Located in the center of Ramallah, Al Manara Square is one Ramallah’s most famous and iconic landmarks.

During the British Mandate the cities of Ramallah and Al Bireh were connected to an electric grid. Al Manara or ‘the lighthouse,’ in English, refers to the pole that was planted between the two cities that housed the switchboard controlling the lighting of the streetlamps.

In 1951 a monument of five stone carved lions representing the five founding families of Ramallah was created by a local artist and replaced this street pole. This monument was demolished by the Israeli Occupation in 1982, but the site did not lose its significance to the local people.

In the year 2000, after the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority, a new monument was built. The new monument features a stone pillar topped with a lamp. Around the pillar are stone sculptures of four lions representing bravery, pride, and power.