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Marjeh Square

ساحة المرجة

A historic square in central Damascus, home to the Liberty Monument, and a major social and political center of the city since the late Ottoman era.

Marjeh Square sits in central Damascus, at the western end of Souq al-Hamidiyah, and is one of the oldest and most important public squares in the city, gaining prominence in the late Ottoman era when it became a major administrative and commercial center following the construction of several government buildings and hotels around it.

At the center of the square stands the "Liberty Monument," a memorial column erected in the early 20th century to celebrate the proclamation of the Ottoman constitution, which later became a national symbol associated with the execution of a number of Syrian and Lebanese nationalist figures by Ottoman authorities in 1916 -- an event historically known as "Martyrs' Day."

Throughout its modern history, the square has witnessed numerous political and social events, and for decades was a bustling commercial and hotel district reflecting the modern urban character Damascus took on in the early 20th century, in contrast to the traditional heritage character of the adjacent Old City.

Marjeh Square today remains a symbolic meeting point between traditional and modern Damascus, and a site carrying deep historical and national significance for the city's people.

For the visitor

Photos

Photos: Dosseman — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Vyacheslav Argenberg — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY) · Mr.TAMER.Shlash — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Tom Beazley, published by aussiejeff — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY)