Martyrs Square in Beirut, Lebanon

View of Martyrs' Square (Arabic: ساحة الشهداء‎ Sahet el Shouhada, French: Place des Martyrs) in the center of Beirut and Saifi Village in the background.

Martyrs' Square was actually known as Place des Canons back in the 19th century. At the time, Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1915, Lebanon suffered enormous food shortage as the Ottoman rulers confiscated food from the local population. Famine and plague spread throughout the country. As a result, more than a quarter of the Lebanon's population died, primarily Maronite Christians in Mount Lebanon. A revolt against the Ottomans broke out but it ended with the hanging of many Lebanese intellectuals and nationalists on 6 May 1916 in Place des Canons. In their honor, the square's name was changed to Martyrs' Square.

The memorial in Martyrs' Square is dedicated to the Lebanese nationalists killed by the Ottomans in World War I.