Martyrs' Day in Lebanon (06/05)

Day of Martyrs (Victims) in Lebanon (Arabic). عيد الشهدا () is celebrated annually on May 6 in memory of the execution of Lebanese patriots by the Ottoman Turks in 1916. This is one of the most important dates in Lebanon, which is a national holiday in the country.

For centuries, Lebanon was under Ottoman rule, being part of the Greater Syria region, which also included the territories of present-day Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. But at the beginning of the 20th century, national liberation movements began to emerge here. On May 6, 1916, mass executions of supporters of the country's independence took place in Damascus and Beirut on the orders of the Ottoman Wali Jemal Pasha.

Now the anniversary of this tragic event is celebrated in Syria and Lebanon as Martyrs' Day.

In 1960, a monument to the Lebanese who fell in the fight against the Turkish occupation of Lebanon was erected in mercy in Beirut, where the executions took place. In honor of this monument, the square began to be called Martyrs' Square (in French – «Place des Martyrs», under this name it appears in all guides to Lebanon).

During the war, the infamous «Green Line» passed through the area, dividing the city into Muslim and Christian sectors. This is where the fiercest battles took place.

According to tradition, on this day the President of Lebanon visits the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and various commemorative events are held everywhere.

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