Roughly two kilometers north of the ancient stone ramparts of the port city of Acre (also known as Akko) on the fertile coastal plain of Western Galilee, a straight cypress-lined avenue leads pilgrims into a tranquil oasis filled with the fragrance of roses and jasmine and the vivid terracotta glow of crushed-tile paths. At the exact geometric center of nine concentric circular walkways set amidst emerald lawns, directly beside an elegant two-story Ottoman mansion with whitewashed arcaded verandas and a pitched red-tile roof, stands a quiet, low-roofed sanctuary shaded by ancient trees.
Visitors are standing before the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji, Acre (revered in Baha'i scripture in Arabic as Al-Haram al-Aqdas and in Persian as Haram-i-Aqdas, meaning the Most Holy Sanctuary). Together with the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in Haifa across the bay, the Shrine of Baha'u'llah and the Mansion of Bahji were inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2008. For millions of followers of the Baha'i Faith around the globe, the humble chamber enshrining the mortal remains of Baha'u'llah (the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, 1817 to 1892) at Bahji is the holiest spot on Earth and the Qiblih (Point of Adoration) toward which every believer turns when reciting the daily obligatory prayers.
IBaha'u'llah (The Glory of God), the Qiblih of Daily Prayer, and the Meaning of the Most Holy Sanctuary
The sanctuary at Bahji is the earthly resting place of Baha'u'llah (born on November 12, 1817 in Tehran, Persia, as Mirza Husayn-'Ali Nuri; passed away on May 29, 1892 at Bahji, Acre). The Arabic title Baha'u'llah signifies the Glory of God. In the theology and sacred history of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah is revered as the Manifestation of God for the present age, the latest in the progressive chain of divine Educators who have guided humanity through the ages, including Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Zoroaster, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, the Prophet Muhammad, and His immediate Herald, the Bab (1819 to 1850).
In the mid-nineteenth century, although born into one of the noblest ministerial families of the Qajar royal court in Persia, Baha'u'llah relinquished wealth and high rank to champion the teachings of the Bab, enduring imprisonment in chains within the subterranean dungeon of the Siyah-Chal in Tehran (1852) followed by forty continuous years of exile and captivity under the Persian and Ottoman empires: from Baghdad (1853 to 1863, where He revealed the mystical gem The Hidden Words and declared His mission in April 1863 in the Garden of Ridvan) through Constantinople and Adrianople, until His final banishment to the Ottoman prison-city of Acre (Akko) in Palestine on August 31, 1868. The central message proclaimed across more than one hundred volumes of Baha'u'llah's sacred writings is the oneness of God, the fundamental oneness of all religions, and the organic unity of the entire human family in an emerging global civilization of peace and justice.
In His Mother Book of laws, the Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book, revealed in Acre in 1873), Baha'u'llah explicitly ordained that after His earthly passing, His resting place would become the Qiblih (Point of Adoration and Direction of Prayer) for the entire Baha'i world. In the verses of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, He proclaimed: When the Ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root, while designating the physical focus of daily prayer as the Spot whereon His Throne hath been established (the Shrine containing His sacred remains at Bahji).
Consequently, every day when a Baha'i in any country on Earth performs the ablutions (washing the hands and face) and stands in reverence to recite one of the three daily obligatory prayers (such as the Short Obligatory Prayer at midday or the Medium Obligatory Prayer in the morning, at noon, and in the evening), the believer turns toward the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji, Acre. In Baha'i theology, turning toward the Qiblih at Bahji is never a worship of physical matter; rather, like sunflowers turning together toward the sun, it serves as a luminous physical symbol of spiritual unity and focus connecting millions of hearts across the planet to a single center of divine revelation.
The place-name Bahji derives from the Arabic word Bahjah, meaning Delight, Gladness, or Radiant Joy. A remarkable paradox of history is that when Ottoman Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz signed the imperial decree banishing Baha'u'llah and His family to the fortress-city of Acre in 1868, Acre was notorious as the bleakest penal colony of the Ottoman Empire, afflicted with foul air and pestilence so severe that a local proverb declared that a bird flying over Acre would drop dead in the streets. Yet barely a decade later, the very governors and magistrates of Acre had grown to revere their illustrious Prisoner so deeply that they threw open the city gates and invited Him to reside in the verdant countryside of Bahji, transforming a place of harsh banishment into the Most Holy Sanctuary (Haram-i-Aqdas) filled with light and blossoms.
First-time visitors exploring the Baha'i holy places in northern Israel sometimes confuse the two sister sanctuaries standing at opposite ends of the Bay of Haifa and Acre: first, the Shrine of the Bab on the northern slope of Mount Carmel in Haifa (the golden-domed mausoleum set at the center of 19 cascading mountain terraces, which enshrines the remains of the Bab, the Herald of the Faith, and ranks as the second holiest site in the Baha'i world); and second, the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji on the plain north of Acre (the quiet, low-roofed sanctuary beside the Mansion of Bahji at the heart of 9 concentric circular gardens, which enshrines the remains of Baha'u'llah Himself, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, and holds the supreme status of holiest site on Earth and Qiblih of the Baha'i world).
IIFrom the Fortress Prison of Acre in 1868 to Thirteen Final Years at the Mansion of Bahji and UNESCO Recognition
The history of the Bahji estate began in 1821, when the Ottoman Governor of Acre, Suleiman Pasha, built a small summer retreat surrounded by olive groves and orchards north of the walled city to escape the stifling air of the fortress, naming the garden Bahji (Delight). In 1870, a wealthy Christian Arab merchant of Acre named 'Udi Khammar purchased the property and expanded the building into a stately two-story country mansion (the present Mansion of Bahji), even commissioning an Arabic poetic inscription carved on a marble slab above the main portal in 1870 that read: Greetings and salutations rest upon this mansion, which increaseth in splendor through the passage of time; manifold wonders and marvels are found therein, and pens are baffled in attempting to describe them, unaware that nine years later Baha'u'llah would come to dwell within its walls.
When Baha'u'llah and roughly seventy family members and companions were disembarked from an Ottoman steamship at the sea gate of Acre on August 31, 1868, they were confined for more than two years inside the grim citadel barracks of Acre and subsequently moved through several cramped houses in the old city (including the House of 'Abbud, where the Kitab-i-Aqdas was revealed in 1873). In 1877, His eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Baha, rented the country house of Mazra'ih further north so that Baha'u'llah could behold green fields and trees after nine years behind stone walls. In 1879, when an epidemic caused the family of the late owner 'Udi Khammar (who had been buried beside the mansion wall) to flee the estate at Bahji, 'Abdu'l-Baha first rented and later purchased the entire Mansion of Bahji, where Baha'u'llah spent the final thirteen years of His earthly life (1879 to 1892).
- 1821 and 1870Suleiman Pasha establishes the Bahji garden (1821) and 'Udi Khammar builds the Mansion of Bahji (1870)Governor Suleiman Pasha plants a summer garden in 1821; in 1870 the merchant 'Udi Khammar constructs the two-story mansion with its distinctive whitewashed arcaded verandas.
- August 31, 1868Baha'u'llah arrives as an exile at the prison-city of Acre (Akko)Under the decree of Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, Baha'u'llah and His family land at the port of Acre, inaugurating the culminating phase of His prophetic ministry in the Holy Land.
- 1879 to 1892Baha'u'llah resides at the Mansion of Bahji and receives Prof. E. G. Browne (April 1890)Baha'u'llah takes up residence at the Mansion of Bahji in 1879, reveals major tablets, and grants four audiences to the Cambridge orientalist Professor Edward Granville Browne in April 1890.
- May 29, 1892Ascension of Baha'u'llah and interment within the Shrine at BahjiBaha'u'llah passes away at 3:00 a.m. on May 29, 1892 at the age of 74 and is laid to rest at sunset the same day in the northernmost room of the house adjoining the western side of the Mansion of Bahji.
- 1952 to 1957Shoghi Effendi landscapes the nine concentric circles of the Haram-i-Aqdas gardensAfter securing full possession and restoration of the Mansion of Bahji in 1929, the Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, designs and builds the monumental Haram-i-Aqdas sanctuary gardens with 9 concentric paths and 8 ornamental gates.
- July 2008UNESCO inscribes the Shrine of Baha'u'llah and Mansion of Bahji as a World Heritage SiteThe UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribes the Baha'i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee (Ref. 1220) on the World Heritage List for their outstanding universal spiritual, historical, and landscape value.
The historic interviews of Professor Edward Granville Browne at the Mansion of Bahji (April 1890). In mid-April 1890 (just two years before the passing of Baha'u'llah), the eminent orientalist of the University of Cambridge, Professor Edward Granville Browne (1862 to 1926), traveled to Bahji and became one of the very few Westerners ever to meet Baha'u'llah face to face during four interviews held in the large southeastern corner room on the upper floor of the Mansion of Bahji.
Professor Browne's published eyewitness account of stepping past the curtain into the presence of Baha'u'llah remains a unique historical document in which an independent Western scholar describes the Prophet-Founder of a world religion: In the corner where the divan met the wall sat a wondrous and venerable figure... The face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one's very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow... No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain! A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and then continued: Praise be to God that thou hast attained... Thou hast come to see a prisoner and an exile. We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations... That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled... Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the Most Great Peace shall come!
IIIThe Glass-Roofed Garden Sanctuary, the Ottoman Mansion of Bahji, and the Nine Concentric Circles of the Haram-i-Aqdas
Unlike monumental cathedrals or towering domed mausoleums, the complex of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji touches the visitor through its humble domestic scale, serene stillness, and seamless harmony between interior architecture, natural daylight, and living greenery. The entire sanctuary estate is organized into three concentric spatial zones moving from outside inward: an outer green buffer of pine woods, olive groves, and orchards spanning dozens of hectares; a middle sacred precinct, the Haram-i-Aqdas gardens, articulated in nine concentric circular walkways; and at the exact center, the historic core comprising the Mansion of Bahji on the east and the Shrine of Baha'u'llah immediately adjoining it on the northwest.
The building that now forms the Shrine of Baha'u'llah was originally a residential house occupied by Baha'u'llah's son-in-law, Sayyid 'Ali Afnan, standing right beside the Mansion of Bahji. When Baha'u'llah passed away at 3:00 a.m. on May 29, 1892, His sacred remains were laid to rest before sunset that very evening beneath the floor of the northernmost room of this house. Through the loving stewardship of 'Abdu'l-Baha and the Guardian Shoghi Effendi, the structure was transformed into a sanctuary of luminous tranquility.
When pilgrims remove their shoes on the outer veranda and step through the wooden portal into the interior of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, they enter not a dim masonry hall but a sunlit indoor garden court crowned by a lofty glass skylight roof. The center of the court is carpeted with pure white sea pebbles and fine Persian rugs, bordered by blooming roses, lush indoor plants, crystal chandeliers, and chased bronze urns leading directly to the threshold of the inner burial chamber.
At the northwestern corner of the glass-roofed garden court lies the small sacred chamber where the mortal remains of Baha'u'llah rest beneath the floor. Pilgrims stand or kneel in complete silence before the silk-draped threshold strewn with fresh rose petals over Persian carpets; this tranquil room is the physical Qiblih toward which every daily obligatory prayer of the Baha'i world converges.
Standing immediately east of the Shrine is the spacious two-story Mansion of Bahji, crowned by a hipped red-tile roof and surrounded along its upper floor by graceful whitewashed verandas of pointed marble arches. While the ground floor consists of sturdy vaulted stone storehouses, the upper story centers on a bright marble-paved reception hall flanked by the rooms preserving momentos of Baha'u'llah's final years, including the southeastern corner chamber where He received Professor E. G. Browne in 1890 and the room of His passing in 1892.
Designed personally by Shoghi Effendi between 1952 and 1957 to frame the Shrine as the hub of a wheel, the Haram-i-Aqdas gardens surrounding the Shrine and Mansion are composed of nine concentric circular walkways (the number 9 symbolizing perfection, completeness, and the Abjad numerical value of the word Baha) intersected by four main axial avenues and radial paths paved in crushed red roof tiles, emerald lawns, sculpted cypress trees, bronze peacocks and eagles, and eight gilded wrought-iron gates.
Marking the southern entrance to the main ceremonial approach leading into the Haram-i-Aqdas quadrant stands the Collins Gate (named in honor of Amelia Collins, a Hand of the Cause of God who donated the funds for its purchase in 1953), an ornate wrought-iron portal opening onto a long, straight avenue lined on both sides by tall dark-green cypress trees standing like silent sentinels toward the Shrine.
Along the upper exterior walls of the Mansion of Bahji beneath the arcaded veranda survive delicate nineteenth-century Ottoman architectural and floral mural paintings commissioned by the former owner 'Udi Khammar in 1870, together with the marble tablet bearing the prophetic Arabic verse above the doorway; built into the southeastern corner of the mansion wall stands the small domed tomb of 'Udi Khammar himself.
| Architectural or Landscape Element | Date and Creator | Technical Characteristics and Symbolic Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Shrine of Baha'u'llah | Interment May 29, 1892 (beautified by 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi) | Features a central glass-roofed indoor garden courtyard and northwestern burial chamber; supreme Qiblih of the Baha'i world |
| Mansion of Bahji | Begun 1821 (Suleiman Pasha), expanded to 2 stories in 1870 ('Udi Khammar) | Two-story Ottoman country villa with whitewashed marble arcades and red-tile roof; residence of Baha'u'llah from 1879 to 1892 |
| Haram-i-Aqdas Sanctuary Gardens | 1952 to 1957 (Designed by Shoghi Effendi) | Geometric layout of 9 concentric circular paths and radial avenues converging on the Shrine, surfaced with crushed red tile and lawns |
| Eight Ornamental Gates and Collins Gate | 1950s (Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi) | Collins Gate at the head of the southern cypress avenue together with 8 gilded wrought-iron gates ringing the inner sanctuary |
| Southeastern Interview Chamber | April 1890 (Professor Edward Granville Browne) | Upper-floor corner room overlooking the gardens and sea where Baha'u'llah received the Cambridge scholar and spoke of the Most Great Peace |
| Outer Pine Woods and Ecological Buffer Zone | 20th to early 21st centuries (Baha'i World Centre) | Expansive green belt surrounding the UNESCO core zone, shielding the sanctuary from urban noise and preserving contemplative silence |
IVSacred Geography and Orientation
It should be stated clearly that the Baha'i Faith does not practice or teach East Asian five-element geomancy. The establishment of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji and the radial geometry of the nine concentric circles of the Haram-i-Aqdas stem entirely from the historical passing and interment of Baha'u'llah here on May 29, 1892, together with the sacred law of the Qiblih (Point of Adoration) ordained in the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the spiritual symbolism of the number 9 in the Baha'i tradition. The observations below offer a comparative reading through classical mountain-and-water topography prepared by the Hall of Myriad Paths library.
Viewed across the macro-geography of the northern coast of Israel at coordinates 32.9433 degrees North, 35.0921 degrees East, the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji forms a remarkable paired mountain-and-plain sanctuary across the bay in visual dialogue with the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in Haifa and the promontory of Stella Maris to the south. Whereas the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa occupies a mountain slope configuration (Yang) backed by the limestone ridge of Mount Carmel and gazing northward across the bay, the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji occupies a level coastal plain configuration (Yin embracing Yang) on the fertile plain of Western Galilee, approximately 1.2 kilometers east of the Mediterranean shoreline and 2 kilometers north of the walled city of Acre.
In classical plain geomancy (where a gentle rise upon a level plain is worth a thousand pieces of gold), the ground supporting the Mansion of Bahji and the Shrine sits upon a slightly elevated, well-drained terrace amid the coastal plain: to the east and northeast rise the distant hills of Upper Galilee serving as a protective rear backing screen against inland winds; to the west and southwest open the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the sweeping crescent of the Bay of Haifa (Bay of Acre) as a vast water-gathering bright hall; and directly to the south across the sparkling waters of the bay rises the long blue ridge of Mount Carmel like a respectful front table mountain and homage ridge bowing toward Bahji. Most striking of all is the landscape geometry of nine concentric circles and eight radial directions created by Shoghi Effendi for the Haram-i-Aqdas: unlike the linear stepped axis descending Mount Carmel, the circular mandala on the level plain of Bahji forms a Supreme Ultimate center and eight-fold compass, symbolically drawing the prayers and spiritual aspiration of humanity from all eight directions of the globe into a single still center at the burial chamber of Baha'u'llah.
VAscension of Baha'u'llah on May 29, the Ridvan Festival, and the Nine-Day Pilgrimage
Commemorations and pilgrimage life at the Shrine of Baha'u'llah follow the Badi' calendar (the Baha'i calendar), a solar calendar consisting of 19 months of 19 days each (plus the intercalary days of Ayyam-i-Ha), beginning each new year on the vernal equinox (Naw-Ruz, falling on March 20 or 21). Among the nine annual Holy Days on which work is suspended across the Baha'i world, the sacred anniversaries directly tied to the life and passing of Baha'u'llah reach their highest solemnity at Bahji.
| Date (Gregorian and Badi' Calendars) | Sacred Holy Day | Historical and Theological Significance | Observances at the Shrine of Baha'u'llah (Bahji) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29 annually (13th day of the month of 'Azamat / Grandeur) | Ascension of Baha'u'llah | Commemorates the passing of Baha'u'llah at the Mansion of Bahji at 3:00 a.m. on May 29, 1892 at the age of 74. | During the night of May 28 to 29, pilgrims and believers gather in reverent silence in the Haram-i-Aqdas gardens at 3:00 a.m. to hear the chanting of prayers and the Tablet of Visitation and to circumambulate the Shrine. |
| April 21 to May 2 annually (especially the 1st, 9th, and 12th days) | Festival of Ridvan (King of Festivals, lasting 12 days) | Celebrates the twelve days in April 1863 when Baha'u'llah declared His mission as the Manifestation of God in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad on the eve of His exile. | On the three holy days of Ridvan (April 21, April 29, and May 2), the Shrine of Baha'u'llah and the gardens of Bahji are brilliantly illuminated and adorned with flowers to welcome international pilgrims. |
| Two consecutive days following the eighth new moon after Naw-Ruz (October or November) | Twin Holy Birthdays: Birth of the Bab and Birth of Baha'u'llah | Celebrates the birth of the Bab (1819) and the birth of Baha'u'llah (1817), which fell on two successive days of the lunar calendar. | Solemn devotional gatherings and visits held across both World Heritage sanctuaries: the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa and the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji. |
| March 20 or 21 annually (Northern Hemisphere Vernal Equinox) | Festival of Naw-Ruz (Baha'i New Year, concluding the 19-Day Fast from March 2 to 20) | Marks the beginning of the new year in the Badi' calendar immediately after believers complete the nineteen-day sunrise-to-sunset Fast during the month of 'Ala (Loftiness). | Prayers of thanksgiving welcoming the arrival of spring amidst the blossoming gardens of the Haram-i-Aqdas. |
| Year-round (except on Holy Days closed to general visitors) | Nine-Day Baha'i Pilgrimage | Fulfills the sacred spiritual privilege ordained by Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas for believers who are able to make the journey. | Registered Baha'i pilgrims from around the world spend nine days praying inside the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, the Shrine of the Bab, and visiting the historic rooms of the Mansion of Bahji. |
The Tablet of Visitation (Lawh-i-Ziyarat) recited at the threshold of the Shrine. Whenever pilgrims enter to pray at the threshold of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah (as well as at the Shrine of the Bab) and on major Holy Days, Baha'is recite the moving Tablet of Visitation, compiled from prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah Himself: The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the glory which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth! I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of God and His dominion, and the majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed, and the Daystars of ancient splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree... For visitors of every background who walk along the cypress avenue and stand quietly within the nine concentric circles of Bahji, the sanctuary offers a profound experience of peace and human unity.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Al-Bahjah Gardens (Bahjí, Route 4), North of Old Acre (Akko), Northern District
- Getting there
- The Shrine of Baha'u'llah and Mansion of Bahji complex is located on the northern outskirts of Acre (Akko), approximately 3 kilometers north of the Old City of Acre and 25 kilometers north of Haifa along coastal Highway 4 (turn west opposite Kibbutz Shomrat). From Haifa or Tel Aviv, visitors can take an Israel Railways train to Akko Railway Station, followed by a 5-minute taxi ride or Egged bus lines 271 or 272 (alighting at the Bahji / Shomrat junction on Highway 4 and walking 10 minutes down the tree-lined approach avenue to the main gate).
- Coordinates
- 32.9434, 35.092
The Bahji Gardens and the Shrine of Baha'u'llah welcome visitors of all faiths and nationalities completely free of charge (no donations are accepted in any form, as Baha'i sacred law permits only registered Baha'is to contribute to Baha'i funds). The Outer Gardens are open daily from 09:00 to 16:00; the inner Haram-i-Aqdas gardens and the interior of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah are open to general visitors on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings from 09:00 to 12:00 (note that the interior of the Mansion of Bahji is open only to pre-registered Baha'i pilgrims). Visitors must wear modest attire covering shoulders and reaching below the knees, remove their shoes before stepping into the Shrine, silence all mobile phones, maintain complete quiet, and strictly refrain from photography or video recording inside the Shrine (photography is permitted in the outdoor gardens).
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?Quick Questions
Why is the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji considered the holiest spot on Earth in the Baha'i Faith?
The Shrine at Bahji enshrines the mortal remains of Baha'u'llah (1817 to 1892), the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith. In His book of laws, the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Baha'u'llah designated His resting place as the Haram-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Sanctuary) and the Qiblih (Point of Adoration), toward which Baha'is around the entire world turn every day when reciting their obligatory prayers.
Under what historical circumstances did Baha'u'llah come to live in Acre and at the Mansion of Bahji?
Following successive banishments through Baghdad, Constantinople, and Adrianople, Baha'u'llah and His family were exiled by the Ottoman government to the penal fortress of Acre on August 31, 1868. After nine years of confinement within the prison barracks and cramped houses of the old city, the deep respect of local officials allowed Him to move in 1879 to the Mansion of Bahji in the countryside north of Acre, where He lived for the final thirteen years of His life until His passing on May 29, 1892.
What is the special geometric design of the gardens surrounding the Shrine of Baha'u'llah?
The inner Haram-i-Aqdas gardens were personally designed and landscaped between 1952 and 1957 by Shoghi Effendi (great-grandson of Baha'u'llah and Guardian of the Baha'i Faith) in a pattern of nine concentric circular paths (the number 9 symbolizing completeness and the numerical value of the word Baha) intersected by four main avenues and radial paths converging on the Shrine, surfaced with crushed red tiles, green lawns, cypress trees, and eight gilded wrought-iron gates.
Which Western scholar met Baha'u'llah at the Mansion of Bahji in 1890?
In April 1890, Professor Edward Granville Browne (1862 to 1926), a distinguished orientalist from the University of Cambridge in England, was granted four audiences with Baha'u'llah in the upper southeastern corner room of the Mansion of Bahji, leaving posterity a famous eyewitness account of Baha'u'llah's majesty and His message of global peace and the unity of humanity.
Can visitors who are not Baha'is enter the Bahji Gardens and the Shrine of Baha'u'llah?
Yes. The outer gardens at Bahji are open free of charge every day from 09:00 to 16:00 to all visitors, and the inner Haram-i-Aqdas gardens and the interior of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah are open to the general public on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings from 09:00 to 12:00. Visitors simply need to dress modestly (covering shoulders and knees), remove shoes before entering the Shrine, maintain silence, and refrain from taking photos inside the Shrine.