NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Bahá'í House of Worship

There are currently seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship around the world, although Bahá'í communities own many properties where they plan for Houses of Worship to be constructed as the Bahá'í community grows and develops. Most Known in India as the Lotus Temple, the Bahai House of Worship attracts an average of three and a half million visitors a year. The Baháí Faith is a monotheistic religion whose members follow the teachings of Baháulláh, founder and prophet of... Bahá'í meetings occur in individuals' homes, local Bahá'í centers, or rented facilities.

Description

The name used in the Bahá'í writings for Houses of Worship is Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (Dawning-place of the Remembrance of God). All Bahá'í temples share certain This article is about the built environment. For other uses of the term Architecture see Architecture (disambiguation) Architecture (in Greek αρχή = first and τέχνη = craftsmanship) is the art and science of designing buildings. A wider definition would include within its scope the design... architectural elements, only two of which are specified by Bahá'í scripture, that they are nine-sided and surmounted by St Peters Basilica, Rome A dome is a common structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Domes do not have to be perfectly spherical in cross-section, however; it is sufficient that they simply be curved surfaces. A saucer dome is a dome... domes. To date all the temples built or planned have a single, undivided room under the dome. In all seven, the seats in the auditorium face the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Acca, The State of Israel (Hebrew: מדינת ישראל, translit.: Medinat Yisrael; Arabic: دولة اسرائيل, translit.: Daulat Israil) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea... Israel.

The seven existing Houses of Worship were built as the regional community could support their construction. They express local design and The word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). In general, it refers to human activity; different definitions of culture reflect different theories for understanding, or criteria for valuing, human activity. Culture is traditionally the oldest human character, its significant traces separating Homo... culture in their selection of materials, Landscape architecture is the art, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of large-scale man-made constructs. The scope of the profession includes architectural design, site planning, estate development, environmental restoration, town or urban planning, park and recreation planning, regional planning, spatial planning, and... landscaping and architecture.

Bahá'í Houses of Worship are open to people of all faiths - or of no particular faith. Services focus solely on the worship of This article focuses on the monotheistic concept of a singular God. See deity or goddesses for details on divine entities in specific religions and mythologies. The term God designates a universal Supreme Being. There are countless variant definitions of God, however. For example: Many religious and philosophic systems consider God... God. There are no collections and no sermons. Only the Word of God is uttered within the Temple, with readings from all the Holy Writings of the earth. The only A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. In principle, anything that somehow produces sound can serve as a musical instrument, but the expression is reserved generally to items that have that specific purpose. The academic study of musical instruments... instrument used is the human voice, and the This article is about choirs, musical ensembles containing singers. For other meanings of the word, see Choir (disambiguation). A choir is a musical ensemble. The term is generally used to refer to ensembles of singers, but can also refer to a collection of instruments from the same orchestral family such... choir in any Bahá'í House of Worship sings without instrumental accompaniment. No sermons or lectures are permitted inside the House of Worship. As the Known in India as the Lotus Temple, the Bahai House of Worship attracts an average of three and a half million visitors a year. The Baháí Faith is a monotheistic religion whose members follow the teachings of Baháulláh, founder and prophet of... Bahá'í Faith has no A priesthood is a body of priests, shamans, or oracles who are thought to have special religious authority or function. The term also refers to the office, dignity, authority, or character of a priest. See also Clergy Priest Priesthood (Mormonism) Priesthood of all believers Priestcraft Categories: Religion stubs ... priesthood, ordinary members of the community - men and women, adults and children - read the texts.

There are no collections during the service. Only Bahá'ís are permitted to contribute to the upkeep of the House of Worship.

These buildings are the key element of a complex of facilities such as schools, hospitals, homes for the elderly, and other social and humanitarian institutions to serve the neighborhoods in which they are located.

Bahá'u'lláh said that any work done in a spirit of service is a form of prayer. The educational, humanitarian and scientific institutions to be built around the Temple will allow the Bahá'ís to complete their dedication of the individual to God. To Bahá'ís there is no particular division between the spiritual and practical parts of life. `Abdu'l-Bahá taught that we should walk the spiritual path with practical feet.

Note that the Bahá'í gardens and the Shrine of the B b at night from above in Haifa Israel Siyyid M Al -Muhammad (میرزا علی‌محمد in Persian) (October 20, 1819 - July 9, 1850), later to become known as the B b (باب meaning Gate... Shrine of the Báb in Haifa, Israel are not part of a Mashriqu'l-Adhkár although tourist material generally refer to the Shrine as a Bahá'í temple.

History

Ashkhabad Turkmenistan

Bahai House of Worship Ashkabad Turkministan image derives from photo published prior to 1900 - no copyright This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. This applies worldwide. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current...

First Baha'i House of Worship

The first Bahá'í Temple was completed around 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-February January 1 - A ball signifying New Years Day drops in New York Citys Times Square for the first time January 8 - A train collision occurs in the Park Avenue Tunnel in... 1908 in Ishqábád or Ashgabat (also Ashkabat, Ashkhabad, Ashgabad, in Persian عشق آباد Eshgh_abad) is the capital city of Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic. Ashgabat has a population of around 400,000 and is situated between the Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range. The principal industries... Ashkhabad, then ruled by The Russian Federation ( Russian: Росси́йская Федера́ция, transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija), or Russia (Russian: Росси́я, transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija), is a country that stretches... Russia and now the capital of Turkmenistan, once known as the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic is a country in Central Asia. It has borders with Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and has a coastline on the Caspian Sea. National motto: none Official language Turkmen Capital Ashgabat President and Prime Minister Saparmurat Niyazov Area - Total - % water... Turkmenistan. Ashkhabad is located in the desert plain of western Turkmenistan near the foothills of the Alborz Mountains underneath clouds seen from Tehran Alborz (in Persian البرز), also written as Alburz or Elburz, is a mountain range in northern Iran, stretching from the borders of Armenia in the north-west to the southern end of the Caspian Sea, where also Tehran and... Alborz Mountains. Under the protection and freedom given by the Russian authorities, the number of Bahá'ís there rose to over 1,000 and for the first time anywhere in the world a true Bahá'í community was established, with its own schools, medical facilities, cemetery, etc. Eventually the Bahá'ís in 'Ishqábád decided to build the institution that Bahá'u'lláh has ordained as the spiritual and social heart of the Bahá'í community, the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár.

The Temple itself was surrounded by gardens. At the four corners of the garden were four buildings. A school, a hostel where traveling Bahá'ís were entertained, a small hospital, and a building for groundskeepers. The Bahá'ís lived as much as possible in proximity to the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár. It was the center of the community materially, as well as spiritually.

After the Soviet conquest of Turkmenistan, the Temple was secularized by the Soviets and was used for some time as a museum. It was eventually demolished after severe damaged caused by earthquake rendered the building unsafe.

Existing structures

Wilmette, Illinois USA

US Bahai temple, Willmette, IL. at night in winter. - common image, used everywhere originally extracted from the House of Worships live webcam stream. No copyright restrictions. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for...

Baha'i House of Worship, Wilmette, USA

The Bahá'í Temple in Wilmette is a village located in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 27,651. The Chicago Transit Authoritys Purple Line has its northernmost station at Linden Avenue in Wilmette. Bill Murray, William Gray Purcell and Ted Perry were born in... Wilmette, Illinois, The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America¹, the States, or (archaically) Columbia — is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii... USA was completed in 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. Events January January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. January 13 - Marshal Josip Broz Tito chosen President of Yugoslavia January 20 - Change of US presidency from Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) to Dwight D... 1953, the Wilmette House of worship is the largest and the oldest surviving Bahá'í Temple. It stands north of Chicago, Illinois on the shores of Lake Michigan. Constructed entirely out of cast concrete its inner and outer lace domes have been awarded numerous design awards and it is a prominent Chicago landmark. The Wilmette temple is unique in that it has a Clerestory or (clear storey), in architecture, denotes an upper storey of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. The Romans also in their basilica-form baths and... clerestory balcony from which the Temple choir performs. The Wilmette Temple has some, but not all the ancillary functions required to complete a Mashriqu'l-Adhkár.

Kampala Uganda

Bahai Temple Kampala, Uganda Publicity still from Bahai world center web site. - No rights claimed. This work is copyrighted. The individual who uploaded this work and first used it in an article, and subsequent persons who place it into articles assert that this qualifies as fair use of...

Baha'i House of Worship, Kampala, Uganda

The Mother Temple of World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Eurasia. At about 30,244,050 km2 (11,677,240 mi2) including its adjacent islands, it covers 20.3 percent of the total land... Africa is situated on Kikaya Hill on the outskirts of Kampala, population 1,208,544 (2002), is the capital of Uganda. The city, the largest in Uganda, is located near Lake Victoria. Manufactures include furniture and machine parts. Agricultural exports include coffee, cotton, tea, and sugar. There is an international airport at Entebbe, 22 miles/35 km away and a... Kampala, The Republic of Uganda is a country in east central Africa. It is bordered in the east by Kenya, in the north by Sudan, by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west, Rwanda in the southwest and Tanzania in the south. The southern part of the country includes a... Uganda. Its foundation stone was laid in January 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 1 - Treaty of Rome founding the EU is implemented January 4 - Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (launched on October 4, 1957) January 8 - 14 year old Bobby Fischer wins the... 1958, and was dedicated on 13 January 1961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first upside-down year - i.e., one that looked the same upside down - since 1881, and the last until 6009. Events January January 1 - The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, ceases to be... 1961.

Sydney Australia

Bahai House of Worship Sydney, Australia Publicity still - no copyright claimed This work is copyrighted. The individual who uploaded this work and first used it in an article, and subsequent persons who place it into articles assert that this qualifies as fair use of the material under United States copyright...

Baha'i House of Worship, Sydney, Australia

The Temple in This is about the city of Sydney in Australia. For other meanings, see Sydney (disambiguation), or Sidney. Sydneys skyline with the Opera House on the left Sydney is the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales and Australias largest and oldest city, founded in 1788... Sydney, Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/ Oceania. It also includes a number of secondary islands, the largest of which is Tasmania, an Australian State. Australia is... Australia was completed in 1961 of local hardwoods and concrete surmounted by a dome and is capable of accommodating up to six hundred people. It is set high in a natural bushland setting of 38 hectares on Sydney's northern outskirts, overlooking the The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, peaceful sea, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the worlds largest body of water. It encompasses a third of the Earths surface, having an area of 179.7 million km² (69.4 million sq... Pacific Ocean. This Temple serves as the Mother Temple of Australasia is the area that includes Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the many smaller islands in the vicinity, most of which are the eastern part of Indonesia. The name was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes (1756). He derived it from the Latin... Australasia.

Langenhain Germany

Bahai Temple Frankfurt Germany publicity still - no rights claimed derived from temple home page. This work is copyrighted. The individual who uploaded this work and first used it in an article, and subsequent persons who place it into articles assert that this qualifies as fair use of the material...

Baha'i House of Worship, Langenhain, Germany

The World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. It is conventionally considered a continent, which, in this case, is more of a cultural distinction than a geographic one. ( National Geographic, however, officially recognises... European House of Worship is located at the foot of the Taunus Mountains in the village of Langenhain (part of the town of Hofheim) approximately 25 km west of Frankfurt am Main [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] is the largest city in the German state of Hessen and the fifth largest city of Germany. Situated on the Main river, it has a population of approximately 650,000 (but about 5 million in its metropolitan area). Among English speakers... Frankfurt am Main, The Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. Due to its central location, Germany has more neighbours than any other European country: these are Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the... Germany. It was completed in 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 1 - Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. January 3 - Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President. January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the... 1964 and is constructed of steel, aluminum and glass. Five hundred and forty diamond-shaped windows give the dome an optical lightness and permit the sunlight to play in it. The outstanding characteristic acoustics of this setting are created by the reverberation within the dome and the resonation of its myriad window ledges. More information here: Baha'i Chants at the European House of Worship (http://www.chants.info).

Panama City Panama

Bahai House of Worship Panama publicity still - no copyright claimed This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. This applies worldwide. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version...

Baha'i House of Worship, Panama City, Panama

The Bahá'í temple in This is about the capital of Panama. There is also Panama City, Florida. Panama City (Spanish: Ciudad de Panamá), population 708,738, is the capital of Panama, located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. Panama City is the political, administrative and cultural center of the country. Juan Carlos... Panama City, Panama (Spanish: Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. It constitutes the last part of a natural land bridge between the North American and South American continents. It borders Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east. National motto: n/a Official language Spanish Capital Panama City... Panama completed 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. Events January January 2 - the Pierre Hotel Heist - Six men rob the safety deposit boxes of the Pierre Hotel in New York City. Loot is at least $4 million January 5 - President of the United States Richard Nixon orders the... 1972, serves as the mother temple of Central America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. Some geographers classify Central America as a large isthmus, and in this geographic sense it sometimes includes the portion of Mexico east of the Isthmus of... Central America. It is perched on a high cliff overlooking the canal, and is constructed of local stone laid in a pattern reminiscent of Native American fabric designs.

Tiapapata Western Samoa

Bahai House of Worship, Apia Western Samoa publicity still - no copyright claimed This work is copyrighted. The individual who uploaded this work and first used it in an article, and subsequent persons who place it into articles assert that this qualifies as fair use of the material under United States...

Baha'i House of Worship, Tiapapata, Western Samoa

The Bahá'í Temple in Tiapapata, eight km from Apia, Samoa is the capital of Samoa. Apia is also the name of a city in Greek mythology which was ruled by Apis. This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. If an article link referred you here... Apia, The Independent State of Samoa (conventional long form) or Samoa (conventional short form) is a country comprising a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Previous names are Western Samoa from 1914 to 1997 and German Samoa from 1900 to 1914. National motto: Samoa is founded on God Official... Western Samoa was completed in 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events January January 1 - Brunei becomes a fully independent state January 1 - AT&T is broken up into 22 independent units January 5 - Richard Stallman starts developing GNU. January 7 - Brunei becomes the sixth member of the... 1984. It is completely open to the island breezes. It was dedicated by King Malietoa Tanumafili II, King of Western Samoa, who is the first reigning monarch who is a Bahá'í. Its 30 meter dome is used for individual prayer, and holy days and weekly devotions.

New Delhi India

Bahai House of Worship Delhi, India Publicity still from the Delhi temple website for public use. This work is copyrighted. The individual who uploaded this work and first used it in an article, and subsequent persons who place it into articles assert that this qualifies as fair use of the...

Baha'i House of Worship, New Delhi, India

The Bahá'í temple in Delhi (दिल्ली or Dillī in Hindi and Bengali and دیلی in Urdu) is a term that refers to either the State of Delhi or the National Capital Territory (NCT) of the Republic of India. In popular use, the term NCT includes... New Delhi, The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. India has grown significantly, both in population and in strategic importance in the last two decades. The Indian economy is... India was completed in 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events January January 1 - Spain and Portugal enter the European Community January 1 - Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands and is separated from the Netherlands Antilles. January 9 - After losing a patent battle with Polaroid, Kodak leaves... 1986. Since that time the structure has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

Inspired by the This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page. Nelumbo lutea, the American Lotus The term... lotus flower, its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.

Nine doors open onto a central hall, capable of holding up to 2,500 people. Slightly more than 40 meters tall, its surface luminous, the temple at times seems to float above its 26-acre site on the outskirts of the Indian capital.

Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi has, as of late 2002, attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it the most visited edifice in the world, its numbers of visitors during those years surpassing those of the The Eiffel Tower (French: La tour Eiffel) is the most recognizable landmark in Paris and is known worldwide as a symbol of France. Named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, it is a premier tourist destination, with over 5.5 million visitors per year. The name Eiffel is pronounced eye-full... Eiffel Tower and the This article is about the Indian monument. For other uses, see Taj Mahal (disambiguation) Taj Mahal Taj Mahal is the name of a monument located in Agra, India. It was commissioned by the Mugal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his Persian wife, Arjumand Banu Begum who was later... Taj Mahal. On This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). Aum, the most sacred syllable and quintessential symbol of Hinduism, represents the first manifestation of the unmanifest Brahman. Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; commonly called Sanātana Dharma... Hindu holy days, it has drawn as many as 150,000 people.

The Indian Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly reports that many Indian visitors expressed perplexity at the absence of any idols. The Bahá'í guides have a hard task explaining to them their belief that the all-pervasive Almighty cannot be put in any limited form. Often the visitors ask the guides where the object of adoration is. Some have placed flowers before the lectern used during regular prayer services.

Planned constructions

Tehran Iran

architects elevation of proposed Bahai temple, Tehran, Iran comman image used all over various Bahai web sites and books, no copyright seen or claimed that I know of. The copyright status of this work is difficult or impossible to determine. The individual who uploaded this work and first...

Proposed Baha'i House of Worship, Tehran, Iran

A site has been selected, and plans drawn for the Bahá'í Temple of Tehran (also spelled Teheran) (تهران in Persian), population 8,000,000 (metropolitan: 10,000,000), is the capital of Iran and one of the major world cities. Tehran is a metropolis of 10 million situated at the foot of the towering Alborz range. More than half... Tehran, Iran ( Persia: ایران) is a Middle Eastern country located in southwestern Asia that until 1935 was referred to in the West as Persia. The name Iran is a modern cognate of Aryan meaning Land of the Aryans. Iran borders Pakistan (909km of border) and Afghanistan (936km... Iran, but Iranian government action has thus far blocked the start of construction.

Santiago Chile

Press Version of architects elevation Chile Bahai House of Worship File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. Click on date to download the file or see the image uploaded on that date. (del) (cur) 01:30...

Architects design for the Baha'i House of Worship, Santiago, Chile

In late 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was designated: International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains National Science Year in the United Kingdom Autism Awareness Year in the United Kingdom Events January Euro banknotes in circulation throughout the twelve countries of the European Union that... 2002, the National Bahá'í Assembly of the Bahá'ís of This article is about the country in South America; the word chile may also refer to Chilli pepper The Republic of Chile is a republic located on the southwestern coast of South America. It is a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean... Chile and the Universal House of Justice announced a competition for the design of the mother temple of South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. South America is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It became attached to North America only recently, geologically speaking, with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama... South America, to be built outside Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. It is situated in the central valley, in the Metropolitana Region. History Santiago was founded by Pedro de Valdivia on February 12, 1541 with the name Santiago de Nueva Extremadura. The founding ceremony was held... Santiago, Chile. The selection chosen can be seen (along with an article about its selection) at http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=223. The official website for this temple is: http://temple.cl.bahai.org

Haifa Israel

A site has been selected for a Bahá'í Temple in the vicinity of the Bahá'í World Centre on Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel. The site is currently marked by an obelisk.