Shalom #25

We visited the Baha'i Gardens this past week with the service couples.  One of the couples had visitors and had wanted to take them to this spectacular site. We were invited to join them....and are we ever glad we did.  The Baha'i Shrine and Gardens are the most beautiful grounds and are at the top of our list of "must see" in Israel. It is the international headquarters for the Baha'i faith.  In Frommer's Israel guidebook the Gardens & Shrine are listed in the "Most Important Holy Places" to visit. Haifa is the international headquarters for the gentle Bahai faith, which began in Persia in the mid-19th century in a blood bath of persecution. The book states, "the shrine was built to memorialize the remains of one of the Baha'i faith's martyrs, Bab Mirza Ali Muhammad, who was executed by Persian authorities in 1850.  It is built in the port town of Haifa  and has the most breathtaking views of the city and harbor.

   

This is the shrine of the Bab's remains, incidentally, which were hidden for years after he died a martyrs death in front of a firing squad.  Eventually, however, his followers secretly carried his remains to the Holy Land.

In Frommer's, it states, "Baha'is believe in the unity of all religions and see all religious leaders-Christ, Buddha, Muhammand, Moses-as messengers of God, sent at different times in history with doctrines varying to fit changing social needs, but bringing substantially the same message.  The most recent of these heavenly teachers, according to Baha'is, was Baha' Allah.  He was exiled by the Turkish authorities to Acre (across the bay from Haifa) where he wrote his doctrines, and died a peaceful death.....the shrine entombs the remains of the Bab, the Baha' Allah's herald who died a martyr's death in front of a firing squad."  It was so interesting to us to learn about this religion.   Many things in their history parallel the story of the

Prophet Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

This picture does not do justice to the gardens. Imagine this whole mountain side with immaculate gardens, hedges, fountains, beautiful flowering plants, etc.... 9 levels above the Tomb and 9 levels below the tomb.  We are looking down on the tomb probably from level 5.