martyrs memorial statue-beirut lebanon - during world war 1, lebanon was under ottoman rule. In 1915,Beirut suffered a blockade by the allies, which was intended to starve the turks out.the effect was a famine, followed by a plague, which killed more than a quarter of the population. A revolt against the turks broke out which resulted in the hanging of six rebel leaders in the renamed place des martyrs. The Martyrs statue, riddled with bullet holes, has become a symbol for all that was destroyed during the lebanese civil war.