Syria Martyrs' Day

Syria Martyrs' Day

May 6In 1916, a meeting of Arab intellectuals in Paris called for the liberation of all Arab countries from Turkish rule. In response, Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid appointed Jamal Pasha the governor of Damascus. Jamal Pasha ordered mass arrests of dissidents. When a group of Syrian nationalists refused to renounce their views, they were hanged in al-Murjeh square in Damascus on May 6, 1916. The executions sparked Arab resistance throughout the Ottoman Empire. An Arab army led by Sharif Hussein of Mecca soon defeated the Turks. The Ottoman Empire collapsed at the end of World War I.
To commemorate the heroic event, the Syrian president lays a wreath at the martyrs' monument at Qasyoun Mountain. The president hosts a banquet in the evening for the children of the Syrian martyrs. The day is celebrated with fireworks, parades, military air shows, and speeches.
CONTACTS:
Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in the USA
2215 Wyoming Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-232-6313
www.syrianembassy.us
(c)