Gazing upward from the Mediterranean shoreline toward the steep northern slope of Mount Carmel in the port city of Haifa, visitors behold a geometric cascade of nineteen symmetrical garden terraces stretching one kilometer from the base of the mountain to its crest. Resting at the central terrace halfway up the slope stands an edifice of rose granite and golden limestone crowned by a hemispherical dome of 12,000 gilded tiles gleaming in the Levantine sunlight, framed by straight rows of dark green cypress trees and the gentle murmur of water flowing down carved marble channels.
Revered by followers of the Bahá'í Faith as the Maqām al-Aʻlá (Most Exalted Sanctuary) or the Shrine of the Báb, this monument shelters the mortal remains of the Báb (1819 to 1850), the Herald who founded the Bábí Faith and proclaimed the coming of Bahá'u'lláh. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, the Shrine of the Báb and its surrounding terraced gardens harmonize Eastern and Western architectural proportions within a living landscape of pilgrimage.
IThe Báb, his prophetic mission, and Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of Carmel
In the history and theology of the Bahá'í Faith, the Báb (born Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad in 1819 in Shiraz, Persia) is revered both as an independent Manifestation of God and as the Herald of the Bahá'í era. The title Báb means the Gate in Arabic and Persian. On the evening of May 22, 1844 in Shiraz, the Báb declared his mission as the spiritual Gate ushering humanity into a new age of maturity and preparing the world for the imminent appearance of a greater Manifestation of God, namely Bahá'u'lláh (1817 to 1892), Founder of the Bahá'í Faith.
As the Báb's teachings of spiritual and social renewal attracted tens of thousands of followers across Persia, he was imprisoned in the mountain fortresses of Máku and Chihríq before being executed at age thirty by a firing squad of seven hundred and fifty soldiers in the barracks square of Tabriz at noon on July 9, 1850.
Following the execution at Tabriz in 1850, the remains of the Báb and his young disciple Anís (who had asked to share his martyrdom) were rescued by night, concealed inside a silk factory in Tabriz, and transferred secretly to Tehran. For the next fifty-nine years (from 1850 to 1909), the wooden casket containing the sacred remains was moved clandestinely from one hiding place to another across Iran, Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, and Acre (Akko) under the directions of Bahá'u'lláh and subsequently his eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1844 to 1921), until the stone mausoleum on Mount Carmel could be completed to receive them.
The Tablet of Carmel (Lawh-i-Karmil) and the symbolism of nineteen terraces: In 1891, during his fourth visit to Haifa, Bahá'u'lláh stood beside a grove of cypress trees halfway up the northern slope of Mount Carmel, pointed to the rocky ground, and instructed 'Abdu'l-Bahá to acquire that exact site for the permanent resting place of the Báb. Near that spot, Bahá'u'lláh revealed the sacred Tablet of Carmel, addressing Mount Carmel as the Mountain of God and foretelling the day when the sanctuary of the Báb would shine upon its breast. The nineteen garden terraces ascending the slope honor the Báb together with his first eighteen disciples (known as the Eighteen Letters of the Living, Hurúf-i-Hayy), while also reflecting the nineteen months of nineteen days in the Bahá'í Badí' calendar.
IIA century from the stone mausoleum to UNESCO World Heritage
Carrying out the mandate of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá purchased the steep parcel of land on Mount Carmel in the late 1890s and laid the foundation stone of the mausoleum in 1899. Amid severe restrictions imposed by Ottoman authorities, construction of the initial six-room edifice of local Carmel stone required nearly a decade.
On the feast of Naw-Rúz, March 21, 1909, by candlelight, 'Abdu'l-Bahá descended into the rock-cut vault beneath the central chamber and placed with his own hands the wooden sarcophagus containing the remains of the Báb into its permanent resting place, bringing a fifty-nine-year journey to completion. Twelve years later, following the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in November 1921, his mortal remains were interred in the northern chamber of the same mausoleum in a funeral attended by ten thousand mourners of every faith in Haifa.
- July 9, 1850Martyrdom of the Báb at Tabriz and rescue of his remainsThe Báb is executed by firing squad in Tabriz, Persia. Believers secretly recover his remains and safeguard them across dozens of hiding places for 59 years.
- 1891Bahá'u'lláh designates the site on Mount CarmelStanding beside a circle of cypress trees on the northern slope of Mount Carmel aligned with the German Colony avenue below, Bahá'u'lláh designates the site for the Shrine of the Báb and reveals the Tablet of Carmel.
- March 21, 1909'Abdu'l-Bahá inters the remains of the Báb in the six-room mausoleumOn the festival of Naw-Rúz in 1909, 'Abdu'l-Bahá places the remains of the Báb inside the subterranean stone vault beneath the six-room Carmel stone mausoleum.
- November 1921Interment of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the northern chamberFollowing the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá on November 28, 1921, his remains are laid to rest in the northern chamber of the Shrine of the Báb.
- 1929Shoghi Effendi expands the mausoleum into a symmetrical nine-room planShoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, adds three rooms on the southern side of the original stone building, completing a symmetrical nine-chambered inner sanctuary.
- 1948 - 1953Architect William Sutherland Maxwell builds the golden-domed superstructureDesigned by Canadian Beaux-Arts architect William Sutherland Maxwell, the colonnaded superstructure and golden dome of 12,000 tiles are erected over the stone mausoleum and completed in October 1953.
- 1987 - 2001Architect Fariborz Sahba completes the 19 monumental garden terracesThe Universal House of Justice commissions the one-kilometer sequence of nineteen garden terraces designed by architect Fariborz Sahba, inaugurated on May 22, 2001.
- July 8, 2008Inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Ref. 1220)UNESCO inscribes the Bahá'í Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee on the World Heritage List under cultural criteria (iii) and (vi).
A distinctive principle governing the construction and maintenance of the Shrine of the Báb and its gardens is that all funds are contributed exclusively on a voluntary basis by registered members of the Bahá'í Faith worldwide, in accordance with Bahá'í religious law, financial donations from outside individuals or governments are never accepted for sacred shrines, while entry to the shrine and gardens is offered free of charge to all humanity.
IIIEast-West architectural synthesis and the nineteen garden terraces
The superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb was designed under the guidance of Shoghi Effendi by the Canadian Beaux-Arts architect William Sutherland Maxwell (1874 to 1952), unveiled in 1944, and constructed between 1949 and 1953. Rising 40 meters in height, the edifice is composed of four concentric architectural tiers: at its core sits the nine-room Carmel stone mausoleum of 1909 to 1929, surrounding the ground floor is an arcade of 28 monolithic rose granite columns and 8 corner pilasters, rising above the balustrade is an octagonal second story accented with green bronze pinnacles, resting upon the octagon is a cylindrical drum pierced by 18 lancet windows, and crowning the summit is the golden hemispherical dome.
Framing the shrine along the steep slope of Mount Carmel is a one-kilometer-long axial landscape (spanning 225 meters in vertical elevation and 60 to 400 meters in width) designed by Iranian-Canadian architect Fariborz Sahba (who also designed the Lotus Temple in New Delhi).
Rising 40 meters high, the dome is clad in 12,000 porcelain tiles manufactured in Utrecht, the Netherlands, with pure gold leaf fused beneath a protective glaze in over 50 graduated sizes. The supporting cylindrical drum is pierced by 18 stained-glass windows honoring the 18 Letters of the Living.
The ground-floor ambulatory is supported by 28 monolithic columns of polished rose granite quarried in Baveno, Italy, paired with intricately carved capitals, arches, and balustrades of golden Chiampo limestone from Italy.
The historic stone core features nine interconnected chambers with nine outer doors symbolizing the unity of world religions, carpeted with antique Persian rugs and lit by crystal chandeliers above the resting places of the Báb and 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
Comprising the central shrine terrace (Terrace 10), nine lower terraces ascending from the foot of Mount Carmel, and nine upper terraces climbing to the ridge, linked by over 1,500 stone steps and flanked by two continuous rills of cascading water.
Extending eastward from the Shrine of the Báb along the slope of Mount Carmel is the Arc, a crescent of landscaped gardens framing classical white Pentelic marble buildings with Corinthian colonnades: the Seat of the Universal House of Justice (completed 1982), the International Archives, the Centre for the Study of the Texts, and the International Teaching Centre.
Silent devotion upon rose-strewn thresholds: Inside the chambers of the Shrine of the Báb there are no pulpits, altars, icons, or clergy-led services. Pilgrims remove their shoes outside, step quietly to the open doorway of the inner sanctum, bow their foreheads to the threshold strewn with fresh rose petals and jasmine blossoms, offer silent prayers from the heart, and step backward out of the chamber so as never to turn their backs upon the sacred threshold.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
The Bahá'í Faith does not employ East Asian five-element compass formulas, but orients sacred space toward the Qiblih (Point of Adoration) at the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Bahjí across the bay near Acre, while organizing the landscape in concentric geometry linking Mount Carmel to the Mediterranean Sea. The following section examines the setting of the Shrine of the Báb through the classical landform tradition of this library.
Situated at 32.81444 degrees North latitude and 34.98722 degrees East longitude at an elevation of approximately 130 meters halfway up the northern flank of Mount Carmel (whose upper ridge rises above 400 meters behind it), the Shrine of the Báb and its nineteen terraces define a grand mountain-to-sea axis that sits Southwest and faces Northeast (aligned directly with Ben Gurion Avenue of the nineteenth-century German Colony at the foot of the slope). In this configuration, the limestone massif of Mount Carmel rises immediately behind the shrine as a commanding rear backing (Rear Backing Mountain (Hou Zhen)) that supports all nineteen stepped terraces.
Looking outward from the shrine terrace toward the northeast, the coastal plain of Haifa forms the inner bright hall (Bright Hall (Ming Tang)), opening directly onto the semicircular waters of Haifa Bay and the Mediterranean Sea as a vast water-gathering basin. Directly across the northern curve of the bay, some 14 kilometers in a straight line of sight, lies the historic city of Acre (Akko) and the gardens of Bahjí, the resting place of Bahá'u'lláh and supreme Qiblih of the Bahá'í world. Flanked by two continuous streams of water descending the staircases from the crest of Mount Carmel down to the lower plaza and arranged in nine concentric geometric rings radiating from the golden dome, the site gathers mountain and marine qi along a visual axis linking the two holiest sanctuaries of the Bahá'í Faith.
VThe Nine Holy Days of the Bahá'í Badí' calendar
Sacred observances at the Shrine of the Báb follow the Badí' calendar (Wondrous Calendar) inaugurated by the Báb and confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh: a solar year consisting of 19 months of 19 days each (361 days), plus 4 or 5 intercalary days (Ayyám-i-Há) dedicated to hospitality and charity prior to the nineteen-day month of fasting. The New Year (Naw-Rúz) always falls on the astronomical vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere (March 20 or 21 on the Gregorian calendar).
Throughout the year, Bahá'ís observe Nine Holy Days commemorating pivotal events in the lives of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, during which work is suspended and the Shrine of the Báb is illuminated and carpeted with flowers for pilgrims and visitors.
| Date (Badí' / Gregorian Calendar) | Holy Day Name | Significance and Observances at the Shrine of the Báb |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Bahá (March 20 or 21, Vernal Equinox) | Festival of Naw-Rúz (Bahá'í New Year) | Celebrates the arrival of spring following the 19-day Fast and commemorates the exact anniversary of 'Abdu'l-Bahá interring the remains of the Báb on Mount Carmel (March 21, 1909). |
| April 20 to May 2 (Especially the 1st, 9th, and 12th days) | Twelve-Day Festival of Ridván (Most Great Festival) | Commemorates Bahá'u'lláh's declaration of his prophetic mission in the Garden of Ridván in Baghdad in 1863. Every five years, delegates from over 150 nations gather in Haifa during Ridván to elect the Universal House of Justice. |
| May 22 or 23 (Two hours after sunset) | Declaration of the Báb | Commemorates the evening in May 1844 in Shiraz when the Báb announced his mission to his first disciple, Mullá Husayn. The Shrine of the Báb and all 19 terraces are illuminated throughout the night. |
| July 9 or 10 (Observed at 12:00 Noon) | Martyrdom of the Báb | At midday, pilgrims gather in solemn silence on the shrine terrace for readings and prayers commemorating the execution of the Báb in Tabriz in 1850. |
| Two consecutive days in October or November (Following the 8th new moon after Naw-Rúz) | Twin Holy Birthdays: Birth of the Báb and Birth of Bahá'u'lláh | Celebrates the consecutive lunar birthdays (1st and 2nd of Muharram) of the Báb (1819) and Bahá'u'lláh (1817) with special prayer gatherings and extended visiting hours at the Shrine. |
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- 80 Hatzionut Avenue, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3100101, Israel (שדרות הציונות 80, הר הכרמל, חיפה)
- Getting there
- From Haifa Center HaShmona railway station (connected by direct train from Ben Gurion International Airport and Tel Aviv), visitors walk 10 minutes along Ben Gurion Avenue through the German Colony to the lower entrance plaza at the foot of the terraces, to enter directly at the central Shrine of the Báb terrace, visitors can take a local bus or taxi up Mount Carmel to 80 Hatzionut Avenue.
- Coordinates
- 32.81444, 34.98722
When visiting the Shrine of the Báb and the Bahá'í Terraces in Haifa, please wear modest clothing covering your shoulders and knees, and wear comfortable non-slip walking shoes for navigating the stone stairways. Before stepping inside the inner chambers of the Shrine, all visitors must remove their shoes, silence mobile phones, maintain complete silence, and refrain from taking photographs or videos inside the sanctuary. To preserve the tranquility of the holy place, no food, chewing gum, or smoking is permitted anywhere within the nineteen terraces (only bottled water may be carried).
Nearby places in the library
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?Quick Questions
Whose mortal remains are interred inside the Shrine of the Báb?
Beneath the stone chambers of the Shrine on Mount Carmel rest two central figures of the Bahá'í Faith: the Báb (Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad, 1819 to 1850, the Herald martyred in Persia whose remains were interred here on March 21, 1909) and 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1844 to 1921, eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, interred in the northern chamber in November 1921).
Why did it take nearly 60 years for the remains of the Báb to be buried on Mount Carmel?
After the Báb was executed by firing squad in Tabriz, Persia, on July 9, 1850, his followers secretly rescued his body by night and moved the wooden casket across dozens of clandestine hiding places in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Acre for 59 years to protect it from desecration until 'Abdu'l-Bahá completed the stone mausoleum on Mount Carmel in 1909.
Who designed the golden dome of the Shrine and the 19 garden terraces?
The colonnaded superstructure and golden dome clad in 12,000 gilded fish-scale tiles were designed by Canadian Beaux-Arts architect William Sutherland Maxwell and completed in 1953. The one-kilometer cascade of 19 symmetrical garden terraces was designed by Iranian-Canadian architect Fariborz Sahba and inaugurated in 2001.
What do the 19 terraces and the 18 windows on the dome drum symbolize?
In Bahá'í history, the 18 stained-glass lancet windows encircling the drum beneath the dome honor the first 18 disciples who independently recognized the Báb in 1844 (known as the 18 Letters of the Living). Together with the Báb himself, they form a unity of 19, reflected in the 19 garden terraces and the 19-month, 19-day structure of the Badí' calendar.
Is the Shrine of the Báb the holiest site in the Bahá'í Faith?
The Shrine of the Báb in Haifa is the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís. The supreme holiest site (the Qiblih or Point of Adoration toward which Bahá'ís turn in daily obligatory prayer) is the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh located at Bahjí on the outskirts of Acre, directly across Haifa Bay to the north.