Feb 062009
Martyrs' Square
Martyrs’ Square is the heart of the downtown district of Beirut, Lebanon (see Beirut Central District). Its central statue commemorates Lebanese nationalists who were hanged during World War I by the Ottomans.
In the 19th century, the square was known as Place des Canons. During World War I, Lebanon was under Ottoman rule. In 1915, Beirut suffered a blockade by the Allies, which was intended to starve the Turks out. The effect was a famine, followed by plague, which killed more than a quarter of the population. A revolt against the Turks broke out which resulted in hanging of many nationalists on 6 May 1916 in the renamed Martyrs’ Square. Among them were Abdul Karim al-Khalil, Abed al-Wahab al-Inglizi, Father Joseph Hayek, Joseph Bishara Hani, Mohammad and Ahmad Mahmassani, Omar Hamad, Philip and Farid el-Khazen, and Sheikh Ahmad Tabbara. Interesting for city vacations.
GPS travel coordinates: 33° 53′ 46.86″ N, 35° 30′ 25.31″ E
