Haifa City on the slopes of Mount Carmel

By Uditha KUMARASINGHE following a tour of Israel

The Baha’i Shrine and Gardens in the city of Haifa, Israel are some of the most prominent landmarks in this city. They are considered the spiritual heart of the Baha’i faith which stresses the unity of all religions and the brotherhood of mankind to everybody who visits this holy place.

The gold-plated dome of the Baha’i temple dominates the landscape of the city of Haifa which is the third largest city in Israel. The city of Haifa has been built above the harbour on the slopes of Mount Carmel.

During a recent visit to Israel to attend an international workshop, I had the rare opportunity of visiting this unique place of religious importance with a group of journalists from different countries who were attending this workshop.

A tour guide for the Baha’i World Centre, who provided us vital information on this significant landmark, described Baha’i as an independent world religion with more than five million followers in almost every country. The holiest shrine of the faith had become the resting place of Baha’u’lla’h, the founder of the Baha’i faith.

According to the information provided to us, the Baha’i faith is the most recent in a line of Messengers of God that includes the founders of the world’s major religions. All visitors to this contemplative atmosphere of Baha’i shrines, terraces and gardens would enjoy a different experience from what they had seen at other religious sites. The Baha’i World Centre symbolises the unity of all religions without being confined to one particular religion. The Baha’i Shrine and Gardens depict the unique faith of unity and stresses that unity is the only lasting solution to resolve the conflicts in the world.

The beautifully landscaped Baha'i Gardens

The immaculate Baha’i Gardens was completed in 2001 as a tranquil memorial to the founder of the Baha’i faith. Thousands of visitors from all over the world come to view this unique landmark in the heart of Haifa.

Renowned architects

The colonnade and golden dome over the mausoleum were completed in 1953 and were designed by the renowned Canadian architect William Sutherland Maxwell, harmonising Eastern and Western proportions and styles. The shrine’s superstructure is of Chiampo stone, cut and carved in Italy; the monolithic columns are of Rose Baveno granite; and the 12,000 fish-scale tiles on the dome have been made in Holland by a process of fire-glazing over gold leaf. Everybody visiting this place is astonished after viewing its unique architectural design and landscape.

In 1987 Canadian architect Fariborz Sahba was assigned, by the Baha’i World Centre, the task of designing 18 monumental terraces as a path of approach to the Shrine of the Ba’b, one of the most holy pilgrimage sites for the Baha’is of the world.

The terraces designed at the Baha’i Gardens have set up a classic example to the visitors on its significant architectural design. It stretches about a kilometre up the mountain, reaching a height of 225 metres and the width of the landscaped gardens ranges from 60 metres to almost 400 metres. To create a continuous pedestrian pathway from the foot to the crest of the mountain, bridges and pedestrian underpasses have been provided for crossing Yefe Nof Street, Hatzionut Avenue and Abbas Street.

The beautiful gardens were originally planned by Shoghi Effendi, the late Guardian of the faith, and they have recently undergone a massive redesign aimed at putting them on the world’s horticultural map. The picturesque view of the beautiful gardens can be identified as the most eye-catching part of this significant landmark with hundreds of different kinds of flowers and trees. Baha’i Gardens are now a geometric cascade of hanging gardens and terraces down to the Ben Gurion Boulevard-a gift of visual pleasure to the city that gave the Baha’i religion its home and headquarters.

Unique style

We could see the unique style of the terraces and gardens which had been paid meticulous attention to detail. The natural elements of light and water form the main decoration of the terraces. The ornaments in stone and metal that beautify them have been chosen for their aesthetic appeal and have no religious significance. One of the distinguishing features of these gardens is the attention paid to the conservation of the mountain environment and water resources. Over the years, this holy place has been beautified with formal gardens extending in a large circle around the Shrine.

Baha’i Shrine

The path to the shrine

The Baha’i have no clergy and its affairs are administered through a system of elected councils at local, national and international levels. There are currently over 180 national councils and more than 12,000 local councils around the world. Baha’is from nearly 80 countries serve on a temporary, volunteer basis as staff of the Baha’i World Centre. They have made a tremendous effort to maintain and preserve this significant landmark.

Though this unique creation has been put up with the contributions of Baha’is throughout the world, it has also set an example as it doesn’t mention the names of those who made contributions for this unique creation.

Therefore, the message given to all visitors is the recognition of the common source and essential oneness of the world’s great religions as well as the right and responsibility of each person to search independently for the truth. Pix: Internet