Martyrs’ Day has been observed as a public holiday since 1970 to honor the fallen heroes of Arab nationalism. The date, May 6, was selected to commemorate the 21 Arab intellectuals who were hanged on that date in 1916 in Beirut, Lebanon, and Damascus, Syria, by an official of the occupying Ottoman Empire. On Martyrs’ Day, ceremonies of public commemoration are led by government officials in Beirut at Martyrs’ Square, named in honor of the murdered nationalists. Officials and citizens also lay wreaths at martyrs’ monuments in Beirut and throughout the country. Discuss