Baha'i House of Worship:

arthra

arthra

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There are relatively few Baha'i Houses of Worship in the world today and they are spaced about the world on continents mostly ... They also share certain characteristics such as nine openings or gates and usually a dome with what we the "Greatest Name". Anyone can enter a Baha'i House of Worship and pray. There are no restricted areas or altars ... and no rituals or clerical figures conducting rites. So in this thread we'll discuss some of the characteristics and history of these structures.

In the vision of Abdul-Baha there are also ancillary institutions that ideally are to surround the House of Worship:

"The Temple is the most great foundation of the world of humanity and it hath many branches. Although the Temple is the place of worship, with it is connected a hospital, pharmacy, pilgrims' house, school for the orphans, and a university for the study of high sciences. Every Temple is connected with these five things. I hope that now in America they will build a Temple and gradually add to it the hospital, school, university, pharmacy and pilgrims' house with the utmost efficiency and thoroughness. Thou shouldst make known to the believers these details, so that they may realize how important the Temple is. The Temple is not only a place for worship; nay, it is perfect in every way."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith p. 416

The Universal House of Worship has also clarified a few issues related to programs in a Baha'i House of Worship:

Scriptures of Other Religions, Readers, Music in The House of Worship

"Your Assembly is free to use its discretion in choosing excerpts from the generally recognized scriptures of the older religions.

"With reference to your query, about the use of several readers in unison, this is permissible provided it does not seem, or become theatrical in the view of your Assembly. Concerning the placement of the readers the beloved Guardian has already indicated, 'the reader should stand where he or she will best be seen and heard by all.'

"Music in the House of Worship is to be vocal only, whether by singers or a singer. It does not matter if a guest a capella choir, or soloist is used, provided such use is not made the occasion to publicize services of Worship and the precautions you mention are taken. No doubt the excellent recordings available today would assure the highest quality of performance at low cost, but all references to vocal music in the central Edifice imply the physical presence of the singers."

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, March 13, 1964)

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 608)
 
The first Baha'i House of Worship was built in Ishqabad in what today is called Turkministan and it was formerly part of the Russian Empire near the border with Persia... The Temple in Ishqabad has a fascinating history... Initially it began to function and was a respecvted cnter of the community...however after the Russian revolution and the anti-religious sentiments of the Communist Party began to be expressed it was steadily attacked and seized by the state... Eventually it was leased back to the Baha'is for their use..Later it was a gallery and eventually it was destroyed in an earthquake. The worst oppression of the Communist state under Stalin exiled some Baha'is to Siberia and some were returned to Iran. Read the details:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá'í_Faith_in_Turkmenistan

A computerized picture of the Temple follows:

upload_2016-8-30_23-56-17-png.14256
 
The Baha'i House of Worship in Frankfurt has it's own story!

Since 1964, a house of worship for people of all faiths and worldviews has been located in Hofheim-Langenhain. Here, a dome with 570 rhombic windows rises up in the middle of a maintained park with myriad roses.


The building, which has been included among the Hessen cultural monuments since 1987, is embedded in the landscape of front Taunus. From here, you can see northern Frankfurt, the Feldberg and even Mainz on a clear day. Exterior walls made almost completely of glass, nine entryways and unique construction allude architectonically to the openness of the latest world religion.


You will find more information at: www.bahai.de

4739214e75.jpg
 
arthra said:
The next House of Worship was in Wilmette Illinois and is still standing today... It was dedicated by Abdul-Baha on His trip to the United States in 1912 and completed some forty years later...You can see what is currently offered there at

https://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple/

An aerial view of the House of Worship:



A complete history of the Wilmette House of Worship follows:

https://www.bahai.us/temple-history-and-architecture/
Click to expand...

Still one of the best places I've visited in all of Chicagoland.
 
arthra said:
The next House of Worship was in Wilmette Illinois and is still standing today... It was dedicated by Abdul-Baha on His trip to the United States in 1912 and completed some forty years later...You can see what is currently offered there at

https://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple/
Click to expand...

A Persian Baha'i (who isn't identified?) wrote about the importance of the first stone. A Baha'i heard or read this and immediately went out to find the first stone. Once she found it, it was said to be "no good for building". She accepted it anyway. Apparently getting it to the site of the temple back then was quite troublesome! It's funny picturing her loading it onto a streetcar. Haha!

"The story of the dedication stone is interesting in its own right. When the Temple had been first proposed in 1903, a Persian Bahá’í, had sent a letter to the American Bahá’ís saying that “the glory and honor of the first stone is equivalent to all the stones and implements which will later be used there.” This excited Nettie (Esther) Tobin, a loving, humble woman who earned a meager living as a seamstress. Praying that God would send her something she could offer as a gift, she went to a nearby construction site, told the foreman about the Temple, and asked if she could have an inexpensive building stone. The foreman liked her story and showed her a pile of broken limestone blocks that were no good for building and said she could take one. With the help of a neighbor, she wrapped her stone in a piece of carpet, tied on a clothesline and dragged it home. To get the stone to the Temple site, it was carried by hand on two different streetcars, dragged on the ground, and carried in a wheelbarrow. One of the streetcar conductors was not thrilled to have a rock on board, but finally allowed them to put it on the back platform. The last six blocks from the closest streetcar station were the most difficult. At first, Nettie, her brother Leo Leadroot, and Mirza Mazlum, an elderly Persian Bahá’í neighbor, tried to carry the stone, but after three blocks, they were exhausted. Corrine True and Cecelia Harrison had been waiting at the Temple site for them and finally went to look for them. Mirza Mazlum had three women put the stone on his and he managed to stagger another half block before coming to the end of his endurance. The stone was left there overnight. Nettie came back the next morning with a homemade cart. Trying to load the stone into the cart by herself, she managed to break the handle of the cart and injured her wrist. A helpful fellow repaired her cart and helped her load the stone into it. With two blocks to go, Nettie managed to persuade the newsboy to help her get the cart to the western corner of the Temple land and onto the site, where the cart promptly collapsed into pieces. There, the stone stayed. People in other parts of the world, including ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, sent stones for the Temple, but none ever arrived. So, on the day He broke the ground, only Nettie Tobin’s contribution of the “stone which the builders refused” would be available to serve as the marker dedicated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá".
(Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 114-115)
​
 
The cornerstone for the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois was brought to the site by Nettie Tobin and accepted in 1912 by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during his only visit to the United States and Canada. Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1953, with a delay of several years during the Great Depression and World War II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá'í_House_of_Worship

May 1, 1912

Baha'i Temple Grounds Wilmette

“AFTER the talk ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, followed by His audience, left the tent and requested that Nettie Tobin’s stone be brought to Him. The stone had been lying several feet northwest of the tent and had probably been pointed out to Him by Corinne True earlier. He walked back and forth on the property and, after asking where the center of the land would be, turned to someone who showed Him the approximate point. As the stone was being carried to where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood, Irene Holmes of New York stepped forward and handed Him a leather case. Inside was a golden trowel she had hoped would be used for laying a cornerstone within the foundation of the building. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tried to use the trowel to dig a resting place for the dedication stone, but it was too dull to cut through the spring grass. He placed the trowel in its case and asked for more practical tools. When it was discovered that plans had not been made to have such tools available, one of the young men ran to a nearby house to borrow an ax. “Like an athlete” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took it and “swung it high in the air.”

http://centenary.bahai.us/photo/abdul-baha-dedicates-cornerstone-bahai-temple
 
The Baha'i House of Worship in Uganda has it's own story...

"The design of the Mother Temple of Africa harmonizes closely with the landscape. In its profile the Temple resembles the shape of a traditional African hut. Its flaring eaves create a circular porch on the lowest exterior level of the building, providing protection from the seasonal extremes of weather chill winds, driving rains, dust, and high heat common to the area. The original design had no doors or walls on the veranda level; without these barriers, the distinction between the inside and outside of the Temple would have been blurred, extending the area of sacred space."

See:

http://www.bahai.ug/thebahaihouseofworship.html

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Later this month we'll be having the dedication of the Baha'i House of Worship in Santiago Chile... It will be possible to see the dedication online:

Schedule for the dedication of the House of Worship in Santiago, Chile:

All events listed below, which will take place between 13 and 16 October 2016, will be broadcast live on the following website for the House of Worship in Chile:

http://dedicacion.templo.bahai.cl.

The public dedication ceremony on Thursday, 13 October 2016, will also be broadcast on the Bahá’í World News Service at

http://news.bahai.org.

The audio feed will be available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese

https://app.box.com/s/iadjtelwko338vgmwk9o9qx9cmbvdvaf
 
Design for a local House of Worship in Columbia:

Colombian-House-of-Worship-864x646.jpg


The design for the local Baha’i House of Worship to be built in the Norte del Cauca region of Colombia was unveiled on Sunday 14 September to an audience of 500 people from the region and other visitors.

The Baha’i World News Service explained that a small team from the Colombian architectural firm, CUNA, presented the approved plans, and Eduard Lopez, one of the architects working on the project, described the process by which the team developed the design for the Temple:

“Mr. Lopez explained that its members spent many hours, over the course of months, visiting different communities and groups in Norte del Cauca, listening to their ideas and thoughts about the House of Worship, coming to understand their aspirations, and participating in their community-building activities.”

Read the full article about the unveiling of the design of the House of Worship in Colombia from the Baha’i World News Service website: news.bahai.org/story/1020
The local Baha’i House of Worship in Colombia is one of seven Baha’i Houses of Worship to be built in the upcoming years as announced by the Universal House of Justice in their 2012 Ridvan Message. (Others to be built are in Papua New Guinea, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cambodia, India, Kenya, and Vanuatu.)
 
12 October 2016

SANTIAGO — Siamak Hariri is visibly moved as he surveys the Baha'i House of Worship here that has taken his Toronto-based architectural team, and hundreds of other contributors from all around the world, some 14 years to bring to completion.

"You have a sense of what it will be because you've been so intimately involved in every detail," he says, "but it's so much more than our imaginations could have predicted."

The architect has returned to Santiago to see the building for the first time in its finished state and is clearly delighted by the results which he says could not have been foreseen, despite the years of highly detailed design and preparation.
 
The Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi known as the "Lotus Temple" is one of the first public sites in New Delhi to use solar power...

"The temple, which utilises around 500 kilowatt of power in total, generates 120 KW on its own. Besides, it is the first major public site in Delhi to have installed a “net metre”. This has made the temple the first in the city to be a part of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (DERC) “Net Metering” regulations...."

bahaitemplelotus.jpg


http://ohindore.com/indore-latest/bahai-house-of-worship-lotus-temple-is-on-solar-energy-now/
 

It seems the newly inaugerated House of Worship in Santiago, Chile is attract interest...

Temple for South America awakens sense of the sacred

6 December 2016

SANTIAGO — As growing numbers of people discover the newly inaugurated Baha'i House of Worship in Santiago, Chile, many are rediscovering a sense of the sacred as they are enfolded in the Temple's glass and marble wings.

The Temple has had over 25,000 visitors since its inauguration in October. Whether from Santiago or further afield, they are drawn to the House of Worship for a variety of reasons. Some are keen to see the building that has won international praise for its architecture. Others, curious about a Temple inspired by a Faith about which they may have little awareness, come to learn more. And yet others arrive searching for a sense of sacredness that is lost in today's world.

"We had expected large numbers of visitors but have been surprised by just how many have come in the first month alone," explained Jenny Perez, a representative of the Chilean Baha'i community.

With this large wave of visitors, a relationship is forming between the city and the Temple, perched on the foothills of the Andes mountain range, overlooking it. Those who arrive find not only a beautiful space for contemplation and prayer, open to all, but also a place from which to draw inspiration and reconnect to a higher purpose.

Complete article:

http://news.bahai.org/story/1141?ut...wns/rss+(Bahá’í+World+News+Service+Headlines)
 
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