The Baha'i House of Worthip in Australia

The Australian House of Worship is a place of prayer and meditation that is open to people of all beliefs. Bahá’ís belief in the oneness of God, the oneness of His Messengers and the oneness of humanity. Located in the beautiful hills and bush land above the northern beaches of Sydney, it is one of seven Baha’i Temples throughout the world. Each House of Worship is designed to be distinctive, the unifying factor being that all are nine-sided – a symbol of the unity of the world religions. Like all Baha’i Houses of Worship, the Australian House of Worship is intended to become a future hub for social, scientific, educational and humanitarian services.

It is open to the public from 9 am to 5 pm every day of the year, and to 7 pm in summer months. A public service is held every Sunday at 11 am. It is located at 173 Mona Vale Road, Ingleside, near Sydney's northern beaches. The grounds cover approximately nine Acres. The site is the highest point in the area and the House of Worship is often used by aircraft and ships for navigational purposes.

Construction of the Baha'i House of Worship began in April 1957. It took more than four years to complete, at an approximate cost of 150,000 pounds. The money to build the Temple was donated by Baha’is. It was formally dedicated and opened to the public on 17 September 1961. The architect was John Brogan of Sydney. As with all Baha’i Temples, it has nine sides and nine entrances, symbolically representing the Baha’i belief in the unity of the human race under the one God, and the essential unity of the world religions. Construction techniques never before employed in Australia were used for this House of Worship. A helicopter was used to place the prefabricated lantern structure atop the completed dome, the first time such a technique was used in Australia. It attracted extensive media coverage.

On completion of the main structure and dome, a plate bearing an inscription in Arabic, meaning "O Glory of the All Glorious", was hoisted into position in the centre of the dome inside the auditorium. Today this magnificent edifice, standing some 38 metres in height, with a diameter of around 30 metres, has become a highly visible landmark on Sydney's northern beaches.

Baha'i House of Worship in Uganda

This unique and beautiful building, situated on the crest of Kikaya Hill, four miles from the center of Kampala on Gayaza Road, was started in May 1957 and opened to the public on January 15, 1961.

The building is 124 feet high, and its dome is 44 feet in diameter. It has a seating capacity for 800 people. From its circular verandah entry to the House of Worship can be made from any of its nine doors.

The green dome is made of tiny glazed mosaic tiles from Italy, while the lower roof tiles are from Belgium. The other walls are of precast stone quarried in Uganda. From Britain came the reinforcing steel and window frames and fittings. Germany supplied the colored glass. All the timber used for the doors and benches is from Uganda forests. The exquisite carpeting is of Persian make.

The Baha’i House of Worship is the central edifice of what will eventually be a group of buildings dedicated to the social, humanitarian, educational, scientific, as well as the spiritual aspects of Bahá’í community life. People of all faiths are welcome to use this Temple for prayer and meditation at any time.

Regular services are conducted which consists solely of reading singing and chanting of the Word of God from the Holy Scripture of the world’s great religions.

The Baha'i House of Worship in Germany

The House of Worship in Hofheim-Langenhain in Germany is the first of its kind in Europe, was inaugurated on July 4th, 1964. In her dedication address, Ruhiyyih Khanum, widow of Shoghi Effendi, said: This building is dedicated to the three fundamental truths of the Baha’I Religion: the oneness of God, the oneness of His Messengers and the oneness of mankind. Its doors are open to individuals of all religious persuasions, to all races, all ethnic groups, and all social classes. Within its walls will be heard not only prayers and scripture of our own religion, but also those of other great revealed religions of the world. We believe that these Holy Writings represent the treasure houses of the eternal basic truths, which God has revealed at different times for the guidance, and salvation of the entire human race.

The Faith of Baha’u’llah has no clergy. Baha’is believe it is the responsibility of each individual to conduct his or her own personal search for truth based on the immediate, unadulterated and unobscured Word of God. Consequently, in the House of Worship reading and chanting of Holy Scriptures from the world’s revealed religions is free of interpretation or elaboration through additional text or commentary.

Shoghi Effendi gave instructions in 1953 to build the first European House of Worship near Frankfurt am Main. A decisive factor in the choice of the location was this city’s central location with respect to both Germany and Europe as a whole.

A competition to design the House of Worship had already taken place in 1954. Following careful scrutiny of all proposals submitted by the nineteen participating architects, the design by a young Frankfurt based architect named Teuto Rocholl was selected.

The basic requirements for the structure of a House of Worship had been formulated by ‘Abdu’l Baha…….The Mashriqu’l Adhkar, which is to be erected over a central floor plan, …must have nine sides, doors, fountains, paths, gateways, columns and gardens, with the ground floor, galleries and domes, and in design and construction it must be beautiful…

The House of Worship was built using a steel concrete skeletal (exposed concrete) construction. The reconstructed steel concrete ribs were assembled on site and fixed in place with poured steel concrete rings brought into place at the lower and upper extremities of the ribs.

After three and a half years of construction, Europe’s first Baha’I House of Worship was dedicated in July 1964.

In 1987, the House of worship was declared a cultural monument by the State of Hesse (i.e. the State incorporating the City of Frankfurt and its environs).

In November 2006, I visited the Baha’i House of Worship in Germany and I enjoyed the spiritual atmosphere and I read a prayer for unity.

The Covenant of Baha’u’llah

Abdu’l-Baha mentioned about the power of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah that

“Know this for a certainty that today, the penetrative power in the arteries of the world of humanity is the power of the Covenant. The body of the world will not be moved through any power except through the power of the Covenant. There is no other power like unto this. This Spirit of the Covenant is the real Center of love and is reflecting its rays to all parts of the globe, which are resuscitating and regenerating man and illuminating the path to the Divine Kingdom."

House of Worship restoration necessitates partial closing

To enable further restoration of the Baha'i House of Worship and begin construction of the new Visitors Center, the lower level of the House of Worship, which currently houses the Visitors Center and bookstore, will be closed to the public for approximately one year, from May 19, 2008, to May 2009.

The auditorium (prayer hall), on the upper level of the House of Worship, will remain open for prayers and meditation. The elevator to the auditorium will not be available so access to the auditorium will be by stairs only during this period. The gardens are wheelchair accessible.

Guides will continue to offer tours of the temple, and restrooms will be available. During the partial closing, visitors will enter the temple from the corner of Linden Avenue and Sheridan Road, walking along the reflecting pool before ascending the stairs to the auditorium.

There will be a limited number of spaces in the House of Worship parking lot to the west of the building. Parking on nearby streets also will be available.

The Baha'i House of Worship - Chicago Tribune - March 27,2008

Even if you're completely broke, you can always enjoy the view from this village's lakefront parks.

Baha'i House of Worship

100 Linden Avenue, Wilmette;

One of the most arresting pieces of architecture in the Chicago area is the nine-sided, domed Baha'i temple, one of only seven in the world.

Free and open to the public every day of the year; the temple has an informative visitor's center and the awe-inspiring Auditorium.

Mashriq Aladkhar

Mashriq Aladkhar - مشرق الاذكار

Mashriq Aladkhar is an Arabic phrase meaning Dawning Point of God's Remembrance.


“Blessed is he who, at the hour of dawn, centering his thoughts on God, occupied with His remembrance, and supplicating His forgiveness, directeth his steps to the Mashriqu’l Adhkar and, entering therein, seateth himself in silence to listen to the verses of God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the All Praised. Say: The Mashirqu’l Adhkar is each and every building which hath been erected in cities and villages for the celebration of My praise. Such is the name by which it hath been designated before the throne of glory, were ye of those who understand. They who recite the verses of the All Merciful in the most melodious of tones will perceive in them that with which the sovereignty of earth and heaven can never be compared. From them they will inhale the divine fragrance of My worlds-worlds which today none can discern save those who have been endowed with vision through this sublime, this beauteous Revelation. Say: These verses draw hearts that are pure unto those spiritual worlds that can neither be expressed in words nor intimated by allusion. Blessed be those who hearken.”

Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab Alaqdas P 115-116 Translation from Arabic

طوبى لمن توجّه الى مشرق الاذكار في الاسحار ذاكراً متذكّراً مستغفراً واذا دخل يقعد صامتا لاصغآء ايات الله الملك العزيز الحميد.قل مشرق الاذكار انّه كلّ بيت بني لذكري في المدن والقرى كذلك سمّي لدى العرش ان انتم من العارفين. والذين يتلون آيات الرحمن باحسن الالحان اولئك يدركون منها مالايعادله ملكوت ملك السموات والارضين. وبها يجدون عرف عوالمي التى لايعرفها اليوم الا من اوتي البصر من هذا المنظر الكريم. قل انها تجذب القلوب الصافية الى العوالم الروحانية التي لاتعبر بالعبارة ولا تشار بالاشارة طوبى للسامعين

حضرة بهاء الله – كتاب الاقدس – فقرة 115/116 - ص68


“O people of the world! Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions. Make them as perfect as is possible in the world of being, and adorn them with that which befitteth them, not with images and effigies. Then with radiance and joy, celebrate therein the praise of your Lord, the Most Compassionate. Verily, by His remembrance the eye is cheered and the heart is filled with light."

Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab Alaqdas p. 29 Translation from Arabic

يا ملأ الانشآء عمّروا بيوتاً باكمل ما يمكن في الامكان باسم مالك الاديان في البلدان وزيّنوها بما ينبغي لها لا بالصّور والامثال. ثمّ اذكروا فيها ربّكم الرّحمن بالرّوح والرّيحان الا بذكره تستنير الصّدور وتقرّ الابصار

حضرة بهاء الله – كتاب الاقدس -فقرة31 – ص19

Baha'u'llah - The Glory of God

Baha'u'llah - The Glory of God

The Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith

"I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow."

Baha'u'llah

For Baha'is of Jewish background, He is the appearance of the promised "Lord of Hosts" come down "with ten thousands of saints."

For Baha'is of Buddhist background, He fulfils the prophecies for the coming of "a Buddha named Maitreye, the Buddha of universal fellowship" who will, according to Buddhist traditions, bring peace and enlightement to all humanity.

For Baha'is of Hindu background, He comes as the new incarnation of Krishna, the "Tenth Avatar" and the "Most Great Spirit". He is "the birthless, the deathless" the One who, "when goodness grows weak" returns "in every age" to "establish righteousness" as promised in the Bhagaved'Gita.

For Baha'is of Islamic background, He fulfils the promise of the Qur'an for the "Day of God" and the "Great Announcement" when "God" will come down "overshadowed with clouds."

For Baha'is of christian bachground, He fulfils the paradoxical promises of Christ's return "in the Glory of the Father" and as "a thief in the night."

مشرق الأذكار البهائي - The Baha'i House of Worship in the USA

مشرق الأذكار البهائي

بولميت إلينويز

ان مشرق الأذكار بولميت هو أحد سبعة مشارق أذكار موجودة في أنحاء العالم الآن .وهي ترمز إلى الأتحاد والدعاء إلى الله
ينفرد كل مشرق أذكار بطابعه المعماري الخاص إلا انهم جميعا يشتركون بوجود حدائق تلتف حول المبنى المكون من تسعة جوانب تحمل قبة هائلة كرمز للتعبير عن وحدة البشر وووحدة الأديان تحت مظلة الخالق
تم افتتاح مشرق الأذكار عام 1953م بعد أن استغرق بنائه أكثر من ثلاثين عاماً
تواريخ هامة
وضع حجر الأساس 1912م
بداية عملية البناء 1921
افتتاح مشرق الأذكار 1953
السعة داخل قاعة الدعاء 1.192 مقعد
الأبعاد :الارتفاع 138قدم (42 متر
قطر القبة 90 قدم (27.5 متر

ترحب مشارق الاذكار بالجميع، فهى مفتوحة للبهائيين ولغير البهائيين، جميع الاجناس والاعراق والديانات والعقائد مرحب بهم للدخول الى مشرق الاذكار والدعاء الى الله الواحد الاحد. كما تتلى فيها الآيات من الكتب المقدسة البهائية والكتب المقدسة لدى الديانات الاخرى ايضا كالمسيحية واليهودية والإسلام وغيرها.

وبذلك تكون مشارق الاذكار تعبيرا واضحا عن مبادئ الديانة البهائية، وهى
وحدانية الله، وحدة اصل الاديان ، وحدة الجنس البشري، والوحدة مع التنوع والتعدد

وبالاضافة الى مبنى مشرق الاذكار ، تلحق به ايضا ابنية او مؤسسات فرعية توفر الخدمات الاجتماعية والتعليمية والعلمية وهى :
مدرسة للايتام
مستشفى
صيدلية
دار للمسنين
جامعة للعلوم والاداب
دار ضيافة
مراكز ابحاث
وغيرها

The Bahá'í House of Worship

Wilmette, Illinois

One of only seven Bahá'í temples in the world at present, this unique structure stands for unity and invites prayer to God. While each temple has its own distinctive design, they all conform to a consistent theme: an area of gardens encircles a nine-sided structure covered by a single, majestic dome (symbolizing the unity of all people and religions under God). The House of Worship in Wilmette was dedicated in 1953 after more than 30 years of construction. French-Canadian architect Louis Bourgeois labored for 8 years to arrive at an appropriate design for such a lofty purpose.

A Single, Sacred Space

The building and gardens form a single, sacred space where all people are invited to pray to God and meditate in an atmosphere of beauty and light. The Bahá'í Faith recognizes the value of beauty. The Word of God revealed in every age is both beautiful and practical – creating a vision for the renewal of civilization.

Significant Dates
Cornerstone laid 1912
Building construction began 1921
Building completed, dedication 1953

Capacity

Seating in the auditorium 1,192

Dimensions
Height of auditorium interior 42 metersDiameter of dome 27.5 meters