The Bahá'í Faith places no statues, paintings or pictures in its places of worship, and does not display images of Bahá'u'lláh or the Báb in public. This page therefore has no portraits at all. Instead, the library shows what is actually there where Bahá'ís pray: the nine-sided House of Worship, the calligraphy of the Greatest Name at the top of the dome, the Qiblih at Bahjí, the Shrines and their gardens. Every photo shows a real building or object, with the photographer and the licence named. The only drawing is a text diagram. The content follows Bahá'í scripture and the official websites of the Bahá'í Faith, and says so clearly wherever another source had to be used.
IWhy there are no images
The Bahá'í Faith places no statues, paintings or pictures of any kind in its places of worship. The teaching goes back to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book of the Faith. In paragraph 31, Bahá'u'lláh calls on the peoples of the world to build houses of worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions, to make them as perfect as possible and to adorn them with that which befits them, "not with images and effigies".
Source: Bahá'í Reference Library (bahai.org), Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraphs 1 to 62 (paragraph 31).The Bahá'í World, an official publication of the Faith, describes the inside of a House of Worship in a few words: no idols, no pictures, no clergy, no preaching and no calls for contributions. People come in to pray and meditate, and no one is needed as an intermediary between them and God.
Source: The Bahá'í World (bahai.org), The Bahá'í House of Worship: The Dawning-Place of the Mention of God, 2025.The Kitáb-i-Aqdas also forbids the use of pulpits. Paragraph 154 teaches that whoever wishes to recite the verses of God to others should sit on a chair placed on a dais, and that everyone should sit on chairs and benches as a mark of honour. For this reason a House of Worship has no pulpit and no altar. According to Wikipedia, readers may stand behind a simple, portable lectern.
Source: Bahá'í Reference Library (bahai.org), Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraphs 137 to 190 (paragraph 154). Wikipedia, Baháʼí House of Worship.
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A photograph of Bahá'u'lláh exists, and there are portraits of the Báb. Bahá'ís regard these images as very sacred and do not display them in public. A letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi on 6 December 1939 says that believers may look at the picture of Bahá'u'lláh with the utmost reverence, but should not allow it to be exposed openly to the public, even in their private homes. Letters of the Universal House of Justice from 1967, 1972 and 1973 repeat that the photograph of Bahá'u'lláh is to be displayed only with the utmost reverence and only on special occasions, that it should not be shown to others in a casual manner, and that the portraits of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh should be shown infrequently, on very special occasions. A letter of the House of Justice from 1980 sums up that, according to letters written on his behalf, Shoghi Effendi did not approve the publication of any photograph of Bahá'u'lláh and regarded such publication as offensive to religious feeling. Also in 1980, the House of Justice referred to the photograph of Bahá'u'lláh displayed in the International Archives in Haifa. Another letter of the House of Justice, dated 3 December 1972, states that the portrayal of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh in works of art is forbidden, and that this prohibition applies to all the Manifestations of God. The library follows this guidance: this page neither publishes nor links to any image of either of Them.
Source: Bahai.works, Lights of Guidance, chapter Reverence, items 1831 and 1833 (not an official site of the Faith). Bahá'í Library Online, compilation of letters of the Universal House of Justice on photographs of Bahá'u'lláh (not an official site of the Faith).
For 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the practice is different. Letters written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi in 1935 and 1942 say that Shoghi Effendi had no objection to the circulation of photographs of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, nor to believers having portraits of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in their homes. Earlier, in 1925, Shoghi Effendi had cautioned against making many copies of His photograph for wide circulation. A memorandum of 2024, prepared by the Research Department at the request of the Universal House of Justice, explains that the House of Justice advises using His photographs most sparingly and always in a dignified context. The library has read these letters only through an unofficial compilation site, so it takes the cautious course and does not publish His photograph.
Source: Bahá'í Library Online, compilation of letters on photographs of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (not an official site of the Faith).IIWhat a House of Worship contains
The original name of the House of Worship is Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, meaning "the Dawning Place of the Mention of God". The institution was ordained by Bahá'u'lláh Himself. A complete Mashriqu'l-Adhkár consists of a central House of Worship together with its dependencies. 'Abdu'l-Bahá anticipated that these would gradually be added: a hospital, a school, a university, a dispensary and a hospice for travellers. Worship and service go hand in hand.
Source: bahai.org, The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár. Bahá'í Reference Library (bahai.org), Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Notes 41 to 80 (note 53). Bahá'í World News Service, Media information: Houses of Worship.Paragraph 115 of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas blesses the one who, at the hour of dawn, turns his thoughts to God and directs his steps to the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár.
Source: Bahá'í Reference Library (bahai.org), Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraphs 63 to 136 (paragraph 115).The Bahá'í World states that a House of Worship is nine-sided, circular in shape, and may have a dome. Devotional programs consist of prayers and passages of sacred scripture read aloud, chanted or sung by adults and children, without instrumental accompaniment. Britannica adds that the service is simple, consisting of readings from the Bahá'í writings and the holy books of other faiths, free of ritual and clergy.
Source: The Bahá'í World (bahai.org), The Bahá'í House of Worship: The Dawning-Place of the Mention of God, 2025. Britannica, Mashriq al-adhkār.According to Wikipedia, the seats in the prayer hall face the direction of the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, and each temple has nine gardens with nine paths. Prayers set to music may be sung by a choir without accompaniment. In Wilmette, the midday devotional program every Sunday includes a cappella singing by the choir or by soloists.
Source: Wikipedia, Baháʼí House of Worship. Bahá'í community of the United States (bahai.us), Bahá'í House of Worship..jpg)
IIIThe Greatest Name and other symbols
The only thing placed at the highest point inside a House of Worship is a line of writing. The notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas explain that "Bahá" (Glory) is the Greatest Name, and that the various derivatives of this word are also regarded as the Greatest Name. "Alláh-u-Abhá" means God the All-Glorious. "Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá" is an invocation: O Thou Glory of Glories.
Source: Bahá'í Reference Library (bahai.org), Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Notes 1 to 40 (notes 7, 8, 19, 33).The familiar calligraphic form of "Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá" was drawn by Mishkín-Qalam, an early Bahá'í calligrapher, and later adopted by Bahá'ís everywhere. The reports of the Bahá'í World News Service on Matunda Soy, Tanna, Kinshasa and Port Moresby all note the same detail: the Greatest Name has been placed at the apex of the dome.
Source: Wikipedia, Baháʼí symbols. Bahá'í World News Service, report of May 2021 on Matunda Soy, Kenya. Bahá'í World News Service, report of 14 November 2021 on Tanna, Vanuatu. Bahá'í World News Service, report of 25 March 2023 on Kinshasa. Bahá'í World News Service, report of May 2024 on Port Moresby.
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Because the Greatest Name refers directly to the Name of God and to His Manifestation, Bahá'ís do not use it casually and do not use it to decorate everyday objects. Shoghi Effendi considered the Greatest Name too sacred for use on tombstones. The library shows photos of this calligraphy only in its proper setting, that is, at the top of the domes of Houses of Worship and in the work of Mishkín-Qalam, and does not use it as a button in the Main Hall.
Source: Wikipedia, Baháʼí symbols. Bahaipedia, Nine-pointed star (citing Directives from the Guardian and a letter of 22 August 1963). Bahá'í Reference Library (bahai.org), Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, Nine-Pointed Star for Headstone.The Greatest Name
Yá Bahá'u'l-AbháHow to recognize: A line of Arabic calligraphy, often set in a circular or nine-pointed frame.Seen at the top of the dome of Houses of Worship and in Bahá'í homes. It is the written form of a name, not the image of any figure.
The ringstone symbol
How to recognize: Three horizontal bars joined by a vertical line, with a five-pointed star on either side.Designed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and most often found on rings worn by Bahá'ís. According to the explanation cited on Wikipedia, the lower bar stands for humanity and the world of creation, the upper bar for the world of God, and the middle bar for the special station of the Manifestations of God. The vertical line is the Holy Spirit proceeding from God through the Manifestations to humanity. The two stars stand for Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb.
The five-pointed star
haykalHow to recognize: A five-pointed star, representing the human body with a head, two hands and two feet.Shoghi Effendi wrote that, strictly speaking, the five-pointed star is the symbol of the Faith, as used and explained by the Báb. The library has not yet found an openly licensed photo of a real object showing this symbol.
Source: Wikipedia, Baháʼí symbols. Bahaipedia, Nine-pointed star (citing Directives from the Guardian and a letter of 22 August 1963). Bahá'í Reference Library (reference.bahai.org), Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, no. 141, Nine (Number).The nine-pointed star
How to recognize: A nine-pointed star, seen on headstones, in books and magazines, and on community signs.This is the sign outsiders most often meet, yet it is not part of the teachings. The book Directives from the Guardian states that the nine-pointed star is not a part of the teachings of the Faith, but only used as an emblem representing 9. The number 9 is valued because it is the number of perfection and the numerical value of the word "Bahá". Shoghi Effendi approved the use of the nine-pointed star on headstones. The skylight at the top of the Lotus Temple also has this shape.
A letter of the Universal House of Justice dated 22 August 1963 makes it clear that neither the Greatest Name nor the nine-pointed star is a symbol of the Faith in the sense that the cross is the symbol of Christianity or the crescent the symbol of Islam. The library has read this sentence through Bahaipedia and has not yet read the original letter.
Source: Bahaipedia, Nine-pointed star (citing Directives from the Guardian and a letter of 22 August 1963).IVThe Qiblih and the two Shrines
Bahá'ís do not turn towards a statue, they turn towards a direction. The notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas call the Qiblih the point to which the worshipper turns when offering obligatory prayer, and record that Bahá'u'lláh ordained His resting place as the Qiblih after His passing. That place is Bahjí, near the city of 'Akká (Akko). The notes also say that facing the Qiblih is required only for obligatory prayer, not for other prayers.
Source: Bahá'í Reference Library (bahai.org), Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Notes 1 to 40 (notes 7, 8, 19, 33).Bahá'u'lláh passed away at the hour of dawn on 29 May 1892. His remains were laid to rest within the precincts of the Mansion of Bahjí, where He had spent the last 13 years of His life. The official website of the Faith describes the Shrine as a light-filled central room, simple in its beauty, with a garden standing in the middle of the room. Around it Shoghi Effendi laid out a circular garden with five gates and nine pathways.
Source: bahai.org, The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh.
On Mount Carmel in Haifa stands the Shrine of the Báb. The remains of the Báb, hidden for six decades after His execution and secretly carried out of Iran, were laid to rest here in 1909. The Canadian architect William Sutherland Maxwell designed the superstructure in the early 1940s, and it was completed in October 1953. In 1987 the Universal House of Justice decided to complete the 19 garden terraces, which were inaugurated in 2001.
Source: bahai.org, The Shrine of the Báb.
In 2008 UNESCO inscribed the Bahá'í Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee on the World Heritage List under criteria iii and vi. The property comprises 26 buildings, monuments and sites in Akko and Haifa (UNESCO's 2008 news release gives 11 locations, the World Heritage List entry gives 7), among them the two Shrines and their surrounding gardens. Bahá'í pilgrims visit the two Shrines and the historic sites of the Haifa and 'Akká area.
Source: UNESCO, Bahá'i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee. bahai.org, Pilgrimage.This page uses only photos of the outside of the two Shrines. The library does not publish photos of their interiors.
VThe first temple in Ashgabat
The world's first Bahá'í House of Worship was raised in 'Ishqábád, now Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on a parcel of land set aside years earlier. According to Wikipedia, construction began in 1902. The building was expropriated by the Soviet authorities in 1928, badly damaged in the earthquake of 1948 and demolished in 1963. The architect is recorded as Ustad Ali-Akbar-i-Banna.
Source: The Bahá'í World (bahai.org), The Bahá'í House of Worship: The Dawning-Place of the Mention of God, 2025. Wikipedia, Baháʼí House of Worship. Wikipedia, List of Baháʼí Houses of Worship.Britannica gives 1907 as the year this temple was completed. Wikipedia says the building was mostly completed by 1907 but not fully finished until 1919, and that the official inauguration took place in 1919. The two dates therefore do not contradict each other. They mark two stages of the same building.
Source: Britannica, Mashriq al-adhkār. Wikipedia, Baháʼí House of Worship.
VIThe eight continental temples
After Ashgabat, eight large Houses of Worship rose one after another, each serving a wide region of the world. All are nine-sided, all are open to everyone, and no two look alike. The year in brackets is the year of completion according to The Bahá'í World. Architects and other figures follow Wikipedia.
Source: The Bahá'í World (bahai.org), The Bahá'í House of Worship: The Dawning-Place of the Mention of God, 2025. Wikipedia, List of Baháʼí Houses of Worship.Wilmette, United States (1953)
'Abdu'l-Bahá took part in the cornerstone ceremony in 1912. The architect was Louis Bourgeois, a French-Canadian. The building was dedicated on 2 May 1953. Its outer cladding is cast in concrete mixed with quartz and pierced like lace. Symbols of many religions appear on the outer piers. Words of Bahá'u'lláh are inscribed above the entrances and in the alcoves inside. From the floor to the ceiling of the dome is 42 metres, and the auditorium seats 1,191 people.
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Kampala, Uganda (1961)
The temple of Africa, designed by Charles Mason Remey. Its construction was announced on 23 August 1955. Wikipedia records that at the time it was built it was the tallest building in East Africa.
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Sydney, Australia (1961)
Dedicated in September 1961 after four years of construction. Wikipedia records that the initial design by Charles Mason Remey was given to the Sydney architect John Brogan to develop and complete. The interior seats 600.
Langenhain near Frankfurt, Germany (1964)
The temple of Europe, dedicated on 4 July 1964, architect Teuto Rocholl. Light reaches the centre of the interior through more than 500 glass panels in the dome.
Panama City (1972)
Dedicated on 29 April 1972, on the summit of Cerro Sonsonate, architect Peter Tillotson.
Apia, Samoa (1984)
The Samoan head of state Malietoa Tanumafili II laid the foundation stone on 27 January 1979 and attended the dedication on 1 September 1984. The architect was Husayn Amanat.
New Delhi, India (1986)
Widely known as the Lotus Temple. The architect Fariborz Sahba was selected in 1976. The building has 27 marble-clad concrete petals in three rings of nine, opening onto nine doors. Nine surrounding pools stand for the leaves of the lotus. The central hall seats 1,300 people. Rúhíyyih Khánum dedicated it on 24 December 1986. It is one of the most visited buildings in the world.
Santiago, Chile (2016)
The temple of South America, opened on 19 October 2016, architect Siamak Hariri. The building is made of nine translucent sails that curve up to meet at the top.
VIINational and local temples
Since 2017, national and local Houses of Worship have begun to open. According to The Bahá'í World, these are simpler than the continental temples, use local materials and building techniques where possible, and reflect the culture of their region. The information page of the Bahá'í World News Service lists 14 temples now in use, from Wilmette in 1953 to Port Moresby in 2024.
Source: The Bahá'í World (bahai.org), The Bahá'í House of Worship: The Dawning-Place of the Mention of God, 2025. Bahá'í World News Service, Media information: Houses of Worship.
The library does not yet have photos of the three temples in Tanna, Kinshasa and Port Moresby. Photos from the Bahá'í World News Service on Wikimedia Commons carry an "Attribution" licence, which is not among the licences the library accepts. The only free photo of Port Moresby shows a person standing as the main subject.
According to the same page, local temples are under construction in Batouri (Cameroon), Bihar Sharif (India), Kanchanpur (Nepal) and Mwinilunga (Zambia). National temples are being planned in Brazil, Canada, Malawi and the Philippines.
Source: Bahá'í World News Service, Media information: Houses of Worship.VIIIIn a Bahá'í home
A Bahá'í home has no altar and no statues. Bahá'u'lláh revealed three obligatory prayers: the short prayer, said between noon and sunset, the medium prayer, said in the morning, at noon and in the evening, and the long prayer, said once in twenty-four hours. Each person chooses one of the three every day and says it individually. The notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas record that congregational obligatory prayer according to a prescribed ritual has been annulled, except for the Prayer for the Dead.
Source: bahai.org, Prayer. Bahá'í Reference Library (bahai.org), Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Notes 1 to 40 (notes 7, 8, 19, 33).Bahá'ís in many places also gather in centres or in one another's homes, with their friends and neighbours, to offer prayers. Meetings that discuss the affairs of the community commonly begin and end with prayer.
Source: bahai.org, Prayer.The Greatest Name on the wall
How to recognize: A framed piece of calligraphy, hung with dignity.Wikipedia, citing the book Lights of Guidance, records that the Greatest Name can usually be seen in Bahá'í homes and on rings produced on a limited scale. The library has not yet read an official text saying where in the home it should be hung.
Prayer beads
How to recognize: 95 beads, or 19 beads with 5 counters.The Kitáb-i-Aqdas prescribes repeating "Alláh-u-Abhá" ninety-five times each day, after performing ablutions. Prayer beads help keep count. The string in the photo has 19 beads and 5 counters, and nineteen times five is ninety-five.
Prayer books and scripture
How to recognize: Prayer books, the Hidden Words, other sacred writings.The official website of the Faith says that in the writings of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'ís find numerous prayers, used both in their personal devotions and at their gatherings. The photo shows a handwritten Vietnamese copy of the Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh.
In Vietnam, the Bahá'í community was established in 1954 and elected its first National Spiritual Assembly in 1964. Vietnam has no House of Worship yet. The nearest is in Battambang, Cambodia.
Source: Bahá'í World News Service, Vietnam recognizes Baha'is as religious community, 2008. Bahá'í World News Service, Media information: Houses of Worship. Bahá'í World News Service, report of 1 September 2017 on Battambang.IXWhat the library is not sure of
If you are a Bahá'í or a researcher and see anything inaccurate, please let the library know, with your source. The library will correct the page and note the correction.
XPhotos and licences
Every photo on this page comes from Wikimedia Commons, under Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA licences. Authors and licences are given exactly as on the original file pages, read on 07/10/2026. The photos have only been reduced in size, with no change to their content. Click the name of a photo to go to its original file page. If you are an author and see an incorrect credit, please let the library know so it can be corrected.
XISources
The pages above were read in October 2026. If a page has changed its address, please let the library know so it can be updated.
?Quick Questions
Do Bahá'ís worship statues or pictures
No. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas teaches that houses of worship are to be adorned with that which befits them, not with images and effigies. Inside a House of Worship there are no statues, paintings, altar or pulpit.
What is the Arabic writing at the top of the dome
It is the Greatest Name, written "Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá", meaning O Thou Glory of Glories. The familiar calligraphy was drawn by Mishkín-Qalam. It is the written form of a name, not the image of any figure.
Why are photographs of Bahá'u'lláh never seen
Bahá'ís regard His photograph as very sacred and do not display it in public. Letters of the Universal House of Justice say His photograph should be shown only infrequently, on very special occasions, with the utmost reverence. A letter of the House of Justice from 1980 refers to the photograph of Him displayed in the International Archives in Haifa. The library respects this and does not publish it.
Is the nine-pointed star the official symbol of the Bahá'í Faith
Not quite. According to Directives from the Guardian, the nine-pointed star is not part of the teachings but only an emblem representing 9. Shoghi Effendi wrote that, strictly speaking, the five-pointed star is the symbol of the Faith.
Why does every House of Worship have nine sides
Nine sides are a requirement shared by all Houses of Worship. Bahá'ís value the number 9 because it is the number of perfection and the numerical value of the word "Bahá". The nine doors open on every side, welcoming people of every religion.
Which direction do Bahá'ís face when they pray
For obligatory prayer, Bahá'ís face the Qiblih, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí near 'Akká. For other prayers no particular direction is required.