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Shrine of the Báb

Shrine of the Báb

William Sutherland Maxwell

Photo: This picture has been taken, uploaded and the copyright owned by Tom Habibi, but · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location
Haifa, Israel
Client / Owner
Abdu'l-Bahá
Year
Completed 1953
Access
Public
Typology
Spiritual
Style
—

The Shrine of the Báb stands on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Haifa. The remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith, were buried there on March 21, 1909, in a six-room mausoleum planned by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. Three rooms were added in 1929. The Canadian architect William Sutherland Maxwell designed the superstructure under the guidance of Shoghi Effendi. It was completed in 1953 and funded by Baháʼís worldwide.

The design blends Eastern and Western proportions. An octagonal main body carries a cylindrical drum and a golden dome with about 12,000 fish-scale tiles. A colonnade of Baveno rose granite and arches of Chiampo stone surround it. Nineteen garden terraces stretch about 0.6 miles (1 km).

UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site on July 8, 2008. A restoration ran from 2008 to April 2011, with replacement tiles made in Portugal. No ceremonies are held, and it is a place for quiet prayer.

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