Then and Now

How the places where Bahá'í history happened look today. As public-domain modern photographs become available, they'll appear here.

• House of the Báb in Shíráz

  Then

  Where the Báb declared His mission to Mullá Ḥusayn on 22 May 1844. The original was demolished by the Iranian government in 1979.

  Now

  Today only the site remains — sacred to Bahá'ís worldwide.

  Stories that happened here

  • → 200 years ago in Persia, there were many with the same expectation, that the…
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was born on the same night that the Báb declared His Mission in…
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas
  • → Haji ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab
  • → Haji Mirza Hasan-i-Adib
  • → Haji Mirza Siyyid Ali, Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad and Haji Mirza Hassan Ali
  • → Hájí Muhammad-Ridáy-i-Shírází
  • → Haji Mulla Isma’il-i-Qumi
  • → His Eminence Kalím (Mírzá Músá)
  • → Ismu’lláhu’l-Asdaq (Mullá Ṣádiq Khurasani)
  • → Mirza Aqay-i-Rikab-Saz
  • → Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí, the Afnán
  • → Mírzá Muhammad Rawdih-Khán Yazdí
  • → Mirza Qurban-‘Ali
  • → Mirza Yusuf Vahid Kashfi
  • → Mullá ‘Alíy-i-Bastamí
  • → Mullá Husayn Bushrú’í
  • → Mullá Khudá-Bakhsh Qúchání
  • → Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí
  • → Shaykh Salmán
  • → Siyyid Husayn-i-Turshizi
  • → Siyyid Isma’il
  • → Siyyid Yahya-i-Darabi (Vahid)
  • → Tahirih Siyavushi
  • → Táhirih
  • → The Báb – Herald of the Bahá’í Faith
  • → 49: O steadfast ones, gathered beneath the ...
  • → 92: Your letter, laden with many a graceful ...
  • → Akká and Haifa
  • → Early Life
  • → The Young Merchant of Shíráz: Esslemont's Portrait of the Báb
  • → 1851 Karbilá, Iraq: A disciple of the Báb becomes the first person to whom Baha'u'llah confided His Divine Mission – as was prophesied by the Báb in 1848
  • → An example of how the Báb changed unseemly business practices while He was a merchant in Bushihr, Persia – related by ‘Abdu’l-Baha
  • → Divine intervention in the twinkling of an eye - a believer experienced
  • → Gifts from one Manifestation of God to Another
  • → How Mullá Sádiq-i-Muqaddas recognized the Báb through Mullá Husayn in Isfahán
  • → How the second “Letter of the Living” recognized the Báb…
  • → Karbila, circa 1841: A meeting between the Báb and His forerunner Siyyid Kazim -- its profound and long-lasting effect on a disciple of Siyyid Kazim who was also present
  • → Mírzá Músá: Bahá’u’lláh’s faithful brother, also known as Áqáy-i-Kalím – a brief account of his life by 'Abdu'l-Baha
  • → Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím’s marvellous spiritual experience
  • → Mullá Husayn finds “God’s hidden treasure” in Mázindarán
  • → Mulla Husayn is led to Shiraz in his quest for the Promised One
  • → No peace in the city of Tabriz on July 9, 1850 – the martyrdom of the Báb
  • → The amazing circumstances through which a noted Bábí merchant in Tabriz was able to visit the Báb seven time when He was under house arrest - and - Mulla Husayn’s earlier prediction
  • → The dream of Mírzá ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb-i-Shírází – a youth chained besides Bahá’u’lláh in the Síyáh-Chál
  • → The King summons the Báb
  • → The story of ‘Abdu’l-Baha – Part 1: 1844-1908
  • → The story of the Báb
  • → The story of the Kitáb-i-Íqán (The Book of Certitude)
  • → The sudden arrest of the Báb and its agonizing impact on His wife – as recalled by Khadijih Bagum
  • → Tahirih - The only woman ‘Letter of the Living’
  • → The Báb’s short stay in Isfahán
  • → The miracle of the Báb’s last day…
  • → There Remains One More: The Letters of the Living
  • → I Bear Witness These Words Are From the Same Source: Siyyid Yaḥyá Recognizes the Báb
  • → A Merchant of Shíráz: The Birth of the Báb
  • → Two Hours and Eleven Minutes After Sunset: The Declaration of the Báb
  • → How an Iranian Mullah became a Bahá’í
  • → I remember when I was a girl the news came to Isfahan from Nabil that…
  • → It was June of 1847
  • → Memorial of Áqá Mírzá Maḥmúd and Áqá Riḍá
  • → Memorial of Mullá Ṣádiq-i-Muqaddas-i-Khurásání
  • → Memorial of Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá
  • → Munirih Khánum, who later became the wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, met Khadijih-Bagum…
  • → My mother, my Aunt Khánum, my three sisters, and I lived in the bigger house at…
  • → On the [day] of the first Naw-Rúz (1909), which He celebrated after His release…
  • → 11: COMMENTARY ON THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER OF THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN
  • → 8: THE BÁB
  • → Extracts From An Epistle To Muḥammad Sháh
  • → From the Qayyúm al-Asmá': The Báb's First Major Work
  • → The Báb's Tablet to Mullá Ḥusayn on Departing Shíráz
  • → “Thou art aware, O My God, that since the day Thou ...”
  • → O Concourse of Kings: A Passage from the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá'
  • → After Each Prayer: The Báb on Remembering Parents
  • → In the Twenty-Fifth Year: The Báb Begins to Speak
  • → [Pages 1–20]
  • → The Commentary on the Kawthar: Vaḥíd's Third Audience

• The Síyáh-Chál

  Then

  A foul subterranean dungeon, formerly a public-bath reservoir. Bahá'u'lláh was confined here in chains for four months in 1852.

  Now

  The site is part of modern Tehran. The exact dungeon no longer exists, but Bahá'ís make pilgrimage to its location.

  Stories that happened here

  • → Badasht is a village some distance from Tihrán in the northeast part of the country
  • → Bahá’u’lláh was stripped of His outer garments, the soles of His feet were…
  • → ‘Alavíyyih Khánum and Mullá ‘Alí Ján
  • → Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi
  • → Aqa Mirza Ali-Muhammad (Ibn-i-Asdaq)
  • → Aqa Mirza Muhammad-Taqi Abhari (Ibn-i-Abhar)
  • → Ḥájí ‘Abdu’lláh Najaf-Ábádí
  • → Haji Mirza Abu’l-Hasan Ardikani aka Haji Amin
  • → Haji Muhammad-Taqiy-i-Kirmani and Siyyid Murtada
  • → Jináb-i-Muníb
  • → Mirzá ‘Abd’u’lláh Faráháni, ‘The Divine Musician’
  • → Mirza Asadu’llah Fadil Mazandarani (Jinab-i-Fadil)
  • → Mírzá Ja‘far-i-Yazdí
  • → Mírzá Mihdí
  • → Mírzá Muḥammad-Qulí
  • → Muhammad-Husayn-i-Maraghi’i
  • → Muḥammad Labíb
  • → Mulla`Ali-Akbar Shahmirzadi
  • → Sháh Muḥammad-Amín aka Haji Shah Muhammad Manshadi
  • → Siyyid Jafar-i-Yazdi
  • → Thornton Chase, Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
  • → Ustád Ismá’íl
  • → Ustád Nasru’lláh Raphael
  • → William Sears
  • → 1846: How the Governor of Isfáhán, Muchihr Khán, managed to save the Báb from the death verdict issued by seventy eminent ‘ulamás and notables in Isfáhán
  • → A believer’s dream about hosting the Báb when He was expected to arrive at Káshán in the company of a mounted escort
  • → A pilgrim reports in 1920 how busy ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was replying to numerous letters from around the world
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Baha tells a story about an incident during His childhood
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Baha tells the story of Baha’u’llah’s agreement to perform any miracle agreed on by the divines
  • → An example of why not to read the Word of God with the eye of intellect only
  • → Baha’u’llah during His youthful prime – told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha
  • → Bahá’u’lláh’s marriage to Ásíyih Khánúm and their early lives together up until His recognition of the Báb
  • → Baha’u’llah visits Mulla Husayn and his companions at Fort Tabarsi
  • → Being present when ‘Abdu’l-Baha revealed a Tablet
  • → circa 1848: Baha’u’llah’s first imprisonment
  • → Hand of the Cause Mr. Faizi’s first exposure to the Baha’i Faith as a child
  • → Mulla Husayn’s childhood and youth
  • → Opposition to 'Abdu'l-Baha's proposed marriage
  • → Táhirih’s arrest in Qazvin and subsequent release through the intervention of Baha’u’llah
  • → The Blast of the Trumpet – the amazing way in which a woman announced the birth of a new cycle for humanity
  • → The story of how Mullá Husayn was able to discover Baha’u’llah in Tihran and have delivered to Him a scroll containing passages from the Writings of the Báb
  • → The story of Tahirih’s house arrest and her bold prediction of upcoming release
  • → The tragic death of Mirza Mihdi, “The Purest Branch”
  • → A very unique Child is born
  • → Badí – the messenger of Baha’u’llah
  • → Baha’u’llah receives His Mission from God
  • → The Songbird in the Garden
  • → Baha'u'llah - The King of Kings
  • → Faithful Isfandiyar
  • → One Meritorious Act
  • → Shining Lamp: Mullá Husayn
  • → The Marriage of Ásíyih Khánum
  • → The Night of the Arrest: Asiyih Khanum's Vigil
  • → Return from Karbilá: Bahá'u'lláh's Journey Home to Tihrán
  • → The Epistle Recalls the Síyáh-Chál
  • → For his own personal use Bahá’u’lláh never ordered anything extravagant
  • → Born in the Vazír's House: The Birth of Bahá'u'lláh
  • → Husayn-‘Ali [later known as Bahá’u’lláh] was born November 12, 1817, at dawn…
  • → I was a child in Tehran when at the age of seven I contracted tuberculosis
  • → In Europe, on one occasion, remembering the desperate days in Tihran when…
  • → My mother tied a two-qiran silver piece in the corner of a handkerchief and…
  • → Nabíl-i-A'zam, in his narrative history of the early days of the Faith, The…
  • → One of the most important pioneer families in the Fort Worth / Dallas area ws…
  • → Síyáh-Chál, the name of the prison to which Bahá’u’lláh was taken on that…
  • → The Tarbíyat Schools of Tihrán: News from Persia
  • → The following account occurred in the Siyah-Chal prison in Teheran around the…
  • → To the galling weight of these tribulations was now added the bitter grief of a…

• Most Great Prison ('Akká)

  Then

  The Ottoman fortress where Bahá'u'lláh and His family were imprisoned upon arrival in 1868. Conditions were brutal.

  Now

  The Citadel of Acre is preserved and accessible to visitors. Bahá'í pilgrims walk the very rooms in which the Most Holy Book was revealed.

  Stories that happened here

  • → A delightful story is told of a Mademoiselle Letitia, who had come from a poor…
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá believed in using medicine as well as spiritual healing
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's kind heart went out to those who were ill
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prayerfulness aided Him to sustain equanimity even in times of…
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's recipe for pilau: Lamb-cut in very small pieces-cutting away…
  • → After Bahá’u’lláh's confinement in the Most Great Prison in 'Akka had ended,…
  • → Although ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a serious expounder of the Bahá’í Faith He had a fine…
  • → ‘An American friend who had enjoyed the privilege of more than one visit to…
  • → And yet, as you know, when he passed away in England, I had many cables from…
  • → Another governor of 'Akka was dismissed from his duties and sent to Beirut to a new post
  • → Another instance of His generosity concerned a rug, which was among 'the most…
  • → Haji Muhammad Tihir Malmiri
  • → Louis George Gregory
  • → Mirza Abu’l-Fadl
  • → Shaykh Ismail
  • → Ustad ‘Ali Ashraf
  • → Ustad Aqa Bala
  • → Before a winter's cold took hold of 'Akka, the Master would go to a clothing…
  • → Before the fall of Haifa, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was discussing the British campaign with…
  • → Imprisonment in Akká
  • → Letters to Kings
  • → Pilgrims Beyond the Third Moat: An Esslemont Story of 'Akká
  • → An Hour of Kissed Hands: 'Abdu'l-Bahá Wins Bahá'u'lláh a Day in the Country
  • → A funny incident while in the company of the Master
  • → A youth sees Bahá’u’lláh revealing Verses of God – recalled by Hand of the Cause Tarázu’lláh Samandari
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Baha lived in the morgue of the barracks in Akka for two years
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s surprising response to two believers trying to identify the most acceptable form of martyrdom – recalled by one of His secretaries
  • → An example of how ‘Abdu’l-Baha treated an unfriendly Christian missionary in ‘Akka
  • → An example of how man is unable to prevent God from executing His will
  • → An example of love and compassion shown by Munirih Khanum (‘Abdu’l-Baha’s wife)
  • → An example of the commanding power of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
  • → Be natural, be happy…
  • → "I am only a drop from the vast ocean of Baha'u'llah's school"
  • → May Maxwell sees ‘Abdu’l-Baha for the first time
  • → Roses from ‘Abdu’l-Baha
  • → Sarah’s Vision of Peace
  • → The first Baha’i in England goes on pilgrimage
  • → The King and the Gardener – a story told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha
  • → Trying to get ‘Abdu’l-Baha a new coat
  • → Two examples of Baha’u’llah being fully aware of one’s thoughts and feelings
  • → The Master and the Flowers
  • → The Master Loved Children Fully
  • → The Master with the Sick Pilgrim
  • → The Table of the Master
  • → The Greatest Holy Leaf at Her Brother's Side
  • → A Living Spirit: Thomas Breakwell
  • → A Prayer for Mirza Ja'far
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Baha - the Knight of Light
  • → An Amazing Night
  • → An example of 'Abdu'l-Baha's forgiving nature...
  • → Flowers for the Ancient King
  • → The Master and the Stray Puppy
  • → Stories from the childhood of Shoghi Effendi
  • → The Prisoner with power
  • → The Proud Helper
  • → The Servant of God
  • → Two Pink Roses for a Little Girl
  • → I Slept in the Room of Ásíyih Khánum
  • → Corinne True made one of her nine pilgrimages to the Bahá’í Holy Places in…
  • → Day by day friends brought offerings of flowers and fruit, so that the dinner…
  • → Early in 1904 Ethel Rosenberg made her second pilgrimage to the Holy Land
  • → Early in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imprisonment in the barracks in ‘Akka, news…
  • → Elizabeth Greenleaf was a tall, aristocratic and very lovely lady who, for very…
  • → For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá inexpensive clothes were sufficient
  • → Gracious God
  • → The Day Given to Him: Origins of the Day of the Covenant
  • → Across the Bay to 'Akká: Louis Gregory's Pilgrimage Arrival
  • → Imagine that we are in the ancient house of the still more ancient city of…
  • → In 1909 Ethel Rosenberg made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
  • → In 1914 the Master wrote to the friends in Denver concerning how to convey the…
  • → In 'Akka the Master's room often contained not even a bed as He was continually…
  • → In ‘Akka there lived a man who so hated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that he would turn his…
  • → In London ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had an interview with a representative from the Weekly Budget
  • → In Minneapolis a Jewish Rabbi came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a request that He speak…
  • → It is related of Shaykh Mahmud of 'Akka that he 'hated the Bahá’ís
  • → Julia Gundy, an early pilgrim, described a beautiful supper at which many…
  • → Juliet Thompson has given us a sweet picture of the Master in 'Akka: 'He had…
  • → Just before Mrs C left the household of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akka, ‘He came into…
  • → Later, in 1907, four members of a second Commission of investigation arrived by…
  • → ‘Life at ‘Akka and Haifa in the reign of ‘Abdu’l-Hamid was full of tension and danger
  • → Lua Getsinger – spiritual mother of both Mrs Hearst and May Bolles (Maxwell) –…
  • → Maria Ioas longed to be the recipient of a flower from 'Abdu-l-Bahá
  • → Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to Akka in 1905, found that the Master usually ate but…
  • → Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to 'Akka in 1905, found that the Master gave away all the…
  • → Mirza Abu’l-Fadl was an outstanding Bahá’í scholar
  • → Memorial of Áqá Ḥusayn-i-Áshchí (Cook of the Household)
  • → Memorial of Áqá Muḥammad-Báqir and Áqá Muḥammad-Ismá'íl, the Tailor
  • → Memorial of Áqá Riḍáy-i-Shírází (the Companion of the Exile)
  • → Memorial of His Eminence Kalím (Mírzá Músá)
  • → Memorial of Mashhadí Ḥusayn and Mashhadí Muḥammad-i-Ádhirbáyjání
  • → No mere mortal in His day could claim to be His teacher
  • → On August 20th there arrived at Green Acre a young man, dishevelled, tremulous
  • → On the night of 20 August, a horrifying young man came to a meeting at the Kinney's house
  • → One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked how one should live
  • → One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was going from Akka to Haifa and asked for a seat in the stage coach
  • → One of interesting incidents I remember well is about a parrot which was…
  • → One well-known story involves teaching Mountfort Mills how to pray: when…
  • → Pilgrims’ notes tell us that one day Lua Getsinger was walking with…
  • → The Mouthful of Khánum: A Childhood Privilege at the Family Table
  • → A Tie Far Deeper: Young Shoghi Approaches the Master
  • → The Most Holy Tablet: Bahá'u'lláh to the Christians
  • → The Tablet of Wisdom: Bahá'u'lláh on Philosophy
  • → Cast Behind Thy Back: Bahá'u'lláh's Second Tablet to Napoleon III
  • → A Letter to the Pope: Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to Pius IX
  • → A Letter to a Queen: Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to Victoria
  • → Roy Wilhelm, an early pilgrim to the Master in Akka observed the esteem…
  • → Nature: The Composition and Decomposition of All Things
  • → Miracles: Proofs for the Eyewitness Only
  • → Some Answered Questions: The Creation of Man
  • → The Need of an Educator: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Why Humanity Cannot Self-Civilise
  • → Some Answered Questions: The Prophecies of Isaiah
  • → Some Answered Questions: The Immortality of the Soul
  • → Sarah Farmer had a vision of Green Acre as a peaceful and beautiful place where…
  • → 13: O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter dated ...
  • → He Loved the Children of the House
  • → The Mufti Who Came to Insult and Stayed to Serve
  • → An Old Man Walks to 'Akká
  • → The Guard Who Wept in the Corridor
  • → Soon after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His party in 'Akka the Governor…
  • → A Burning Torch: The Master's Counsel to Mrs. Fraser
  • → The Home of Laughter: 'Abdu'l-Bahá Reconciles Two Feuding Arabs
  • → Helen Goodall's Pilgrimage Notes
  • → The Purest Branch: A Memorial in the First Issue of the Star of the West
  • → Three Kinds of Persecution: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Account of His Imprisonment
  • → When the Inhabitants of a City Are United: 'Abdu'l-Bahá to American Women on Peace
  • → The Bird with the Broken Wing: A Parable of Trust
  • → Looking for the Key: A Mulla Nasrudin Tale 'Abdu'l-Bahá Used
  • → Tea Drunk Without Sugar: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Lesson on the Poor
  • → Through the Eye of the Needle: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the Rich Man
  • → The Farmer and the Grain: A Parable of Patience
  • → The King and the Shoemaker: A Story 'Abdu'l-Bahá Loved to Tell
  • → The Lamp in the Niche: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the Light of God
  • → The Old Woman Who Carried the Wood
  • → The Prophet Joseph and His Brothers: A Story of Forgiveness
  • → The Thief and the Saint: A Story of Sudden Conversion
  • → The Three Ducks: A Parable Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá
  • → The Wise Man and the Fool: A Story 'Abdu'l-Bahá Told
  • → After This Storm, the Divine Spring
  • → “Inquire after the health of Miss .........., send...”
  • → “O bird without a nest!...”
  • → “O thou artery pulsating in the body of the world!...”
  • → “O thou esteemed maid-servant of the Loving Lord!...”
  • → “O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God and...”
  • → “O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of the...”
  • → “O thou who art attracted to the Word of God!...”
  • → Trust No Man Save Him Whose Breast Hath Been Dilated
  • → Tahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat
  • → ‘Abdu'L-BAHÁ'S Last Words
  • → Afternoon Before THE Feast
  • → AKKÁ
  • → AT THE Feast
  • → The Food Spiritual: A Meal in 'Akká
  • → Faith
  • → Foreword
  • → From THE Mother OF THE Household
  • → From THE Words OF ‘Abdu'L-BAHÁ
  • → Heaven
  • → Heavenly Sustenance
  • → IN THE Household
  • → Introduction
  • → He Loved Them All: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Loving Difficult People
  • → Love
  • → Mount Carmel AND Syria
  • → Obedience
  • → You Are Always Here in Spirit: Julia Grundy's Last Audience
  • → Return OF THE Spirit
  • → Soul AND Spirit
  • → Spiritual Development
  • → Spiritual Relationship
  • → Talks From MÍRZÁ Asadu'LLÁH
  • → THE Heavenly Springtime
  • → THE House OF Justice
  • → THE Manifestation
  • → THE Second Coming
  • → Three Stories Told BY ‘Abdu'L-BAHÁ
  • → Visit TO THE RidvÁN
  • → Visit TO THE Tomb
  • → The Governor was reluctant to tell Bahá’u’lláh that the order had come for…
  • → The Master’s humility was shown in many ways
  • → The Master said to Mary Hanford Ford, alluding to the restriction of His and…
  • → The story of Green Acre itself is intensely interesting
  • → There was a Christian merchant in Akka who, like many of his fellow citizens,…
  • → There was a time when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in chains
  • → Thomas Breakwell, the first English believer, went to the prison city of ‘Akka…
  • → ‘Three days after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His companions in ‘Akka, the…
  • → Two pilgrims were at the Master’s luncheon table one day in 1908
  • → Wendell [Dodge] and I [William Dodge] were so glad to be with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [in…
  • → What had happened in Chicago was this: the Syrian, Khayru'llah, had been…
  • → When Bahá’u’lláh lived at Bahji – and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Akka – the Master would…
  • → While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a prisoner in Akka, there was a man in that city who…
  • → Why Do Manifestations Appear in Human Form

• Mansion of Bahjí

  Then

  The mansion outside 'Akká where Bahá'u'lláh spent His final years (1879–1892) and where He ascended.

  Now

  Bahjí, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, is the most sacred Bahá'í pilgrimage site. Surrounded by gardens, open to visitors.

  Stories that happened here

  • → An Old Believer Looks Up: A Mountain Ascended Many Times
  • → Those Piercing Eyes: Edward Granville Browne in the Presence of Bahá'u'lláh
  • → The Year of Stress: Nabíl's Grief at the Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh
  • → The Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí
  • → Crumbs for the Pigeons: A Small Habit of Bahá'u'lláh
  • → Persian Rugs and Tea: A Visit to the Shrine at Bahjí

• Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel

  Then

  The site Bahá'u'lláh Himself indicated for the resting place of the Báb's remains. Construction began under 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

  Now

  The golden-domed shrine, surrounded by terraced gardens, is the visual centre of the Bahá'í World Centre and an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  Stories that happened here

  • → A woman visited the Master in Haifa, in May 1910
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá anticipated that conditions of hardship would appear with these…
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s love of God and Bahá’u’lláh brought a calm and a serenity which…
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would refuse generous sums of money meant for Himself but would…
  • → After arriving in Port Said, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had initially planned to continue…
  • → ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd’s Committee
  • → Already in AB's day relief funds had been established
  • → An American family once wrote to the Master, asking if they might visit Him
  • → At one time enemies of the Master, Covenant-breakers who lived in the Mansion…
  • → At the time my father was invited by the Guardian to come and live with us in…
  • → Bahá’u’lláh could trust ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with the most difficult of tasks as He…
  • → Bahiyyih Randall was only thirteen years old when she went to Haifa to see the Master
  • → Amatu’l-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum
  • → Ḥájí Muḥammad Khán
  • → Ḥájí Mullá Mihdí-i-Yazdí aka Haji Mulla Mihdi-i-‘Atri
  • → Husayn-Áqáy-i-Tabrízí
  • → Husayn Effendi Tabrízí
  • → John Esslemont: A Doctor at the Master's Side
  • → Muḥammad-Hádíy-i-Ṣaḥḥáf
  • → Siyyid Muḥammad-Taqí Manshádí
  • → William Sutherland Maxwell
  • → 10: O my well-beloved sister, O Most Exalted ...
  • → 14: O my spiritual sister! ...
  • → 17: O my dear sister! ...
  • → 19: O my sister in the spirit, and the companion ...
  • → 29: It is not unknown to those who stand firm ...
  • → 70: Your letter of 12th October 1922 is just ...
  • → 75: It was sometime ago that I received your ...
  • → She Restored Sight to the Blind: Bahíyyih Khánum's Wartime Relief Work in Haifa
  • → Center of the Covenant
  • → Epilogue
  • → Last Years
  • → Life at Bahjí
  • → Prison Gates Opened
  • → The Great War
  • → War Time at Haifa
  • → Western Tours
  • → Writings and Addresses
  • → An example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ability to see the light of the spirit of a human being at a considerable distance – narrated by the Master
  • → Meeting Shoghi Effendi in Paris during the Summer of 1920
  • → Ruhiyyih Khanum’s first encounter with Shoghi Effendi
  • → Tablets of the Divine Plan changed the lives of an American couple
  • → The Egyptian Baha’i merchant who wanted to see Baha’u’llah
  • → The stone that became the “Cornerstone” of the House of Worship in Chicago
  • → Walking in Haifa with the Master
  • → Her Eyes Charged with Memories: A Portrait of the Greatest Holy Leaf
  • → Dr J
  • → During the British advance from the south, field batteries were placed in…
  • → During World War I when a blockade threatened the lives of many civilians in…
  • → For many years during the Master’s late life there occurred a constant ‘flow of…
  • → The Appointment of Shoghi Effendi as Guardian
  • → Grace very much wanted to attend the Unity Feast at West Englewood, the Feast…
  • → Ten Thousand Mourners on Mount Carmel: The Funeral of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
  • → In 1919, when Margaret Randall, who came to be known as Bahiyyih, was but…
  • → In a final touching tribute to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's generosity this true story…
  • → In the early summer of 1923 Shoghi Effendi again left Haifa and sought some…
  • → In the spring of 1918, I was much startled and deeply disturbed by a telephone…
  • → It was at the home of the Kinneys that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed the second time he…
  • → Memorial of ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár of Iṣfáhán
  • → Memorial of ‘Abdu’s-Ṣáliḥ, the Gardener
  • → Memorial of Ḥájí ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím-i-Yazdí
  • → Memorial of Muḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Ardikání
  • → My mother was the one who had first known Shoghi Effendi as a child, when she…
  • → No matter how relaxed or arduous life might be, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá always found or…
  • → On the day I arrived at Haifa I was ill with a dysentery which I had picked up…
  • → One day ‘a man passing by the gates of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house in Haifa, carrying…
  • → One day during a school vacation, some Bahá’í students who were attending…
  • → One day, in London, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was out driving with Lady Blomfield and Mrs…
  • → One of the greatest privileges we had during our visit was to be present when…
  • → One of the most striking examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imperturbability was His…
  • → One of those 'unspiritual people' was at that moment a member of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's party, Dr
  • → A Quiet Wedding in Haifa: Shoghi Effendi and Mary Maxwell
  • → The International Secretariat: A Cable Desk in Haifa
  • → Launching the Ten Year Crusade in 1953
  • → Translating the Dawn-Breakers: Shoghi Effendi's Long Nights
  • → An English for the Hidden Words: Shoghi Effendi's Discipline
  • → Preparation for war conditions had been made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá even before His…
  • → 31: O thou who art dear, and wise! Thy letter dated ...
  • → Sometime later, I usually had the privilege of walking home with the Guardian…
  • → Soon after the outbreak [of the war], Haifa, which was still under Turkish…
  • → News from Haifa: The Master Through the War
  • → A Pilgrim's Account of the Master's Last Years: Genevieve Coy in Haifa
  • → A School on Mount Carmel: News of the Haifa Bahá'í School
  • → Hindus in the Pilgrim House: Caste Crossed at Haifa
  • → The Knighthood: 'Abdu'l-Bahá Honoured by the British Crown
  • → The Cable from Haifa: News of the Master's Passing
  • → Young in Face: Mountfort Mills Meets the Guardian
  • → A Naw-Rúz Message from 'Abdu'l-Bahá
  • → The Passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: First Reports in the Star
  • → The Tablets of the Divine Plan: First Publication in the Star
  • → Major Tudor Pole's Cable from Jerusalem
  • → Surely the simplicity of the marriage of Shoghi Effendi - reminiscent of the…
  • → Sydney Sprague was on pilgrimage in Haifa in September 1910
  • → “O thou dear wise man!...”
  • → The Báb, during his life, had a certain follower who was specially devoted to him
  • → The dignitaries of the British crown from Jerusalem were gathered in Haifa,…
  • → The Master's concern for others endured to the very end of His earthly life
  • → The Master's life was very full at this time
  • → There are many stories of Lua Getsinger
  • → There was a man in Haifa who disliked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
  • → There was a time when the Covenant-Breakers 'gave away the garments and…
  • → When a Turkish man, living in Haifa, lost his position, he, his wife and…
  • → When Aqa Ali Akbar was on his way to embark from Haifa, the Governor ordered…
  • → When my father fell desperately ill in the winter of 1949-50 his condition was…
  • → When the British arrived in Haifa, where the blockade had caused a perilous…
  • → While on pilgrimage in Haifa in 1909, Alice Breed asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: if we…

Public-domain photographs will be auto-fetched from Wikimedia Commons in the next pass and embedded here as they become available.