When is Martyrs' Day?
Martyrs' Day (Eid al-Suhad) is a national holiday in the Syrian Arab Republic on May 6th each year.
This holiday marks the anniversary of the execution of Syrian nationalists in Damascus by the Ottomans on this day in 1916.
History of Martyrs' Day
Syria had been part of the Ottoman Empire since the start of the 16th century.
During World War I, the Ottoman Empire entered the conflict on the side of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
To pursue the conflict in Egypt and the Middle East, one of the three Ottoman military leaders, Jamal Pasha, was made Governor of Greater Syria in 1915. A heavy-handed leader at the best of times, his offensives against the Allies were failing and the region was being riven by Arab nationalism.
Jamal Pasha was to earn the name "the Blood Shedder", when he executed 20 Syrian nationalists on May 6th 1916.
The nationalists were caught allegedly cooperating with the British and the French in an attempt to weaken the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish authorities incriminated them as "traitors," which ultimately resulted in their public execution in Marjeh Square in Damascus. The plaza was renamed Martyrs' Square in 1931.
On May 6th each year, the President of Syria lays flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, meets with relatives of the soldiers who died in the struggle for independence. Thousands of Syrians gather at Martyrs’ Square to mark this event.
