Crowds of anti-government protesters have left a square in the Egyptian capital after apparently being targeted with tear gas.
Hundreds of people had launched a sit-in late on Friday and vowed to stay for a week but by Saturday morning few remained, though fresh protests are planned.
More than 100 people have been injured in clashes across Egypt after President Mohammed Mursi passed a decree giving himself almost unchecked power, the BBC reports.
Mr Mursi says he is leading Egypt to "freedom and democracy". Both supporters and critics of the president demonstrated across the country on Friday.
Thousands in Cairo demanded that Mr Mursi should quit and accused him of launching a "coup". There were also violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez.
Overnight on Friday about 20 white tents were pitched in the middle of Cairo's Tahrir Square where Egyptians celebrated the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Protest organisers said more than 20 different groups had joined the week-long sit-in against Mr Mursi's reforms. They say the new president is becoming as much of a dictator as Mr Mubarak.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Mursi appeared in front of his palace defending sweeping new powers he has assumed.
An emergency decree issued on Thursday stated that decisions by the president can't be revoked by any authority - including the judiciary.
The decision effectively places the president above judicial oversight until a new constitution is ratified, Reuters reports.
Mr Mursi praised the judiciary, but said he would uncover corrupt elements. He also said he would work for the independence of executive, judicial and legislative authorities and would never use legislation to settle scores.
Former IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, said Mr Mursi had appointed himself Egypt's "new pharaoh".
