A Gateway of Heaven

‘Akká is the home of exiles and prisoners of the Turkish Government. A few merchants and bazaars comprise its present meager commerce, although in former times it was an important market for Syrian products. It is the residence of a governor and various officials. The inhabitants generally are poor and wretched, evidences of poverty and squalor everywhere. Haifa has absorbed the business vitality of ‘Akká. The city looks like a catacomb with the roof lifted up, heavy walls, a labyrinth of passages, narrow streets, and dark alleys leading in every direction. But the spiritual atmosphere which surrounds us here is unmistakable and uplifting. Here in this unholy yet holy place we have been taught that the Peace, Power, and Knowledge of God can only be attained by severance from the things of earth and freedom from the influences of transitory surroundings. ‘Akká is to us a gateway of Heaven.

Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at bahai-library.com.

Grundy, J. M.. (1907). *Ten Days in the Light of Akka*. https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka