Bahai Gardens in Haifa

History.

The beautiful gardens began with a grave on the slope of Mount Carmel – the burial of a man named Bab, who was shot in Tabriz in 1850.

Any prophet of any faith runs the risk of misunderstanding even among co-religionists. What can we say about someone who preaches something completely new! Sometimes preaching is tantamount to suicide. What else could have expected a man who had suddenly changed the usual name Sayyid Ali Muhammad to “Bab” (“Gate”). And speaking of the imminent coming of the Most High, who will unite all the religions of the world into one! And he will do it not by force, but by love!

In Muslim Iran, such a prophet could only be in one place: in prison. And to leave from there is not free – to penalty. So it happened. But the faith that he continued to preach and in prison, failed to execute. She was released and gained more and more supporters.

One of them was Hussein Ali y-Nuri, who is also known by another name – Baha’u’llah (“Glory of God”). In the terrible prison “Black Pit”, under torture, in exile, he continued the work of his spiritual mentor. He was exiled along with other followers of the new faith in Acre. At first, the supervision of the exiled heretics was strict. But over time, they settled in Acre and Haifa, and began to live a normal life. But by faith, which spread unswervingly. Pilgrims from many countries began to come to Baha’u’llah.

Bahá’u’lláh bequeathed to his son and faithful follower Abdu’l-Baha to rebuild the remains of the Bab on the slope of Mount Carmel in Haifa. And even indicated the place.

This was done in 1909. Then a small marble tomb arose over the grave. Until the Canadian Bahai, architect William Maxwell took up the business.

The tomb worthy of the prophet.

Maxwell was fascinated by the style of Beaux-Arts, “mixed” in the Renaissance and Baroque. And it seemed to him interesting to combine this all with oriental style. In 1953 a snow-white building with a gilded dome (by the way, designed by specialists from the Technion Institute in Haifa), light columns and elegant arches was ready. After 10 years, the first Baha’i governing body of 9 members met for the first time in the old house of Abdu’l-Baha in Haifa. Elected by secret ballot around the world – the World House of Justice.

Bahá’u’lláh in his book “The Tablet of Mount Carmel” indicated a place not only for the tomb of the Bab, but also for the Universal House of Justice. There it was built. This is how the world center of the Bahai religion took shape.

In 1987, the Universal House of Justice decided to surround the tomb of the Bab with gardens. The landscape of Mount Carmel itself suggested a wonderful solution. The gardens are designed like stairs going down to and from the tomb. Baba’s tomb stands on the 10th garden terrace. 9 terraces rise from it upwards, 9 more go downwards. Their total is 19. 9 and 19 are the sacred numbers of the Bahá’ís.

Terraces are of different sizes: the smallest are not more than 60 m wide, the largest are 400 m.

The total area of ​​the gardens is more than 200,000 square meters. Materials for their construction came from all over the world, and vegetable wealth suggests an idea of ​​a paradise garden. Not even the smallest flower is left without care and concern.

The creator of the gardens, the architect Fariborz Sahba, wanted them to be like a multi-colored necklace, in the center of which the main jewel shines, the tomb of the Báb.

Gift to the world.

The Bahá’ís themselves call their gardens “a gift to humanity,” and humanity appreciated this gift. The garden complex solemnly opened in May 2001, and over 4,000 guests from all over the world gathered at the “new wonder of the world”.

In 2008, Bahai Gardens officially entered the UNESCO World Heritage List – from the beginning of the XXI century it is the sixth site in Israel listed on this list.

It is a great honor for such a modern facility to get on the famous list after the fortress of Masada, the Old City in Acre, the White City in Tel Aviv, the Road of Incense and the biblical hills of Megiddo!

Bahai Gardens – 6 interesting facts.

1. This land does not belong to the state of Israel.

2. Walking up the stairs is not necessary if you are not a follower of the Bahai religion. Do not do this if you visit this place as part of a tourist group. Whatever religion you profess, just respect someone else’s.

3. This white temple with a golden dome is not exactly a temple. This is a mausoleum, and the Bahá’ís themselves do not like the words “temple”, preferring to it “holy place”.

4. A certain area in the Bahai gardens is always closed to the public. No, the Bahá’ís do not arrange mysterious rites and strange rituals there, where the entrance to the uninitiated is prohibited. This is just an administrative area with government and archive.

5. The buildings of the archive and the Universal House of Justice Baha’i vaguely resemble something, right? So it is: these are copies of famous buildings, in particular the archive copy of the Parthenon in Athens. So it was conceived: the temple-tomb of the Baba also resembles several temples at once. Moreover, every more or less religious person recognizes something of his own in this temple.

6. All this beauty is built solely on donations from followers of the Bahai faith throughout the world. No other means were involved, the Bahá’ís do not accept money “not from their own” – and if they have to accept it, they spend it on charity.