Baháʼí House of Worship

The first Baháʼí House of Worship

See also Baháʼí Faith in Turkmenistan.

The first Baháʼí House of Worship was built in the city of ʻIshqábád, then ruled by Russia and now the capital of Turkmenistan. It was started in 1902 and completed in 1908. The design was prepared by Ostad Ali-Akbar Banna, and the construction was supervised by Vakílu'd-Dawlih, later named one of the nineteen Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh.[3][12]

ʻIshqábád is located in the desert plain of western Turkmenistan near the foothills of the Alborz Mountains. Under the protection and freedom given by the Russian authorities, the number of Baháʼís there rose to over 1,000 and for the first time anywhere in the world a true Baháʼí community was established, with its own schools, medical facilities, cemetery, etc. Eventually the Baháʼís in ʻIshqábád decided to build the institution of the spiritual and social heart of the Baháʼí community: the Mas͟hriqu'l-Ad͟hkár.

The House of Worship itself was surrounded by gardens. At the four corners of the garden were four buildings: a school, a hostel where travelling Baháʼís were entertained, a small hospital, and a building for groundskeepers. The Baháʼís lived as much as possible in proximity to the House of Worship. It was the centre of the community materially, as well as spiritually. The House of Worship in ʻIshqábád has been the only house of worship thus far to have the humanitarian subsidiaries associated with the institution built alongside it.[12]

After serving the community for two decades, the House of Worship was expropriated by the Soviet authorities in 1928 and leased back to the Baháʼís. This lasted until 1938, when it was fully secularized and turned into an art gallery. The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake seriously damaged the building and rendered it unsafe; the heavy rains of the following years weakened the structure, and it was demolished in 1963 and the site converted into a public park.[3]

The cornerstone for the Baháʼí House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois was brought to the site by Nettie Tobin and accepted in 1912 by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá during his only visit to the United States and Canada. Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1953, with a delay of several years during the Great Depression and World War II. The Wilmette House of Worship is the largest and the oldest surviving Baháʼí House of Worship. Known by Baha'is as the "Mother Temple of the West" and formally as the "Baháʼí House of Worship for the North American Continent", it stands in north suburban Cook County, on the shores of Lake Michigan, at 42°04′27.88″N 87°41′05.89″W. The cladding is made of white portland cement concrete with both clear and white quartz aggregate. It has received numerous design awards, and is a prominent Chicago-area landmark. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[13] The height of the auditorium is 138 feet (42 m), and the diameter of the dome is 90 feet (27.5 m). The auditorium seats 1,192 visitors.[14] Like some other Baháʼí temples, it has a gallery balcony from which choirs or soloists may perform. No instrumental music is allowed during services in the auditorium, although all kinds of music may be performed in the meeting room below. In general, no videography, photography, or any other activity inconsistent with quiet meditation is allowed in the auditorium. Devotional programs are held daily at 9:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

One of nine towers

Foundation Hall, which is used for large meetings and holy day celebrations is located underneath the main auditorium. The large underground area also contains offices not regularly open to the general public, including a media center, studios, and the Baha'i Archives, which can be visited by appointment. As of May, 2015, the displays, restrooms, offices, bookstore, and the viewing room for videos have been moved to a newly constructed Welcome Center located between the gardens and the parking lot to the southwest of the House of Worship. The previous Visitor's Center is no longer routinely open to the public.

Calligraphy of the "Greatest Name" in the center of the dome

The principal architect was Louis Bourgeois, but the interior cladding was designed by Alfred Shaw of Shaw, Metz, and Dolio. Engineering plans were prepared by Allen McDaniel of The Research Service of Washington, D.C. The general contractor was George A. Fuller, Co. Both the pioneering exterior and interior cladding were fabricated and constructed by John Joseph Earley and the Earley Studio.[15]

The Baháʼí House of Worship is a place of worship for all people. The only decorative art inside and out involves shapes and designs made by intersecting lines. There are no images of people or places. The building itself is decorated inside and out with verses from the Baha'i Writings, all of them by Baháʼu'lláh. As there are nine entrances to the building, there are nine verses above the doors and nine inside the buildings above the alcoves.

The verses outside are engraved into the stone, in large legible letters. Above the doors are small engraved versions of the "Greatest Name", one of several Baháʼí symbols and an elaborate decorative design that includes the letters ABHA, representing the prayer "Alláh u Abhá" (God is Most Glorious) in Arabic. It is the numerical value of these four letters in the words abha and baha (for Baháʼu'lláh) that add up to total nine, one of reasons Baháʼí Houses of Worship are nine-sided.

The most decorative element on the outside of the building is the tracery on the nine towers. These are intertwined with the generally recognized symbols of many world religions, including the Cross, the star and crescent, the Star of David, and the original swastika design, an ancient symbol having arms bent at right angles, used for thousands of years as a representative symbol of world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The only decorative symbol inside the auditorium is a large, lighted version of the Greatest Name in the exact center of the inside of the dome.

For many years the Baháʼí House of Worship was associated with a "home for the aged", operated by the U.S. Baháʼí community. The Baháʼí Home has since closed, although the building remains in use for a local Baha'i School and regional training center.[16]

On April 30, 2007, the Baháʼí House of Worship was named one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism representing the Chicago metropolitan area.[17]

Baha'i House of Worship, Kampala, Uganda

The Mother Temple of Africa is situated on Kikaaya Hill, in Kawempe Division, in northern Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It was designed by Charles Mason Remey. Its foundation stone was laid in January 1958, and it was dedicated on January 13, 1961.

The building is more than 130 feet (39 m) high, and over 100 meters in diameter at the base. The dome, composed of lace-like tiles, rises over 124 feet (37 m) high and is 44 feet (13 m) in diameter. The foundation goes 10 feet (3 m) underground to protect it from earthquakes common in this part of the world.

The green dome is made of fixed mosaic tiles from Italy, and the lower roof tiles are from Belgium. The walls of the temple are of precast stone quarried in Uganda. The colored glass in the wall panels was brought from Germany. The timber used for making the doors and benches was from Uganda. The 50-acre (200,000 m²) property includes the House of Worship, extensive gardens, a guest house, and an administrative center.[18]

Sydney Baháʼí Temple

Interior of the Baháʼí House of Worship in Sydney

The temple in Ingleside in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia was dedicated on September 17, 1961 and opened to the public after four years of construction. The initial design by Charles Mason Remey was approved in 1957, and given to Sydney architect John Brogan to develop and complete. Construction materials include local hardwoods and concrete surmounted by a dome, with seating for six hundred people. The building stands 38 metres in height, has a diameter at its widest point of 20 metres, and is a highly visible landmark from Sydney's northern beaches.[19]

The surrounding gardens contain native plants including waratahs, several grevillea including the unique caleyi, the native pea, wattle and woody pear, plus three species of eucalypts. Other buildings located on the site include a visitor's centre, bookshop, picnic area, hostel, caretaker's cottage, and the administrative offices of the Australian Baha'i community.[20]

The property is set high in a natural bushland setting of 380,000 square metres (38 hectares) in Ingleside, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This Temple serves as the "Mother Temple of the Antipodes".[21]

In 2005-2006 this temple was threatened by nearby bush fires which approached but never reached the temple grounds.

Baháʼí House of Worship, Langenhain, Germany

The Mother Temple of Europe is located at the foot of the Taunus Mountains of Germany, in the village of Langenhain, a suburb of Hofheim, Hesse near Frankfurt. It was designed by Teuto Rocholl. The temple was dedicated on July 4, 1964, after three and a half years of construction, including a performance by Maria Montana.[22] It is made of steel, aluminum, and glass. 540 diamond-shaped windows give the dome an optical lightness and permit the sunlight to play in it. Diameter of the central hall area is 25 meters, while the diameter of the outside ambulatory area is 48 meters. Height from ground level is 28 meters. The outstanding characteristic acoustics of this setting are created by the reverberation within the dome and the resonance of its myriad window ledges. Choirs here sometimes sing while standing around the circumference of the temple floor, with the audience in the center.

Baháʼí House of Worship, Panama City, Panama

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The Baháʼí temple in Panama City, Panama, dedicated April 29–30, 1972,[23] designed by Peter Tillotson. It serves as the mother temple of Latin America. It is perched on a high cliff, "Cerro Sonsonate" ("Singing Hill"), overlooking the city, and is constructed of local stone laid in a pattern reminiscent of Native American fabric designs.

The dome is covered with thousands of small oval tiles, and the entrance gates of the temple are constructed in a unique three-dimensional design each consisting of an equilateral triangle of three vertical posts with multiple rows of bars stretching between them at various angles, each row of which gradually changes from vertical to horizontal.

Baháʼí House of Worship in Apia, Samoa

The Baháʼí House of Worship in Tiapapata, 8 km from Apia, Samoa, was dedicated on September 1, 1984, having been completed at a cost of $6,500,000.[24] It serves as the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands. The temple was designed by Hossein Amanat, and was dedicated by Malietoa Tanumafili II, the reigning O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa[25] (1913–2007) and the world's first Baháʼí head of state. Its 30-meter domed structure is open to the public for individual prayer, commemoration of Baha'i holy days, and weekly devotional meetings. The structure is completely open to the island breezes.

The Baháʼí House of Worship in Delhi, India, located at 28°33′11.46″N 77°15′35.10″E

Sunset at the Baháʼí House of Worship in New Delhi, India, also called the Lotus Temple

The Baháʼí temple in Delhi, India was dedicated in December 1986, having been completed for a total cost $10 million.[26] It serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles. The architect was an Iranian, who now lives in Canada, named Fariborz Sahba.

Inspired by the lotus flower, its design is composed of 27 free-standing, marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.[27]

Nine doors open on to a central hall, capable of holding up to 2,500 people. Slightly more than 40 meters tall, its surface shining white marble, the temple at times seems to float above its 26-acre (105,000 m²; 10.5 ha) nine surrounding ponds. The site is in the village of Bahapur, in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The major part of the funds needed to buy this land was donated by Ardishír Rustampúr from Hyderabad, who gave his entire life savings for this purpose in 1953.[28]

This House of Worship is generally referred to as the "Lotus Temple" by Baháʼís and non-Baháʼís alike. In India, during the Hindu festival Durga Puja, several times a replica of the Lotus Temple has been made as a pandal, a temporary structure set up to venerate the goddess Durga.[29]

The House of Worship in Santiago, Chile

In late 2002, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Chile and the Universal House of Justice announced a competition for the design of the mother temple of South America, to be built in Santiago. The chosen design was by Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontarini Architects in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[30]

Its sides and dome are composed of nine wings, each one consisting of a steel space frame with panels of translucent marble and cast glass cladding.[31] The construction phase started in November 2010.[32] The construction completed in October, 2016,[33] with doors opening on October 19, 2016.[34]

The Battambang, Cambodia temple is the first local House of Worship to be completed. Plans for the constructions of the House of Worship were announced on April 21, 2012 by the Universal House of Justice along with plans for two national Temples and four other local temples. The House of Justice characterized the Baháʼí communities chosen to host these new temples as unique in the world:

The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, described by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as “one of the most vital institutions of the world”, weds two essential, inseparable aspects of Baháʼí life: worship and service. The union of these two is also reflected in the coherence that exists among the community-building features of the Plan, particularly the burgeoning of a devotional spirit that finds expression in gatherings for prayer and an educational process that builds capacity for service to humanity. The correlation of worship and service is especially pronounced in those clusters around the world where Baháʼí communities have significantly grown in size and vitality, and where engagement in social action is apparent. [...] It is within these clusters that, in the coming years, the emergence of a local Mashriqu'l-Adhkár can be contemplated.[35]

The temple was designed by Cambodian architect Sochet Vitou Tang, who is a practicing Buddhist, and integrates distinctive Cambodian architectural principles.[36] A dedication ceremony and official opening conference took place on September 1–2, 2017, attended by Cambodian dignitaries, locals, and representatives of Baháʼí communities throughout southeast Asia.[37][38]

The local House of Worship in Agua Azul, Colombia

The temple in Agua Azul in the municipality of Villa Rica in the Cauca Department, Colombia is the second local House of Worship to be completed. Its plan was among those announced on April 21, 2012 by the Universal House of Justice.[39] The temple design, by architect Julian Gutierrez Chacon, was inspired by the shape of the cocoa pod, a plant integral to Colombian culture.[40] An opening dedication ceremony was conducted on July 22, 2018, followed by devotional services in the House of Worship.[41]

In 2012 the Universal House of Justice announced plans to build two national Houses of Worship aside from the continental ones above.[5] These were for the Democratic Republic of Congo (see Baháʼí Faith in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Papua New Guinea. In addition plans for the first local Houses of Worship were also announced - for Battambang, Cambodia; Bihar Sharif, India (see Baháʼí Faith in India); Matunda Soy, Kenya (See Baháʼí Faith in Kenya); Cauca, Colombia (see Baháʼí Faith in Colombia); and Tanna, Vanuatu. Currently, construction is ongoing in Papua New Guinea, Kenya and Vanuatu, while the Houses of Worship in Cambodia and Colombia have been opened.

A proposed Baháʼí House of Worship, Tehran, Iran

While a site has been selected, and plans drawn up for the Baháʼí Temple of Tehran, the construction or planning of such a temple is impossible in the current political situation in Iran, an Islamic theocracy.

Upon the request of Shoghi Effendi, Charles Mason Remey provided a design for this House of Worship.

Obelisk marking the position of the future Baháʼí House of Worship, Mount Carmel, Haifa

A site has been selected for a Baháʼí Temple in the vicinity of the Baháʼí World Centre on Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel. It is near the spot where Baháʼu'lláh chanted the Tablet of Carmel, the "Charter of the World Spiritual and Administrative Centers of the Faith on that mountain" according to Shoghi Effendi. A design by Mason Remey was approved by Shoghi Effendi.[43] A photo of that model can be found in Baha'i World vol. XII, p. 548. It now stands in the upper hall of the Mansion of Bahji.[44] In August 1971 the Universal House of Justice erected an obelisk on the site, on the side of which is the Greatest Name.

Upon his visit to Green Acre in Eliot, Maine in 1912, Abdu'l-Baha stated that the second Baháʼí House of Worship in the United States would be located there.[45]

As of 1963, sites in the following cities and countries had also been chosen for future temples:[46]