The El-Ghazl factory in Mahalla is Egypt’s largest textile company with more than 20,000 workers. It is a microcosm of Egyptian society. The factory has a reputation as a catalyst for protest. In 2008, factory workers took to the streets demanding better working conditions. In January 2011, workers there were among the first to protest – prompting the mass protests that in turn developed into a revolution and led to the departure of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president.
