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Shrine of the Bab to be Restored:

arthra

arthra

Baha'i
RESTORATION WORK BEGINS ON SHRINE OF THE BAB

HAIFA, Israel, 28 December (BWNS) - Work has begun on a four-year restoration project on the golden-domed Shrine of the Bab, one of the holiest sites in the Baha'i world and Haifa's best-known landmark.

The Shrine of the Bab stands at the center of the Baha'i gardens, on the side of Mount Carmel overlooking Haifa Bay and the Mediterranean Sea. The gardens and shrine are among the most visited sites in Israel.

The domed structure was completed 55 years ago and now requires restoration and updating, including structural reinforcement against earthquakes, restoration of stonework, replacement of iron decorative elements with stainless steel, upgrading of the electrical system, and refurbishment of the dome with new tiles.

There will be no change in the design, use or general appearance of the building.

The work will be undertaken in such a way to keep the shrine open to both Baha'i pilgrims and the general public throughout most of the project, except during summer months. Starting in May or June of 2009, the structure will be covered with scaffolding and canvas sheeting for about two years. The project will cost approximately US$6 million, with funds coming entirely from the voluntary contributions of the Baha'is of the world.

The shrine is the burial place of the Bab, revered by Baha'is as a Messenger of God and one of the Central Figures of the Baha'i Faith.

The Bab was executed in 1850 in the public square in Tabriz, Iran, and His remains later brought to Haifa, where they were laid to rest in the present location in 1909.

The original building covering the tomb was a one-story rectangle. The domed superstructure - made of granite and marble quarried in Italy, with gilded roof tiles from the Netherlands - was added later and was completed in 1953.

The burial place of the Bab, and that of Baha'u'llah near Acre, north of Haifa, are considered by Baha'is to be the most sacred places on earth. Earlier this year, the two shrines and their surrounding gardens were chosen by UNESCO as World Heritage sites - part of the cultural heritage of humanity.


To read the article with accompanying photo, go to:
Restoration work begins on Shrine of the Bab
 
Breathe

Breathe

Hostis humani generis
Woo! Congrats! :D
Can non-Bahá'ís visit? Will it be as a temple or a place of worship?
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i
Odion said:
Woo! Congrats! :D
Can non-Bahá'ís visit? Will it be as a temple or a place of worship?
Click to expand...

Odion,

welcome!

The Shrine of the Bab has been around most of the past century on Mount Carmel and overlooks the Bay of Haifa... It has been open to non-Baha'is during that time.. A lot of people like to have a photo of a wedding party in front of the Shrine even though weddings are not held there. Baha'is go there for pilgrimage because the remains of the Bab and Abdul-Baha are interred there... Surrounding the Shrine of the Bab are the Terrrace Gardens and the buildings housing the Internatuional Archives, the International Teaching Center, the Universal House of Justice, the Center of the Text and so on..

Here is a link to a site where you can do a pilgrimage via youtube:

YouTube - Kooh-i-Carmel
 
Breathe

Breathe

Hostis humani generis
That's lovely, and congratulations again! Allah-u-abha :)
What about the few Babi's who are still around? Will the shrine be shared with them also? :)
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i
Odion said:
That's lovely, and congratulations again! Allah-u-abha :)
What about the few Babi's who are still around? Will the shrine be shared with them also? :)
Click to expand...


Anyone..as we've said can visit the Shrine of the Bab... there are no restrictions, this summer though there will be scaffolding and workers busy restoring it so during that time it will be closed while the restoration occurs.

Also anyone can visit the Houses of Worship in various parts of the world such as Kampala Uganda, Samoa, New Delhi, Wilmette Ill., Panama, Frankfurt, Sydney, Australia as well as the new one in Santiago, Chile after it is built.

See:

Bahá'í House of Worship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- Art;)
 
Breathe

Breathe

Hostis humani generis
Hmmm, I meant towards the prayer and pilgrimage side of things, more than that. For example, if a Bábi wants to go into the living room of the Báb or something [if for example it was out of bounds] - then what? :)

But so far, so good - I'm just wondering about the privacy of the believers who would worship there, however. :)
 
BruceDLimber

BruceDLimber

Well-Known Member
Hi again! :)

Odion said:
I'm just wondering about the privacy of the believers who would worship there, however. :)
Click to expand...

This is handled very easily by having different hours: generally, in the morning the shrines are reserved for those on pilgrimage, and in the afternoon and evening they're open to the public.

Piece of cake! :)

Regards,

Bruce
 
Breathe

Breathe

Hostis humani generis
BruceDLimber said:
Hi again! :)



This is handled very easily by having different hours: generally, in the morning the shrines are reserved for those on pilgrimage, and in the afternoon and evening they're open to the public.

Piece of cake! :)

Regards,

Bruce
Click to expand...
Nice and simple, just the way it should be. :)
 
Varion Zanzibar

Varion Zanzibar

Member
BruceDLimber said:
Hi again! :)

This is handled very easily by having different hours: generally, in the morning the shrines are reserved for those on pilgrimage, and in the afternoon and evening they're open to the public.

Piece of cake! :)
Click to expand...

Well, you are right that there are specific hours when the Shrines are open to all, and other hours when only Baha'is can visit. Though it goes like this:

- the Shrines are opened to the public in the morning,

- the Shrines are reserved for Baha'is in the afternoons/evenings, and sometime they are also opened for dawn prayers.

Note that the Shrines are a small section of the sites, so there are always sections opened for tourists during the day. Also, to go down the terraces, tourists need to join guided tours, which can easily be booked through the tourist information center.

I like the way it's managed. It's not just a question of privacy for the Baha'is, but also, it is managed in such a way that the sites in a very good shape. Visitors appreciate that, and they are usually very respectful of the sites.

The Baha'is find ingenious ways to keep the terraces green in summer, and the tourists are very good at keeping garbage offsite. A good combination!
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i
Varion thanks for your report.. As the work proceeds on the Shrine keep us updated if you can!

Appreciatively,

- Art
 
Varion Zanzibar

Varion Zanzibar

Member
Now I remember why I came to the RF website today, it was to add a link to this thread:

The Bahá'Ã* Gardens

This is a website that has just started TODAY, and it's got up-to-date info about visits to the Baha'i Gardens. In fact, it also answers questions that many people ask (at least in Israel), such as: what's below the Baha'i buildings?

It's a well known fact that the Baha'i buildings in Haifa have 6 to 8 floors below the surface, and that leaves plenty of room for local stories to naturally grow. But the truth is that there are only offices, and no hidden activities...
 
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