Bahá’í World/Volume 29/Mount Carmel Projects, Progress 2000-01
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MOUNT
CARMEL PROJECTS
Progress 2000—01
n May 1990, concentrated construction efforts began on the
Bahá’í projects on Mount Carmel, cultivating seeds that were planted in the late nineteenth century, when Baha’u’llah Visited Mount Carmel during his imprisonment in the Ottoman penal colony of Acre. He pointed out to His son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the spot where the Shrine of the Bab, the spiritual and physical centerpiece of the Bahá’í properties on the mountain, was to be built. The most recent work is an elaboration of the proj ects initiated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and carried on by Shoghi Effendi. This effort has been undertaken not only to preserve and beautify the Bahá’í holy places, but also to provide a series of buildings to serve as the administrative heart of the Bahá’í Faith.
Before his passing in 1957, Shoghi Effendi oversaw the completion of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab, and it was his direction that led to the building of the International Bahá’í Archives, the first of a “far-flung Arc of administrative buildings.” The second of these, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, was finished in 1983. The Centre for the Study of the Texts and
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The International Teaching Centre Building, completed in 2000.
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the International Teaching Centre Building, completed in 1999 and 2000, are the most recent additions to the Are. The current projects on Mount Carmel are now in their final year, with the public inauguration of the 19 terraces of the Shrine of the Báb set for May 2001.
The International Teaching Centre Building Completion of the International Teaching Centre Building represented the last element in the current projects on the Are. The final stages of work focused on finishing the four—hundred-seat auditorium, installing state-of—the-art audio-Visual equipment, and finishing the library and the meeting chamber of the International Counsellors. As the building’s interior reached completion, crews began landscaping patios inside the building and planting grass on the external slopes.
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An aerial view of the buildings on the Arc at the Bahá’í' World Centre on Mount Carmel.
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A view of the lower terraces at dusk.
The Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre occupied the building on 6 October 2000, and later that month a reception was held in the new building to officially mark the move of that institution, “which is specifically invested with the twin functions of the protection and propagation of the Cause of God.”1 Guests included the Hands of the Cause of God ‘Ali-Akbar Fun’itan and ‘Ali Muhammad Varqa, members of the Universal House of Justice, and Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre. Later, during the second week of January 2001, nearly one thousand members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors and their Auxiliaries from around the world participated in the formal inauguration of the building.2
The Terraces Of the Shrine of the Bab
With the completion of most of the basic architectural features such as balustrades, fountains, and ornaments 0n the terraces above the Shrine of the Bab, efforts during 2000—01 centered on landscaping the inner and outer areas of the gardens. The terraces below the Shrine, largely completed, received final touches in preparation for their public inauguration.
' Letter of the Universal House of Justice, 31 August 1987. 3 For an account Ofthis conference, see pp. 4148.
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A viewffom the ' eighth terrace of the Shrine of the Báb and the surrounding gardens,
April 2001.
Lighting plays an important role in the architectural scheme of the terraces surrounding the Shrine. The illumination not only enhances the appearance of the Shrine and gardens, but also serves as a reminder of the Bab’s suffering during His incarceration in prison fortresses such as thhriq and Mah-Kfi, of which He wrote, “...In His presence, which is My presence, there is not at night even a lighted lamp!”3
Soon after Riclvan 2000, technicians began upgrading the lighting system of the Shrine, which is centralized in a computer program that controls the buildings on the Arc as well as the Shrine and Terraces. An automated dimmer system now controls all outer floodlights. A similar electrical upgrade was also carried out in the Monument Gardens, where floodlights for the monuments were installed.
Water is another prominent feature in the design of the Terraces. The entrance plaza on Ben Gurion Avenue features 14 cascading pools and an ornamental star—shaped fountain, with surrounding stone paving and planters filled with flowers that contrast vividly with the fountain’s white marble. Three large gates with double doors and four single gates, all worked in wrought iron, have been set in the wall around the perimeter of
3 The Bab, Seleetl'onsflom the Writings O_fthe Báb (Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1982), p. 87.
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the plaza, providing a grand faeade for the terraces leading to the Shrine of the Bab.
In June 2000, the Office of Public Information moved into the west wing of the structure below the eleventh terrace, midway up the mountain. The facility houses a Visitor information center for the reception of dignitaries and special Visitors, a l64-seat auditorium, and an exhibition room with displays about the history and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.
Bahjí Visitors’ Center Outside of Haifa, near Acre, work progessed on the Visitors’ center at Bahjí, which was designed in a style harmonious with that of the Shrine of Baha’u’llah and the Mansion of Bahjí. The building will accommodate pilgrims and other Visitors and was structurally complete by December 2000. Work also continued on the design for a monumental gate structure and courtyard leading to the Shrine of Baha’u’llah. The gate structure will be clad in stone, approximately five meters tall, with several arches, and two small, enclosed patios will lead to a formal, landscaped courtyard.
The ei‘ztrance plaza [0 the Terraces, fi‘om Ben Gurion Avenue in Haifa.
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By April 2001, the basic structure was completed, and work had commenced on stone cladding and landscaping.
Looking towards May 2001 As the projects near completion, public visits to the Shrine and gardens are on the rise, With estimates of a significant increase from the current 250,000 Visitors per year. To accommodate these Visitors, an automated booking system for walking tours of the Terraces will be instituted shortly after the public inauguration in May 2001.
Also planned for the Terraces’ opening is the publication of a book on the Shrine of the Báb and the surrounding terraced gardens, produced by the Haifa Tourist Board with the assistance of the Mount Carmel Projects Office. The text of the 144-page book offers an introduction to the Bahá’í Faith and describes the gardens’ design concepts. It is illustrated by nearly 150 color photographs of the Shrine and Terraces.
In addition, the Philatelic Service Department of the Israel Postal Authority, with the assistance of the Mount Carmel Projects Office, will issue a special nine-centimeter stamp to commemorate the completion of the Terraces.
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