title: Cairo Fire & Popular Uprising
aliases:
- Black Saturday
- 26 January 1952
- Bloody Saturday
- Cairo Riots
subtitle: The January 26 riots against British occupation catalyzed the Free Officers Movement coup that installed Nasser and ended the monarchy.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1952-01-26
datePrecision: day
year: 1952
decade: 1950
country:
name: Egypt
slug: egypt
summaryShort: The Cairo Fire, also known as Black Saturday, was a series of riots that took place on 26 January 1952, marked by the burning and looting of some 750 buildings-retail shops, cafes, cinemas, hotels, restaurants, theatres, nightclubs, and the city's Casino Opera -in downtown Cairo. The direct trigger of the riots was the
summaryLong: The Cairo Fire, also known as Black Saturday, was a series of riots that took place on 26 January 1952, marked by the burning and looting of some 750 buildings-retail shops, cafes, cinemas, hotels, restaurants, theatres, nightclubs, and the city's Casino Opera -in downtown Cairo. The direct trigger of the riots was the Battle of Ismailia, an attack on an Egyptian police installation in Ismaïlia by British forces on 25 January, in which roughly 50 auxiliary policemen were killed.
lede: On January 26, 1952, Cairo erupted into three days of rioting that left roughly 750 buildings destroyed and hundreds dead. What began as a protest against British military presence in Egypt-sparked by clashes between Egyptian police and British troops in Ismailia-spiraled into widespread urban destruction that gutted downtown Cairo's commercial and cultural heart. The uprising exposed the weakness of King Farouk's government and accelerated the political instability that would culminate in a military coup six months later.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Cairo_Fire_1952_Rivoli_Cinema.jpg/1280px-Cairo_Fire_1952_Rivoli_Cinema.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Cairo fire"
importance: 68
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date
  value: January 26–28, 1952
- label: Buildings destroyed
  value: Approximately 750
- label: Estimated deaths
  value: 380–1,000
- label: Trigger event
  value: Ismailia clashes between Egyptian police and British troops on January 25
- label: Notable building burned
  value: Cairo Opera Casino
- label: Preceding coup
  value: Free Officers Movement coup on July 23, 1952
timeline:
- date: 1951-10-16
  title: Egypt unilaterally abrogates treaty with Britain
  description: King Farouk's government annuls the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, escalating nationalist sentiment and opening a confrontational period with British forces still stationed in the Suez Canal Zone.
- date: 1952-01-25
  title: Ismailia incident
  description: British troops attack Egyptian auxiliary police in Ismailia, killing 50 officers. Egyptian newspapers report the deaths with inflammatory coverage, igniting public fury.
- date: 1952-01-26
  title: Cairo Fire begins
  description: Demonstrations in downtown Cairo escalate into coordinated arson and looting. Rioters target British-owned businesses, nightclubs, hotels, and cinemas. Police either withdraw or are overwhelmed; the military does not intervene immediately.
- date: 1952-01-27
  title: Destruction peaks
  description: By the second day, roughly 750 buildings are ablaze across downtown Cairo. The Opera Casino, Shepheard's Hotel, and numerous retail establishments are burned. Army units begin deploying but maintain limited presence.
- date: 1952-01-28
  title: Military restores order
  description: Army forces impose a curfew and suppress remaining riots. Casualty figures range from 380 to over 1,000 dead; estimates vary widely due to poor record-keeping and deliberate underreporting by authorities.
- date: 1952-01-29
  title: Government reshuffle
  description: King Farouk removes Prime Minister Mustafa El-Nahhas and appoints Ali Maher, signaling loss of control. Political instability deepens across the following months.
- date: 1952-07-23
  title: Free Officers Movement coup
  description: Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Free Officers execute a military coup, deposing King Farouk and establishing the Revolutionary Command Council. The Cairo Fire's destabilization is a direct precursor.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_fire"
  title: Cairo fire
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Cairo Fire was a threshold event that exposed the terminal decay of Egypt's monarchy and colonial arrangement. It destroyed the commercial infrastructure of downtown Cairo, killed an estimated 380–1,000 people depending on the count, and created the political vacuum that Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Free Officers Movement exploited in their July 1952 coup. The uprising marked the moment when street rage replaced parliamentary politics as Egypt's governing force.
categories:
- protest
- revolution
taxonomy:
domain: social_movement
eventTypes:
- riot
- protest
canonicalClasses:
- mobilization
- conflict
- collapse
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: emergent
intentionality: spontaneous
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: Cairo's three-day riot on January 26, 1952 destroyed 750 buildings and accelerated Egypt's slide toward military rule.
wikidataQid: Q2015343
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260525085529/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_fire"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-25
  label: Cairo fire
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_fire"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Cairo_Fire_1952_Rivoli_Cinema.jpg/1280px-Cairo_Fire_1952_Rivoli_Cinema.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Cairo_Fire_1952_Rivoli_Cinema.jpg/800px-Cairo_Fire_1952_Rivoli_Cinema.jpg"
  caption: Cairo fire
  credit: Wikipedia · "Cairo fire"
  width: 330
  height: 278
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Downtown Cairo buildings destroyed
  thenValue: ~750
  thenYear: 1952
  nowValue: Rebuilt as modern commercial district
  nowYear: 2024
  note: The burned area was gradually redeveloped through the 1950s-60s, fundamentally altering downtown Cairo's character
- metric: Egyptian population
  thenValue: ~21 million
  thenYear: 1952
  nowValue: ~104 million
  nowYear: 2023
  note: Cairo's share of national population increased from roughly 6% to 20% during this period
- metric: Days until regime change following uprising
  thenValue: 6 months
  thenYear: 1952
  nowValue: N/A
  nowYear: 2024
  note: The Cairo Fire accelerated momentum toward Nasser's July 23 Revolution that same year
consequences:
- title: July 23 Revolution and Nasser's coup
  year: 1952
  description: The Cairo Fire and broader civil unrest directly precipitated Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Free Officers Movement's overthrow of King Farouk on July 23, 1952, just six months after Black Saturday. The uprising exposed the monarchy's inability to maintain order.
- title: Martial law and curfews imposed
  year: 1952
  description: British occupation forces and Egyptian authorities declared martial law in Cairo immediately following January 26. Strict curfews remained in effect for weeks, with military patrols dominating downtown streets.
- title: Downtown Cairo reconstruction and Nasserist urban planning
  year: 1954
  description: The Nasser regime began systematic rebuilding of burned downtown areas starting around 1954, reshaping Cairo's central business district with state-directed development that reflected modernist and pan-Arab nationalist ideology.
- title: British withdrawal negotiations accelerated
  year: 1954
  description: The civil unrest and subsequent Nasser takeover created pressure that led to the Anglo-Egyptian Agreement of October 1954, establishing a timeline for British troops to leave the Suez Canal Zone by 1956.
- title: Suez Crisis and nationalist consolidation
  year: 1956
  description: Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal in July 1956 and the subsequent Suez War represented the culmination of nationalist fervor that the Cairo Fire had catalyzed four years earlier, cementing Nasser's control and anti-colonial credentials.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Inta Omri
  artist: Umm Kulthum
  year: 1952
  note: Egypt's most celebrated vocalist released this iconic song during the year of the Fire, embodying Arab nationalist sentiment
- title: Masr Um el-Donia
  artist: Umm Kulthum
  note: Patriotic songs celebrating Egypt dominated popular music during this period of nationalist fervor
topFilms:
- title: Laila
  year: 1952
  note: Egyptian melodrama released the same year as the Cairo Fire, reflecting popular cinema of the era
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: January 1952 Egypt was consumed by anti-colonial nationalism and resentment toward King Farouk's perceived weakness against British occupation. Umm Kulthum's patriotic songs provided the cultural soundtrack to mass discontent. The immediate post-war period saw Egyptian cinema and music increasingly focused on national identity and social themes, with the masses treating downtown Cairo's European-styled establishments—cinemas, casinos, nightclubs—as symbols of foreign domination and decadence.
relatedQueries:
- Cairo Fire Black Saturday January 26 1952
- King Farouk Egypt 1952 overthrow
- Gamal Abdel Nasser July 23 Revolution
- British occupation Egypt Suez Canal 1952
- downtown Cairo burning 750 buildings
- Egyptian nationalism anti-colonial riots 1952
- Umm Kulthum 1952 Egypt
- Anglo-Egyptian Agreement 1954 Suez
- Nasser urban planning Cairo reconstruction
