MuseumChick | Danee Gilmartin

Do you know who the Baha’i are? I didn’t until I visited the Baha’i Shrine and Gardens in Haifa Israel last summer. The gardens are an elaborate and colorful oasis in a sea of industrial and high-tech companies with a gold domed shrine at the bottom. This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the faith’s holiest sites and Haifa is the international headquarters for the Baha’i Faith, a faith which emphasizes unity across cultures and religions.

Visiting these gardens on a tour through Israel was the first time I of heard of the Baha’i and I was so humbled to hear its peaceful message of their belief in the unity of all religions. Standing at the top of the cascading gardens, our tour guide informed us that the Baha’i faith started in Persia in the 19th century with a belief that messengers of God like Moses, Jesus and Muhammad had been sent at different times in history bringing messages that vary to fit changing social needs, but all have brought substantially the same message.

The gardens were originally designed by the late Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.  Recently they had been redesigned by Fariborz Sahba, who is a prominent Iranian Baha’i architect who has designed many prestigious buildings all over the world, including many in Iran. The mausoleum was designed by William Sutherland Maxwell, who is a Canadian architect who has long supported the Baha’i faith.

©2011 Danee Gilmartin All rights reserved