Bahá’í World/Volume 3/The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR
(The "Dawning-Place of the Praise of God”)
Visible Embodiment of the Universality of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
FOREWORD
MANY discerning minds have testified to the profoundly significant change which has taken place during recent years in the character of popular religious thinking. Religion has developed an entirely new emphasis, more especially for the layman, quite independent of the older sectarian divisions.
Instead of considering that religion is a matter of turning toward an abstract creed, the average religionist today is concerned with the practical applications of religion to the problems of human life. Religion, in brief, after having apparently lost its influence in terms of theology, has been restored more powerfully than ever as a spirit of brotherhood, an impulse toward unity, and an ideal making for a more enlightened civilization throughout the world.
Against this background, the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár stands revealed as the supreme expression of all those modern religious tendencies animated by social ideals which do not repudiate the reality of spiritual experience but seek to transform it into a dynamic striving for unity. The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, when clearly understood, gives the world its most potent agency for applying mystical vision or idealistic aspiration to the service of humanity. It makes visible and concrete those deeper meanings and wider possibilities of religion which could not be realized until the dawn of this universal age.
The term “ Mashriqu’l-Adhkár” means, literally, “Dawning-place of the praise of God.”
To appreciate the significance of this Bahá’í institution, we must lay aside all customary ideas of the churches and cathedrals of the past. The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár fulfills the original intention of religion in each dispensation, before that intention had become altered and veiled by human invention and belief.
In its completed form, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár consists of a Temple standing in the center of five accessory buildings, the entire group surrounded by landscaped gardens designed in the pattern of nine which gives the Temple its dominant note.
The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár to be erected onthe shore of Lake Michigan in the heart of North America, with its foundation already laid at Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, was designed by Mr. Louis Bourgeois. In the original conception, and throughout the myriad details of the mighty structure, a new inspiration is revealed which suggests an architectural order harmonizing and blending the styles developed separately in the East and in the West. Its symmetry and organic form derives from the number nine, the number of fulfillment associated with the term “Bahá.” Thus the Temple has nine doors, nine sides on the first story, and nine facets on the towering dome.
The surfaces both without and within
are to carry an intricate scheme of decorative
carving in which Mr. Bourgeois has
translated into mural art the profound
significance of ancient religious symbolism
and the cosmic pattern created by the orbits
of astronomical bodies sweeping through
space. The full story of this architectural
glory, pregnant with scientific truth yet at
the same time as joyously spontaneous in
its total effect as a fruitful tree in the sun,
must be told at a later time. The purpose
of the present brief sketch is confined to an
explanation of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
as an institution bringing religion nearer
than[Page 141]
ever before into the
structural life of society.
The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is a channel releasing Spiritual powers for social regeneration because it fills a different function than that assumed by the sectarian church. Its essential purpose is to provide a community meeting-place for all who are seeking to worship God, and achieves this purpose by interposing no man-made veils between the Worshiper and the Supreme. Thus, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is freely open to people of all Faiths on equal terms, expressing in this the universality of Bahá’u’lláh who affirmed the oneness of all the Prophets. Moreover, since the Bahá’í Faith has no professional clergy, the worshipper entering the Temple hears no sermon and takes part in no ritual the psychic effect of which is to establish a separate group consciousness. Not even music—only the reading of the text of the Holy Books—will condition the experience of free worship and meditation in this edifice dedicated to the unity of mankind.
Integral with the Temple are its accessory buildings, without which the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár would not be a complete social institution. These buildings are to be devoted to such activities as a school for science, a hospice, a hospital, an asylum for orphans. Here the circle of spiritual experience at last joins, as prayer and worship are allied directly to creative service, eliminating the static subjective elements from religion and laying a foundation for a new and higher type of human association.
The establishment of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in the community will effect a permanent revolution in its psychology and collective action. Where religion has sanctioned division and difference, the Bahá’í institution sanctions unity, fellowship, cooperation. Like a healing element, it will remove the physical and mental reasons for religious, racial and class prejudice, and uphold a divine standard of reality embracing every member of the community. What has been true and effective in the life of the churches—the educational effect of noble sermons and the esthetic inspiration of beautiful service—will be restored to the creative arts, sciences and crafts, raising all human action and experience to a higher plane by concentrating the force of religion upon the single function of awakening the soul by the power of the Word of God.
A special significance will always be connected with the first Bahá’í Temple to be erected in America, through the fact that its building fund has received contributions from members of this Faith in all parts of the world. Its spiritual sources, like the roots of a majestic tree, penetrate far outside the local community of Wilmette, outside North America, deriving sustenance from the entire fellowship of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh,—Muslim, Jew, Zoroastrian, Hindu and Buddhist, as well as Christian. An inestimable force of self—sacrificing faith has entered into the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, flowing into America from Europe, Asia and Africa as if imploring for that day when the American people, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá so clearly foretold, shall firmly establish the true World Peace.-—HORACE HOLLEY.
THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR IN AMERICA
HOW ARCHITECTURE IS EXPRESSING THE RENEWAL OF RELIGION
BY SHAHNAZ WAITE
IN approaching the great subject of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár one feels the inadequacy of human words or terms—so great is it, so mystical and holy, and yet so practical that it “rises above words and letters, and transcends the murmur of syllables and sounds.” In its isolated beauty, its deep spiritual significance, its mystical symbolism and its perfect reflection of a Divine Reality —it stands unique and alone in the world today. It is something which must be felt and realized in the heart. It cannot be comprehended by the mind alone.
Let us describe the Temple not by our own definition but rather in the words of prominent journalists and notables who have expressed themselves eloquently concerning it in our leading newspapers and magazines, therefore we will briefly review some of the Press notices which appeared at the time the model of this sacred edifice was exhibited in the Kevorkian Gallery, New York City, in the year 1921. The New York “Tribune” and “Sun” reproduced it in their rotogravure sections. The New York “American” gave it the major portion of its art page, with a long comment beginning with the words, “Many persons who have seen the model for this building say that it will be the most beautiful structure in the world. Some go so far as to say it will be the most beautiful structure ever erected.”
Sherwin Cody, writing a charming article in the magazine section of the New York “Times” said, "Americans will have to pause and study it long enough to find that an artist has wrought into this building the conception of a Religious League of Nations.”
The New York “World” gave the Temple a full page article. The “Evening Post” twice granted it most generous notice and appreciation. The magazines were equally impressed. The “Prompter” published a full page article with illustration. “Architecture,” one of the most sumptuous magazines of art and architecture in the country, devoted a page to comment and illustration of the model, reproducing among other appreciations the criticism of H. Van Buren Magonigle, President of the Architectural League, who said of the model, “It is the first new idea in architecture since the thirteenth century. I want to see it erected.”
The "Architectural Record,” one of the most esteemed of the architectural journals, gave great space to the Temple saying, “It is singularly beautiful; it is bristling with a charming symbolism in which is found the suggestion of all the religions of mankind, and to the psychologist it is startling because the creator frankly declares ‘it is Bahá’u’lláh’s Temple, I am only the channel through which it came.”
The “Underwood Press” sent out designs of the model and comments which appeared in practically every paper in the country, even the weekly papers of tiny villages printed reviews. The "Literary Digest” reproduced it with most favorable comment. “Art and Architecture” gave it an extended mention with beautiful reproduction, saying, among other things, “So beautiful is this model and so different from anything man has ever before designed, either as an abode, or as a place of worship, that it has caused much discussion among architects and sculptors and in the newspapers.”
The “Outlook” gave a reproduction of the completed Temple and sections of the beautiful dome with description.
The San Francisco “Chronicle,” the newspapers of St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia——all have published long articles commenting on the beauty of the architecture of the Bahá’í Temple in glowing terms.
In the “Christian Register” appeared an article under the caption, “A Wonderful
The first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the West, now being built at Wilmette, near Chicago, Illinois.
[Page 144]
House of Worship. Description of
the New Bahá’í Temple said to be the Greatest
Architectural Achievement of Modern Times.”
The writer comments first upon the religious
purpose of the Temple, enumerating
the Universal Principles which are the firm
foundation of the Bahá’í Movement. Most
appreciatively he dwells upon the exquisite,
original architectural details of the Temple,
and the historical attention given the Bahá’í
Movement in all encyclopedias, together
with the great central figures, the Báb,
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
“Wonderful as the architectural design of the Temple is,” says this same writer, “those most concerned in its erection, see in the universal service it will render to mankind its supreme importance. The Bahá’í Message is primarily a Message of Unity. It recognizes the divine elements which underlie all great world religions.”
In the Japan “Times and Mail,” Tokyo, February 16th, 1921, appeared the following: "Bahá’í Temple is Art Revelation. Modeled by Louis Bourgeois. Combines the Essence of all Schools. Marvel of Century Verdict of Experts. It is a Temple of Peace whose Portals will Welcome Members of all Creeds.
“A new creation of transcendent beauty has dawned upon the horizon of the architectural world. The model of the great Bahá’í Temple, now on exhibition at the Kevorkian Gallery, 57th St., New York, is being visited by increasing throngs and it has been an object of professional, artistic and general interest since its installment there in April of this year. Like many indeed most—of the great art productions, this has come from one who has endured struggle against discouraging deprivation and deferred hopes, but the universality of the praise bestowed upon the model finally evolved must bring the fullest degree of recompense for years of battling against depressing odds.
“Louis Jean Bourgeois, the architect and sculptor, is the designer of this marvelously beautiful model of a Temple, to be erected as a demonstration of the teachings and precepts of the Bahá’í Movement at Wilmette, Ill., on the shores of Lake Michigan, to occupy a central location in a beautiful tract of nine acres, already purchased, skirted by the Lincoln Highway.
“It is a Temple of Peace, whose broad portals of welcome and encouragement to devotees of any religion, and all religions, shall be always open. From a total of many different designs on exhibit at a recent Convention of Bahá’ís in New York, the Bourgeois model was the one accorded unanimous acceptance. Beside its spiritual appeal the famed beauties of the Taj Mahal grow strangely pale.
“It has been interesting to note the effect of this Twentieth Century creation upon those who have devoted a careful study to its indescribable loveliness. Professor Luigi Quaglino, ex-professor of Architecture of Turin, Italy, has been a recent visitor in New York. He visited the exhibit for a brief survey, but he remained fully three hours, and for two hours without speaking. His study resulted in the declaration, ‘This is a new creation which will revolutionize architecture in the world and it is the most beautiful I have ever seen. Without doubt it will have a lasting page in history. It is a revelation from an other world.’ ”
George Grey Barnard, the most widely known sculptor in America, declared by London critics the “greatest sculptor America has ever produced, and a famous archeologist,” pronounced it “the greatest creation since the Gothic period and the most beautiful he had ever seen.”
Mozo Samuel, one of the foremost writers on religious drama, the author of the play, “Esther,” said: “Prior to this time no architecture has made any deep impression upon me, but this Temple model has thrilled me and I desire to visit it again and again, and to be alone with this marvelous creation.”
Musicians, artists, poets and editors have fallen victim to the lure of its spiritual beauty, and masses of the lay public have been enthralled by its magnetism.
Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford, a Bahá’í
teacher, who spent much time at the Kevorkian
Gallery in New York and the Art
Institute in Chicago at the time the Temple
model was exhibited in these respective
places, writes of her experiences with the
Temple as follows:[Page 145]
“New York:
Since the Temple model has
been on exhibition at the Kevorkian Gallery,
its history has been very interesting.
The model has a distinctive personality; to
see it is like having an interview with a
holy and magnificent Personage. For instance,
one day the editor of a theatrical
magazine came in. He was something of a
scoffer, and had evidently heard unpleasant
things about the Bahá’í Movement. So he
began to criticize the Temple. ‘It is a
very pretty thing,’ he remarked in a superior
tone, ‘but it is over decorated; it will
be an absurdity in its full size.’ So the
caretaker of the Temple model very gently
began to show him the significance of the
decoration, how each line and curve was an
expression of a great thought or a noble
principle, so that all the spiritual traditions
and future aspirations of the human race
seemed embedded in this Temple. His face
changed and grew soft. His eyes began to
shine; then and there the Spirit penetrated
him and, though he came to stay five minutes,
he was in the heavenly presence two
hours and left it regretfully. Now he has
opened his magazine to articles on the Bahá’í
Movement.
“The colored people came in and sat quietly drinking in the lovely Presence, which makes realities of love, brotherhood, the immortal life and sympathy. No one leaves this Presence cold and critical, and no one can utter gossip or criticism or scandal within its lovely radiation. So one can imagine what the great Temple will be when it rears its stately head in the blue heaven and all men feel it.
“Chicago: The first week the Temple was on exhibition there at the Art Institute, thirty-four thousand people visited this magnificent gallery. They crowded around the glorious model spellbound. One woman said, ‘It is like our dreams of fairyland, its tracery is so ethereal.’ Architects exclaimed, ‘It is a marvel of engineering.’ An artist fresh from Paris stood before it perhaps an hour in growing wonder as though a light were kindling within him. As he walked away, awed as by a heavenly vision, he said, ‘It is the most beautiful building I have seen in all the world.’
“None of these people knew about the Bahá’í Cause. But, as one woman said, ‘Just to enter the Temple will bring the peace which passeth understanding.’ She went out of the room with a new light in her eyes as though she had looked into the unseen kingdom.
“Some stand before it for hours studying every detail. Then they ask: ‘What does it stand for? Tell us about it.”
Of his model, the architect has written: “The Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh unify the religions of the world into one universal religion, and as we know that all great historic religions developed a new architecture, so the Bahá’í Temple is the plastic symbol of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
“As the essence of the pure original teachings of the historic religions was the same (though they have grown apart because of additions which have resulted in dogmas and rituals—the real cause of separation) in the Bahá’í Temple is used a composite architecture, expressing the essence in the line of each of the great architectural styles, harmonizing them into one whole.” Their decorative motifs the architect omits, for to him they represent theological differences and dogmas. Instead, he has used for his decorative motif a mathematical combination of lines which permit him to harmonize all the great architectural styles into a harmonious whole. In the Bahá’í Temple is the essence of the Egyptian architecture, the Greek, the Roman, the Arabic, the Gothic, the Renaissance. Mathematical figures crown the Temple dome, representing the orbital curve of the planets around the sun.
Mr. Bourgeois then refers the reader to the article on the “Symbolism of the Bahá’í Temple,” by Mary Hanford Ford, which appeared in print some years ago when the model was on exhibit at the Art Institute in Chicago, from which we quote in part: “The great Bahá’í Temple, the construction of which has really begun in Chicago, will interest every one in the beauty of its symbolic story as soon as its walls rise into the air. The symbolism may be read, of course, with perfect clearness in the perfection of the Temple’s model, which is the completed Temple in miniature. We have been accustomed to declare in New York, ‘The Tem
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One of the Mr. Bourgeois’ detail drawings.
[Page 147]
ple model is a personality,
it talks,’ or, as some prefer to say,
‘it sings,’ but no one would apply to it
the term ‘frozen music’ because its
musical impression is so warm and vibrant
that it is impossible to think of
anything frozen in its presence.
“All who are familiar with the building of the Temple model through Louis Bourgeois, its architect, are aware that it is purely a work of inspiration. Louis Bourgeois is an architect of wide experience, culture and learning. He has been for years first an eager student of spiritual truths and then a follower of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. So he is naturally familiar with the religious symbology of mankind. But he did not create the remarkable symbolism of the Temple model. He recognized it with joy, after it appeared through his gifted fingers in the intricate and beautiful tracery of the Temple model’s ornamentation, or structural combinations. But he did not say, ‘Here I will put a triangle, there a circle, yonder a nine-pointed star.’ In each case there would have been merely an awkward juxtaposition of significant forms without beauty, for beauty—which the Temple model expresses in such entrancing degree—is the gift of God and comes only from God.
“The structure of the Temple is such that at night all of its surface will be a blaze of light. Its decorations are cut completely through* the structural material, which is to be lined with transparent glass, so that at night each column and buttress ornament, as well as the stars and crosses and the ‘milky way’ of the dome, will shine forth like an embroidery upon the darkness.
“The nine ribs joined above the surface of the dome are ‘like hands clasped in prayer,’ Bourgeois says, and in the space between their union and the rounded top of the dome proper will shine a great electric light, sending forth nine rays into the darkness of the night, and forming a glorious illumined climax to the beautiful nonagon structure. So the Temple will be veritably a temple of light in this day of resurrection, of brotherhood, and new civilization.”
Let us consider the following words writ
* Only the dome will be so pierced; the decoration of the outside walls will not be cut through the material.—EDITOR
ten or spoken by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to different Bahá’ís at different times regarding the Temple’s deep inner significances, and what it represents to the World of humanity. At the time of its inception He wrote, “Now the day has arrived in which the edifice of God, the divine sanctuary, the spiritual temple, shall be erected in America.
“Its building is the most important of all things. This is the spiritual foundation; for that reason it is the most important of all foundations; from this spiritual foundation will come forth all manner of advancement and progress in the world of humanity, therefore how great is its import.”
To another Bahá’í ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote, “The Temple is the most great foundation of the world of humanity, and it has many branches. Although the Temple is the place of worship, with it is connected a hospital, pharmacy, pilgrim’s house, school for orphans and university for the study of higher sciences. Every Temple is connected with these five things. The Temple is not only a place of worship; nay, it is perfect in every way.
In view of these facts, the following Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have a profound meaning. He said, “In the Bahá’í Cause, arts, sciences and all crafts are considered as worship”; and “service is prayer.” We see from these glorious ideals for which the Temple stands that to enter it and worship and pray is not enough. Faith without deeds is dead. What one receives in moments of exaltation and heavenly inspiration within its sacred walls must be translated into actual service to the world of humanity, hence the material means of this service must surround this House of Worship, this "Holy of Holies” wherein the soul of man may be “recharged” with divine power from on high and go forth and prove his contact with the “Heavenly Beloved One” in deeds of love and helpfulness to His humanity, for our love of God is only in proportion as we love His creatures.
Further ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote,
“Today the establishment of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is of paramount importance. . . . It is an expression of the elevation of the Word of God. Particularly the arrangement of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is such that
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it will exert the greatest
effect upon the civilized world for it has
many accessories. Among them are the
following: a school for orphans, a college
for higher scientific education—(or higher
knowledge)—a hospital, a home for cripples,
a hospice.
“When the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár with its accessories, is established in the world, aside from its religious or spiritual influence, it will have a tremendous effect upon civilization. Aside from the religionists who will feel its influence, materialists will not be exempt therefrom. Moreover it contains divine wisdoms, spiritual effects upon the intellects and thoughts. Subsequent to its erection these will become evident.”
Regarding the contributions which have come in from all over the world, which have paid in full for the land and for the erection of the Foundation so far, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: "These contributions are most important. Notwithstanding the miserable condition of Persia, money has poured in and is still coming for this purpose, although many families are extremely poor, so that they have scarcely enough to keep themselves, nevertheless, they give towards it. For many years the West has contributed to the East, and now through the mercies and bounties of God a miracle has been performed and, for the first time in the history of the world, the East is contributing to the West.”
The East symbolizes the receptive, negative, spiritual and feminine aspect of Spirit, while the West symbolizes the positive, creative, mental and masculine aspect of Spirit. The East—the spiritual bride. The West the bridegroom of creative mental power. The East the heart—the West the mind, and only as heart and mind are united, each equally developed and in perfect harmony and balance, can the child of the new civilization come forth.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said: “Praise be to God; the Infinite Bounty of God hath resuscitated the whole world and the East and the West have become united with the bond of the summons of God. This is the teaching for the East and the West, therefore the East and the West will understand each other, and will reverence each other, and embrace like long parted lovers who have found each other.”
"From the inception of the world until now there have been no uniting bonds between Persia and America, and communication and correspondence never transpired between these two countries. Now consider what a joy and bliss have united these two regions in the shortest space of time. What a real and ideal tie hath bound them together. What spiritual communications have been revealed; and now is only the beginning of this early dawn. Soon will the star of unity shine forth and flood all the horizons with the Light, and perfect connection and real oneness be obtained in all regions of the earth.”
May not this great union be consummated in the building of the Divine Temple?
May this not be the mystery of the Temple? “Its mystery is great and cannot be unveiled yet,” said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. "In the future it will be made plain.” And may not those who kneel to pray in this divine sanctuary say with understanding hearts, “O God! Turn our faces toward the beauty of Thy oneness and gladden our bosoms with the signs of Thy divine unity. Adorn our bodies with the robe of Thy bounty and remove from our eyes the veil of sinfulness and give us the chalice of Thy grace; that the essence of all beings may sing Thy praise before the vision of Thy grandeur. Reveal then Thyself, O Lord! by Thy merciful utterance and the mystery of Thy divine being, that the holy ecstasy of prayer may fill our souls—a prayer that shall rise above words and letters, and transcend the murmur of syllables and sounds, that all things may be merged into nothingness before the revelation of Thy splendor."
THE BAHÁ’Í TEMPLE
BY MARY HANFORD FORD
"The day has arrived in which the edifice of God, the divine sanctuary, the spiritual temple, shall be erected in America.*** This is the spiritual foundation, for that reason it is the most important of all foundations; from that spiritual foundation will come forth all manner of advancement and progress in the world of humanity. Therefore, how great is its importance.”—‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
THE foundation of the first Bahá’í Temple in America, has, for some years, been laid at Wilmette, one of the populous suburbs of Chicago. The edifice will be of interest to the lover of art as it rises above the surface of the ground, for many reasons, first and most important of all, because it offers to the world a completely new form of religious architecture. The architect, Louis Bourgeois, realized this so vividly that he knew he could not present the conception of the structure through architectural drawings, as is customary, so he went to the trouble and expense of making a plaster model, such as can be exhibited in a room of ample proportions, and this model is in every respect a miniature replica of the projected temple.
The structure is to be built of an ivory white cement, a recent discovery, said to be more lasting than stone or marble, in which its different columns and sections will be cast. The entire surface of the dome and body of the temple are covered with an exquisite decorative tracery, which pierces the cement, rendering it a transparent lacework demanding a lining of glass to protect it from the weather."‘ This beautiful lining, however, will not be opaque to the light, and during the day the walls will be penetrated in every niche by sunshine, while at night the whole surface can be illumined and every beauty glorified by electricity. It will be a fairylike center of radiance to all its neighborhood.
The delightful decoration covering the exterior is full of religious symbolism, of which the architect was quite unconscious when he created it. He thought only of
* See footnote, page 147.—EDITOR.
beauty while it slipped through his fingers. So, as one stands anywhere and analyzes the interwoven tracery, one distinguishes, curiously mingled, all the religious symbols of the world. Here are crosses, circles, triangles, pyramids, and stars, and every variety of each. One untangles the Greek and Roman cross, the swastika, the five-, six—, seven—, eight-, and lastly the magnificent nine-pointed star, which today is the symbol of the essence; the serpent, the sun, the fire—everything which man has once used to suggest the Deity or infinity—is here clearly outlined. Over each door and window is a nine-pointed star carrying in its center the Arabic lettering most decoratively treated of the words, "Ya Bahá—’u’l-Abhá“ (O Thou Glory of Glories).
There is an ornamennt in the dome which appears also in the upper part of the columns and is unlike any other part of the decoration. It is a cycled succession of elongated circles, and Mr. Bourgeois says that in drawing the dome especially he would begin to think of the orbits of the planets and their whirling spaces, and then his fingers would create these wonderful lines as his thoughts roamed among the stars. Thus a new symbol has been added to those of the past, which might be called that of the unity of the heavens. Claude Bragdon says true architectural ornament is fourth dimensional, meaning that it is not invented by the architect but filters into his sensitive mind through the Cosmos. Veritable beauty can only arise in this fashion, since if it were constructed in the mentality of the creator to illustrate symbolism and mathematical relationships its results would be cold, calculating and without charm.
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In its comprehensive beauty
the Temple offers a brilliant denial of the
tradition of the past, according to which an
architect in designing a building must select
his style, Classic, Gothic, or whatever it
may be, and adhere to it throughout his plan, as any
mingling of types was considered barbarous
and inadmissible. Before the Bahá’í Temple
model was exhibited the skyscrapers had
appeared, the Gothic beauty of the Woolworth
Building was in existence, and an independent
business architecture was dawning in
the world for the first time in history. But
the great architectural centers, like McKim
& White, or Cram, Goodhue & Co., like
Richardson, and Burnham, of Chicago,
adhered to period and type, and believed
firmly that no deviations from architectural
style should be tolerated.
Thus all the important religious and public buildings of the country, like Trinity Church of Boston, St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew of New York, the public libraries, the Grand Central Station of New York, repeated faithfully the schools of architecture selected, and designers were convinced that beauty would disappear if any new ideas were permitted representation.
One can imagine the amazement of such architects when they studied the Bourgeois Temple, either in the home of the architect at West Englewood, N. J., or later as it was exhibited at the Kevorkian Gallery in New York, or at the Bahá’í Convention at the Engineer’s Building in New York, in 1920, and realized that here was created a structure in which all the conventions and traditions of the past were broken, and a new form of supreme beauty emerged.
The lower story of the Bahá’í Temple shows the most marked deviation from the past. Each facade of the nine sections is an inverted half circle. The doorway is in the center and the sides are guarded by odd and graceful columns, like nothing in previous architecture. The architect always said that these towers at the ends of the half circle were like arms extended in welcome to entice the passer-by to the interior. There is no doubt that this lower story has none of the austerity and solemnity which characterizes the religious architecture of former days. It has supreme grandeur and beauty but no severity.
One is reminded in something of its aspect and ornamentation of the Spanish Gothic or Moorish style, although analysis reveals no adherence to any type. One receives a suggestion of ancient Egypt in the columns, but no Egyptian temple has similar ones. The unique decoration around the doors has no ancestry anywhere.
The second story is entirely different and very gay. Its style is rather distinctly Renaissance in some respects, and its graceful line of windows might be severe were it not unexpectedly capped by a cornice with impertinent tip-tilted ends like the roof of a Chinese pagoda. Nothing could break more perfectly the law of tradition, nothing could be more beautiful, and one laughs on observing it with supreme satisfaction, as did most of the architects. A row of columns surround this story also, but they are purely ornamental and will bear electric torches. Five doors beneath the great windows open into the Temple and give access to the terrace, to which the visitor ascends through elevators in the lovely towers of the lower range. One feels that when the Temple is complete this terrace will become a thing of joy through fragrant flowers.
The third story is Romanesque in character and simple in decoration, since it is the support of the great dome to whose beauty it must be subordinated. This third story, however, has also its terrace, above which rises the magnificent glittering completion of the structure, which when it is finished must be recognized as the most lovely and perfect dome of all architectural construction. In the original design it is larger than the dome of St. Peter’s, but in the Chicago building it is somewhat lessened in size. The effect of the Temple as a whole is one of supreme grace and airy beauty. It rises gradually into the splendor of the dome which is so fully a part of the structure that the whole lower portion seems ascending into it, to find its evolutionary completion in its aerial beauty.
The Bahá’í teaching, like that of Christ,
which was so familiarly present in the early
Church, declares that the arrival of the Mes
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senger of God in the world signifies a new
power of the Holy Spirit, which is felt by
all mankind. is is manifested through
fresh progressive life in social conditions,
in science, invention and discovery, and the
creation of artistic forms not previously
known. So the architecture of the civilized
period records for us the light that has
crystallized into more novel forms at separate
intervals which we name as Persian,
Egyptian, Roman, Romanesque, etc. The
critics are not yet aware that a spiritual
force is manifested in this beautiful succession,
but in the case of Christianity one
can trace it directly to the source, as future
historians will do in the present day. Thus
we study temples, churches and cathedrals
for new types reflected from them to the
secular uses of architecture. Today for the
first time the skyscraper has blossomed into
new lines entirely independent of any religious
background.
We are all aware that two styles of architecture have risen under Christian influence, the Romanesque and Gothic. The Renaissance is, of course, an overhang from the Classic. In the other two one discovers the earliest Christian churches using a modified form of the ancient Roman basilica to which the architect added an apse and a crossing. This was before the real Gothic arose in the latter half of the 12th century, which enabled the 13th to bring us a perfect thing like the Sainte Chapelle, of Paris.
But before this achievement the low, dark arches of the Romanesque churches and cathedrals had occupied the field, impressing us like fortresses of a beleaguered faith, and not at all what one would expect to see as a result of glorious inspiration and the power of the Holy Spirit. However, the human mind gives queer twists to inspiration, and it is necessary to go back to the source sometimes to discover what beauty has become distorted, and how ideas are lost.
In this way Ravenna is a fruitful field for the searcher into early forms, because here one finds the first really great churches of the Christian era, the modified basilica, not yet Gothic, and the marvelous church of San Vitale, built about 550 after Christ, by Giuliano Argentario, whom we can truly name the first Christian architect. He was the architect also of the church of St. Sophia, in Constantinople, but San Vitale was the first and original one. This splendid edifice is so suggestive in many ways of the projected Bahá’í Temple that it is interesting to compare them, as each represents an essentially new form of architecture rising at the dawn of a new era. There is no outward connection between the two structures, as Louis Bourgeois never visited Ravenna and knew nothing about the church of San Vitale.
As a new form, San Vitale influenced all the architecture which followed it, and the Bourgeois Temple, as distinctly a new form for today, should have a similar effect upon rising architecture. In fact, this has already been perceptible, for since the exhibition of the Bahá’í Temple in New York and Chicago, the traditional restrictions of architecture have disappeared. Mr. Goodhue has created the Nebraska State House, erected at Lincoln, Nebraska, which breaks all precedents. The new Tribune Building, of Chicago, and the towered beauty of very recent New York are indications of the same tendency, and the attention given to light and color effect in many of these lofty structures is not an accident.
But the Bahá’í Temple is not only a spot of beauty such as has been described in the preceding pages; it is to be a universal center of religious and social service for the entire community in which it arises. The only temple of the sort previously erected is that of ‘Ishqábád, Russia, and when Lenin discovered how completely it was used and loved by the whole city he refused to persecute it, though he had threatened to destroy it.
The Temple building is to be a center of worship in which only worship shall be carried on, but it must be nonsectarian and universal. The building contains a great central auditorium in which the Bahá’í forms of prayer and praise will be used.
While the Temple itself will be set aside for worship alone, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá taught always that the beneficent results of worship must be evident in the outer life. Therefore every Bahá’í Temple should be sur
Aerial view of the grounds of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár at Wilmette, Illinois. The Mark “x” indicates the site of the Foundation.
- Photo by John D. Jones.
[Page 154]
rounded by a lovely garden in
which fountains play and flowers bloom, and the use
of which shall be free to all. Moreover,
every temple shall have from five to nine
accessory buildings maintained from its center,
in which the activities of life flowing
from religion are manifest. These buildings
must include a hospice or place of entertainment,
a hospital, a home for crippled children and
a college for the study of the
higher sciences, because true religion must
never be divorced from the search after
truth.
This plan reminds one somewhat of the huge monastic institutions of the past in which one finds the cathedral always a radiating hive of diversified activity. But such activity in the past was always distinctly sectarian, and the world has never seen an organized center for worship and universal service which has no sectarian bias. This will constitute the purely novel element in the creation of the Bahá’í Temple, and no one can term it chimerical or Utopian because such an institution has been in operation for ten years in the city of ‘Ishqábád so successfully that it survived the severe investigation of Lenin himself.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has uttered many pregnant words in regard to the erection of the Temple. It is fitting to close with a few of them. He says:
“The more the world aspires to civilization the more this important matter of cooperation and assistance becomes manifest. Therefore, in the world of humanity one sees this matter of helpfulness attain to a high degree of efficiency; so much so that the continuance of humanity entirely depends upon this inter-relation. The believers of God must especially fortify the foundation of this reality among themselves, so that all may help each other under all circumstances, whether in the degree of truth and significances or in the stations of this world of matter, and especially in founding public institutions which shall benefit all the people, and still more the founding of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (Bahá’í Temple) which is the greatest of the divine foundations. . . .
“The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of Chicago is of the greatest importance. This is a Bahá’í Temple, a supreme House of Worship, a place of spiritual gathering and of the manifestation of divine mysteries. . . . The importance of the [ Mashriqu’l-Adhkár cannot be confined within any measure or limit, because it is the first Divine Institution in that vast continent, and from this [Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, which is now in the process of construction (at Wilmette, suburb of Chicago), hundreds and thousands of [Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will be born in the future. . . . Its building is the most important of all things. This is the spiritual foundation; for that reason it is the most important of all foundations; from that spiritual foundation will come forth all manner of advancement and progress in the world of humanity.”
He says again: “In brief, the purpose of places of worship and edifices for adoration is simply that of unity, in order that various nations, different races, varying souls may gather there and among them love, amity and accord may be realized. The original purpose is this. That is why His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh has commanded that a place be built for all the religionists of the world. That all religions and races and sects may gather together. That the Oneness of the human world may be proclaimed. That all the human race is the servant of God, and that all are submerged in the ocean of God’s mercy. The world of existence may be likened to this place. It is the [Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. Just as the external world is a place where various peoples of different hues and colors, of various faiths and denominations meet; just as they are submerged in the same sea of favors; so all may meet under the dome of the [Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and adore the one God in the same spirit of truth. For the ages of darkness have passed away and the Century of Light has arrived. The imaginary prejudices are in the process of dispersion and the light of unity is shining. The difference which exists among the nations and the peoples is soon to pass away and the fundamentals of the divine religions, which are no other than the solidarity and the oneness of the human race, are to be established.”
A WORD FROM THE ARCHITECT OF THE TEMPLE
BY Louis BOURGEOIS
THE MASTER, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, told us that the [Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will symbolize the body of the Manifestation among men. Of supreme importance, then, to all Bahá’ís, and especially to those of us who live in America is the building of this great edifice at Wilmette, Illinois, by the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan.
The history of this Temple, as step by step it unfolds, is so unique that already the story will fill a book. Its inception was not from man for, as musicians, artists, poets receive their inspiration from another realm, feel themselves to be a receiver by whose means a heavenly melody is transmitted, a new idea is given to the world, so the Temple’s architect through all his years of labor was ever conscious that Bahá’u’lláh was the creator of this building to be erected to His glory. And the architect’s belief was confirmed in a talk with the beloved Master.
When the man-made creeds are stripped away from all the religions we find nothing left but harmony. Today, however, religion is so entangled in the superstitions and hypotheses of men that it must needs be stated in a new form to be once again pure and undefiled. Likewise in architecture those fundamental structural lines which originated in the faith of all religions are the same, but so covered over are they with the decorations picturing creed upon creed and superstition after superstition that we must needs lay them aside and create a new form of ornamentation.
Into this new design, then, of the Temple is woven, in symbolic form, the great Bahá’í teaching of unity—the unity of all religions and of all mankind. There are combinations of mathematical lines, symbolizing those of the universe, and in their intricate merging of circle into circle, of circle within circle, we visualize the merging of all the religions into one.
On the first floor of the Bahá’í Temple there will be the great auditorium of the building, above which will rise the stately dome, 162 feet high. A corridor encircles the dome on the outside, and inside the building is a circle of rooms, or alcoves, all opening upon the main auditorium. A circle of steps, eighteen in all, will surround the structure on the outside and lead to the auditorium floor. These eighteen steps represent the eighteen first disciples of the Báb, and the door to which they lead stands for the Báb himself.
In the rear of the building will be steps leading to the first and second balconies which, tier above tier, follow the circular dome. In the second balcony choirs of children will sing their songs of praise to God, the all-glorious.
The auditorium under the dome, with its beautiful molded tracery, will be protected inside by a glass dome and in the space between the stone dome and the glass dome will be placed electric lights which will shine through the auditorium. On the dome’s pinnacle there will be a sunken room and this will house a mighty search light. Through the nine faces made by the ribs which will bind the dome into a unity this search light will radiate its starlike rays.
[Page 156]
LOUIS J. BOURGEOIS, ARCHITECT OF THE
MASHRIQU’L-ADHKAR
March 19, 1856—August 20, 1930. "Grieve passing of Bourgeois. May Almighty reward richly his high, unforgettable endeavors."—Cablegram from Shoghi Effendi.
[Page 157]
THE STRUCTURE OF THE BAHÁ’Í TEMPLE
From an Address by the late MAJOR HENRY J. BURT, then Engineer of the Temple, given before the Wilmette Chapter of the American Association of Engineers, November 2, 1922.
THE Temple in Wilmette will be a beautiful building. It will be rich in decoration consistently carried out. Its color will be nearly white, which is appropriate for a structure of this monumental character. The Temple is being built from plans made by Mr. Louis Bourgeois, an architect of many years’ experience and great artistic ability. The design was selected in a competition among a number of architects, held in New York City in 1919. All of the competitors were of the Bahá’í Faith, and thus had the inspiration and enthusiasm of their religious belief to aid them in their efforts. In presenting his design Mr. Bourgeois submitted a model of the building which he had molded and carved largely with his own hands—a most painstaking and tedious work. This model was sent to Chicago and exhibited at the Art Institute in May, 1921. As soon as a suitable place is available at the Temple it will be reassembled there. This model was so carefully made that it was closely followed in making full size detail drawings.
The location of the building is in the southeast section of Wilmette. On the east and northeast is Sheridan Road, with an unobstructed outlook upon Lake Michigan. Northeasterly the view is across the Wilmette Harbor and the Lake Front Park of Wilmette. To the west and northwest the property is bounded by the Drainage Channel and across the channel is the park area which was recently contributed to the Wilmette Park Board. By these surroundings the Temple is protected against the encroachment of other buildings on all sides save the south and as this will probably be residence property permanently, there will not be any serious interference. In all other directions no buildings are likely to be erected within a distance of one thousand feet. For the most part the ground is about twenty-five feet above the lake level. There will be a terraced approach to form the base of the Temple. From this terrace steps will lead up to the main floor, nine feet higher.
The portion of the structure which is now inclosed is the basement. The top of the present construction is the first floor level. The top of the terrace will be at the top of the outside wall and the sloping surface from this wall inward is the base for the steps that will encircle the superstructure.
The superstructure, for convenience of description, can be divided into three sections. The first section extends from the main floor to the first gallery, the second section from the first gallery to the second gallery and the third section from the second gallery to the top of the dome.
At each of the balcony levels there are large windows, partially screened by tracery, which would give ample light in daytime and which will stand out in great brilliance when the structure is lighted at night.
The extreme height of the structure from the first floor to the pinnacle of the dome is 161 feet.
The height of the first gallery above the main floor is 36 feet and the distance from the first gallery to the second gallery is 45 feet.
The distance from the second gallery to the base of the dome is 19 feet.
The height of the dome proper, leaving out of account the projecting ribs, is 49 feet.
The minarets guarding the first story of the structure rise to a height of 45 feet above the first floor.
The extreme diameter of the basement is 202 feet.
The diameter at the top of the steps is 152 feet.
The central portion of the building is
a single space extending from the
main[Page 158]
floor up to the inner
shell of the dome. Around this are nine
rooms extending to the outer wall of the
first section. One of these rooms or spaces
is assigned to stairway. The others are for
use as enclosed rooms. In the basement the
central portion is a single room with a domed ceiling
having a height of approximately 25 feet
from the floor to the crown. Outside of
this central area, the space can be divided
according to the uses to be made of it and
this has not been quite fully developed. In
general, however, the space under the steps
will be used for the installation of the
mechanical apparatus such as the electrical
switch board room, and heating coils and
fans for the heating and ventilation system,
for plumbing and temporarily for heating
plant. The remainder of the space under
the steps will be suitable for storage. It
is the intention of the architect to preserve
in this space all of the models which are
required for molding the exterior of the
building. The remainder of the basement
space will be subdivided for such uses as
may be required.
There are a number of interesting structural features in connection with this building. The designer, in attacking a structure of this kind, usually begins at the top and works downward. The crowning feature of the building is, of course, the dome. The masonry of this dome is to be perforated for the purpose of admitting light from the outside during the daytime and for the purpose of throwing out light at night. The masonry is, therefore, only a screen of tracery and not a roof. The area of the perforations is about thirty per cent of the area of the surface. While this masonry could be made self—supporting, it was not considered expedient to do so, so it is supported by a steel framework. This framework consists of a series of ribs, spaced about nine feet apart at the base and coming together at the top with a suitable bracing between the ribs.
This metal skeleton then forms the base for the masonry screen above it. The roof will be made of glass inside of and entirely free from the masonry dome. This will be a difficult piece of work to construct on account of its shape. It will have to be a wire glass set in metal frames. Some of the frames need to be hinged so that they can be opened for ventilation and for cleaning, more particularly for the latter purpose. Lower down comes the inner dome or ceiling. This has an independent steel framework made of arched ribs with the bracing between, similar to the framework of the outer dome. This will support the inner envelope of glass. This inner glass may be in the form of mosaics or ornament. The weight of the dome is supported at nine points. At each of these points is a group of four columns extending from the base of the dome down to the foundations.
Following the structure downward, these columns gradually accumulate the weight of the dome and the floors until in the lowest section they carry a very considerable burden amounting to about one and one-half million pounds at each of the nine points.
In order to have a big central space in the basement, 72 feet in diameter, the ceiling and floor above had to be supported without the use of interior columns. To provide this support it was decided to use a reinforced concrete dome. As the dome is perfectly regular in its outline and uniformly loaded, it was not particularly difficult to design nor was it extremely difficult to construct although the construction offered some difficulties. The shell of the dome is 12 inches thick. It is reinforced with two layers of steel rods, one near the top and one near the bottom. Each of these layers is made up of rods in radial position and others in circumferential position. For its final support, this dome rests on the concrete encasements of the steel columns.
In general the framework of the structure is
of reinforced concrete except the
supports of the dome, which are structural
steel. The structural steel consists principally
of the nine groups of four columns
each which extend from the basement level
to the springing line of the dome and the
structural steel dome framing. There are
some odd members of structural steel in the
first story and, of course, there is structural
steel bracing between the columns. The
framing of the first story outside of
the[Page 159]
dome section is of
reinforced concrete as is all of the first
floor framing and all of the
columns other than the main columns just
described.
The foundation problem is a somewhat intricate one. There are heavy loads at the nine points which support the main dome. At the other points the loads are comparatively light, carrying as they do ony one floor and a roof together with walls. As a matter of sentiment as well as a matter of safety, it was desired to have the dome supported from bedrock. On this basis the foundations for the dome consist of nine piers extending to rock at a depth of 120 feet below the ground level.
THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKAR
A LETTER FROM SHOGHI EFFENDI
MY well-beloved friends:
Ever since that remarkable manifestation of Bahá’í solidarity and self-sacrifice which has signalized the proceedings of last year’s memorable Convention, I have been expectantly awaiting the news of a steady and continuous support of the Plan which can alone insure, ere the present year draws to its close, the resumption of building operations on our beloved Temple.
Moved by an impulse that I could not resist, I have felt impelled to forego what may be regarded as the most valuable and sacred possession in the Holy Land for the furthering of that noble enterprise which you have set your hearts to achieve. With the hearty concurrence of our dear Bahá’í brother, Ziaoulláh Asgarzadeh, who years ago donated it to the Most Holy Shrine, this precious ornament of the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh has been already shipped to your shores, with our fondest hope that the proceeds from its sale may at once ennoble and reinforce the unnumbered offerings of the American believers already accumulated on the altar of Bahá’í sacrifice. I have longed ever since to witness such evidences of spontaneous and generous response on your part as would tend to fortify within me a confidence that has never wavered in the inexhaustible vitality of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in that land.
I need not stress at this moment the high hopes which so startling a display of unsparing devotion to our sacred Temple has already aroused in the breasts of the multitude of our brethren throughout the East. Nor is it I feel necessary to impress upon those who are primarily concerned with its erection the gradual change of outlook which the early prospect of the construction of the far—famed Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in America has unmistakably occasioned in high places among the hitherto sceptical and indifferent towards the merits and the practicability of the Faith proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh. Neither do I need to expatiate upon the hopes and fears of the Greatest Holy Leaf, now in the evening of her life, with deepening shadows caused by failing eyesight and declining strength swiftly gathering about her, yearning to hear as the one remaining solace in her swiftly ebbing life the news of the resumption of work on an Edifice, the glories of which she has, from the lips of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Himself, learned to admire. I cannot surely overrate at the present juncture in the progress of our task the challenging character of these remaining months of the year as a swiftly passing opportunity which it is in our power to seize and utilize, ere it is too late, for the edification of our expectant brethren throughout the East, for the vindication in the eyes of the world at large of the realities of our Faith, and last but not least for the realization of what is the Greatest Holy Leaf’s fondest desire.
As I have already intimated in the course of my conversations with visiting pilgrims, so vast and significant an enterprise as the construction of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
Views of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (Bahá’í Temple) erected in ‘Ishqábád, Turkistán.
[Page 161]
of the West should be supported,
not by the munificence of a few but by the joint
contributions of the entire mass of the
convinced followers of the Faith. It cannot
be denied that the emanations of spiritual
power and inspiration destined to radiate
from the central Edifice of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will to a very
large extent depend upon the range and variety
of the contributing believers, as well as upon
the nature and degree of self-abnegation which
their unsolicited offerings will entail. . . .
True, we cannot fail to realize at the present stage of our work the extremely limited number of contributors qualified to lend financial support to such a vast, such an elaborate and costly enterprise. We are fully aware of the many issues and varied Bahá’í activities that are unavoidably held in abeyance pending the successful conclusion of the Plan of Unified Action. We are only too conscious of the pressing need of some sort of befitting and concrete embodiment of the spirit animating the Cause that would stand in the heart of the American Continent both as a witness and as a rallying center to the manifold activities of a fast growing Faith. But spurred by those reflections may we not bestir ourselves and resolve as we have never resolved before to hasten by every means in our power the consummation of this all-absorbing yet so meritorious a task? I beseech you, dear friends, not to allow considerations of number, or the consciousness of the limitation of our resources, or even the experience of inevitable setbacks which every mighty undertaking is bound to encounter, to blur your vision, to dim your hopes, or to paralyze your efforts in the prosecution of your divinely appointed task. Neither, do I entreat you, to sulfer the least deviation into the paths of expediency and compromise to obstruct those channels of vivifying grace that can alone provide the inspiration and strength vital not only to the successful conduct of its material construction, but to the fulfilment of its high destiny.
And while we bend our efforts and strain our nerves in a feverish pursuit to provide the necessary means for the speedy construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, may we not pause for a moment to examine those statements which set forth the purpose as well as the functions of this symbolical yet so spiritually potent Edifice? It will be readily admitted that at a time when the tenets of a Faith, not yet fully emerged from the fires of repression, are as yet improperly defined and imperfectly understood, the utmost caution should be exercised in revealing the true nature of those institutions which are indissolubly associated with its name.
Without attempting an exhaustive survey of the distinguishing features and purpose of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, I should feel content at the present time to draw your attention to what I regard as certain misleading statements that have found currency in various quarters, and which may lead gradually to a grave misapprehension of the true purpose and essential character of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.
It should be borne in mind that the central Edifice of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, round which in the fulness of time shall cluster such institutions of social service as shall afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved, and education to the ignorant, should be regarded apart from these Dependencies, as a House solely designed and entirely dedicated to the worship of God in accordance with the few yet definitely prescribed principles established by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitábu’l-Aqdás. It should not be inferred, however, from this general statement that the interior of the central Edifice itself will be converted into a conglomeration of religious services conducted along lines associated with the traditional procedure obtaining in churches, mosques, synagogues, and other temples of worship. Its various avenues of approach, all converging towards the central Hall beneath its dome, will not serve as admittance to those sectarian adherents of rigid formulae and man-made creeds, each bent, according to his way, to observe his rites, recite his prayers, perform his ablutions, and display the particular symbols of his faith, within separately defined sections of Bahá’u’lláh’s Universal House of Worship. Far from the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár offering such a spectacle of incoherent and confused sectarian ob
[Page 162]
The laying of the corner-stone of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of ‘Ishqábád. The central figure, standing to the right of the official representing the Czarist Government, is Hájí Vakílu’d-Dawlih, cousin of the Báb.
International Bahá’í gathering in the grounds of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of ‘Ishqábád.
[Page 163]
servances and rites, a
condition wholly incompatible with the
provisions of the Aqdás and irreconcilable
with the spirit it inculcates, the central
House of Bahá’í worship, enshrined within
the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár,
will gather within its chastened walls, in a
serenely spiritual atmosphere, only those
who, discarding forever the trapping of
elaborate and ostentatious ceremony, are
willing worshippers of the one true God, as
manifested in this age in the Person of
Bahá’u’lláh. To them will the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár symbolize
the fundamental verity underlying the Bahá’í
Faith, that religious truth is not absolute
but relative, that Divine
Revelation is not final but progressive.
Theirs will be the conviction that an
all-loving and ever-watchful Father Who, in
the past, and at various stages in the
evolution of mankind, has sent forth His Prophets
as the Bearers of His Message and the
Manifestations of His Light to mankind, cannot
at this critical period of their civilization
withhold from His children the Guidance
which they sorely need amid the darkness
which has beset them, and which neither the
light of science nor that of human intellect
and wisdom can succeed in dissipating. And
thus having recognized in Bahá’u’lláh the
source whence this celestial light proceeds,
they will irresistibly feel attracted to seek
the shelter of His House, and congregate
therein, unhampered by ceremonials and
unfettered by creed, to render homage to the
one true God, the Essence and Orb of eternal
Truth, and to exalt and magnify the
name of His Messengers and Prophets Who,
from time immemorial even unto our day,
have, under divers circumstances and in
varying measure, mirrored forth to a dark
and wayward world the light of heavenly
Guidance.
But however inspiring the conception of Bahá’í worship, as witnessed in the central Edifice of this exalted Temple, it cannot be regarded as the sole, nor even the essential, factor in the part which the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, as designed by Bahá’u’lláh, is destined to play in the organic life of the Bahá’í community. Divorced from the social, humanitarian, educational and scientific pursuits centering around the Dependencies of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Bahá’í worship, however exalted in its conception, however passionate in fervor, can never hope to achieve beyond the meager and often transitory results produced by the contemplations of the ascetic or the communion of the passive worshipper. It cannot afford lasting satisfaction and benefit to the worshipper himself, much less to humanity in general, unless and until translated and transfused into that dynamic and disinterested service to the cause of humanity which it is the supreme privilege of the Dependencies of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár to facilitate and promote. Nor will the exertions, no matter how disinterested and strenuous, of those who within the precincts of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will be engaged in administering the affairs of the future Bahá’í Commonwealth, fructify and prosper unless they are brought into close and daily communion with those spiritual agencies centering in and radiating from the central Shrine of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. Nothing short of direct and constant interaction between the spiritual forces emanating from this House of Worship centering in the heart of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, and the energies consciously displayed by those who administer its affairs in their service to humanity can possibly provide the necessary agency capable of removing the ills that have so long and so grievously afflicted humanity. For it is assuredly upon the consciousness of the efficacy of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, reinforced on one hand by spiritual communion with His Spirit, and on the other by the intelligent application and the faithful execution of the principles and laws He revealed, that the salvation of a world in travail must ultimately depend. And of all the institutions that stand associated with His Holy Name, surely none save the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár can most adequately provide the essentials of Bahá’í worship and service, both so vital to the regeneration of the world. Therein lies the secret of the loftiness, of the potency, of the unique position of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as one of the outstanding institutions conceived by Bahá’u’lláh.
Dearly beloved friends! May we not as the trustees of so priceless a heritage, arise to fulfil our high destiny?
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR
BY ALLEN B. MCDANIEL
THE design of the Temple, which is so well visualized in the photographs furnished by the architect, Mr. Louis Bourgeois, is extraordinary. The more one studies it, the more one realizes its uniqueness. It is a new style, symbolic of the universality and spiritual significance of the Revelation of this Age.
Even a casual inspection of the Temple design impresses one with the elaborateness and ornateness of the exterior surface. Of so apparently a complex and exotic character, one wonders how and of what material or materials such a structure can be built. A further study reveals the un-appropriateness and impracticability of using natural stone for the surface material. The expenditure of time, effort, and labor would be prohibitive, physically and financially, and the natural stone tracery would not have the necessary strength to resist ice and wind storms prevalent in that locality.
The very nature of this remarkable design calls for the use of a plastic, universal character of material. What is more universal and adaptable than concrete, a form of stone which is plastic when placed in the building and can be molded to any desired form and to give any specified color effect. Upon setting, concrete becomes as hard and durable as the best quality of natural stone.
The durability and permanence of concrete is demonstrated by history and scientific research. The ancient peoples of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia used massive masonry with mortars containing cementicious material. Rome still contains the remains of concrete structures which were built about 2000 years ago and are still in an excellent state of preservation. Among these are the Stadium of the Palatine, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Baths of Caracalla and the Pantheon. Research has developed, especially since the World War, better materials and methods of making concrete. Concrete members are reinforced to carry the loads as effectively as a steel bridge or timber framework. The recent development of the methods of selection, mixing and placing of the component materials makes it possible to produce today an artificial stone of any desired strength and quality. Thus it is possible to use concrete in the production of the curved lines and intricate tracery of the Temple.
The use of concrete for the surface material of the Temple will be economical, as the component materials are available universally, and low in cost. As there is a great deal of duplication of tracery and ornamentation, the same forms can be used repeatedly to cast the surface structure in place.
Recent examples of the use of concrete in buildings with curved lines, perforated tracery, and varied color are the Church of Notre Dame, Le Raincy, Paris; the Church of St. Thérèse, Montmagny, Paris; the Catholic Church, Bishofsheim, Germany; the Church of the Sacred Heart, Washington, D. C., and the Primavera Building, Paris Exposition, 1925.
Another plastic material which will undoubtedly be used in the exterior wall construction of the Temple is a metal alloy. In recent years several non-ferrous metal alloys have been developed, and a few including alloys of aluminum have come into use in building construction. These alloys are strong, light, and highly resistant to corrosion. In the new Koppers Building, in Pittsburgh, over 100,000 pounds of cast spandrels were used. In the 68-story Chrysler building, nearing completion in New York City (March, 1930), the wall spandrels and copings and window sills are of an aluminum alloy. Such a material may be used in such sections of the building as door and window frames, sills, and some details of the ornamentation.
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The Bahá’ís of ‘Ishqábád, carrying material for the construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. The turbaned figure (front row, right) is Ḥájí Mírzá Vakílu’d-Dawlih, cousin of the Báb.
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The existing foundation structure
was built of reinforced concrete and was completed
seven years ago. The top of this structure is the
first floor level. Around this circular foundation
a flight of nineteen steps will rise from the
gardens to the main floor of the Temple.
The superstructure has three principal divisions or parts; the first story, the second or gallery story, and the dome.
The exterior walls are largely tracery, which will give ample light to the interior of the building in the daytime, and afford a brilliant luminous effect when lighted at night.
The height of the Temple structure from main floor to top of dome is 161 feet. The extreme diameter of the foundation structure is 202 feet. The diameter at the top of the steps is 152 feet. The height of the first story will be 36 feet, while the pylons or minarets at the intersections of the nine faces will rise to a height of 45 feet above the first floor.
The central portion of the Temple will be a single space extending from the main floor to the inner shell of the dome. Around this space are nine rooms between the nine entrance-ways and the exterior walls.
The crowning feature of the structure will be the dome, which will be built in three sections: the outer shell which will be perforated, an intermediate shell of wire glass, and the inner shell of perforated material. This beautifully proportioned dome will be pure white in color and at night radiate light like a great illumined globe.
The Temple structure will be erected in two parts; the skeleton of steel and reinforced concrete, and subsequently the exterior wall covering. The latter is largely tracery combining, with plant-like forms, the symbolism of the religions of the world.
The construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár involves many new and unique problems. Unlike an office building, apartment house, or residence, there are no precedents and it is not possible to schedule the building and predict just when certain parts of the structure will be completed after construction of the superstructure begins. Probably no one alive today could state the proper way to construct the outer shell of the dome, which is designed as a perforated structure.
Thus the Temple, the ornamentation of which constantly suggests life and action, must develop as a constructive organism, and evolve through experience, step by step.
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THE MODERN SANCTUARY
THE MAKING OF THE TEMPLE
By Janet Bolton
What Hand arrayed the Hopes of all the Ages
In this bright Shape—this many-pointed Star?
What Architect designed this firm foundation
On which to build Love’s templed Avatar?
What Wisdom set the waning Lights of Jesus
Above the centuries for evermore; Emblazoning across a mystic portal Those everlasting words, “I am the Door!”
What Master-mind conceived these Gates of Splendor,
Nine golden Doors encircling round about; That it should be “A Dawning-Place of Praises,”
Claiming the true, the faithful and devout?
Here God is One! O Master of the Temple! In Thee we trust and all the world is kin, Thus, by Muḥammad, “Seal of all the Prophets,”
By Moses and by Buddha—let them in!
By every Cup that frees from sin and sorrow, Enter, ye tribes and nations, and be blest. Here each hath life beneath its healing shadow, And thus God made the Temple of His Rest!
OUR TEMPLE
By Lorna B. Tasker
Our Temple—dawn of our dreaming, Dawn of our golden dreaming, Brighter become each day At the core of our life’s endeavor, Born like a glory of sunlight, Or a music of wondrous singing, Built of our hearts’ deep passion, Woven of song and fire.
Our Temple—secret of gladness, Secret of all earth’s gladness, Lovelier grown each day With the beauty of song and laughter, Builded of many a handclasp, Arms of lovers entwining Holding the whole world’s tenderness, Folded in God’s Desire.
Our Temple—symbol of yearning, Symbol of all our yearning, Loftier grown each day At the heart of mankind’s endeavor. So shall it grow tomorrow, And beyond the drift of the ages, Stream with the joy of the Vision, Higher—forever higher!
TEMPLE OF GOD
By Philip Amalfi Marangella
O flowing fountains, sing Love’s praise to me. O beckoning paths, urge faltering feet to thee. O portals wide, embrace entirely The Self that nears this blessed sanctuary.
O glowing torches, flame from wisdom’s seat.
O luminous dome, thy hands in prayer complete
This shrine where Faith shall never know
defeat; This mystic heart where soul with God may meet.
THE TEMPLE BEAUTIFUL
By Shahnaz Waite
O Temple of the Beautiful! O Temple of the Lord! That for God’s oneness e’er will stand, And for His Holy Word; Thy radiance shall shine afar, As shines the sun above; A Refuge thou to weary hearts, A Fortress of God’s Love.
O Temple that doth symbolize, God’s Word made flesh to man; Thou art the Body of His Law, Revealing His great Plan; All nations shall in thee rejoice, And gather from afar, Shall hold aloft the Glorious Name, That Name—Bahá’u’lláh.
O Temple of true Unity, Of Knowledge and of Light, O Temple of the Living God, Of Day—that knows not night; Thou art a Mystery Divine, But one that all may read, Who enter in with “hearts made pure”; With faith—and loving deed.
O Temple of the Beautiful! O Miracle Divine! In thee the nations join as one, From every land and clime; Thou art the symbol of God’s Peace; Which cometh from above; The symbol of God’s Word Divine; His Manifested Love.
THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR OF ‘ISHQÁBÁD
Excerpts from letter written by CHARLES MASON REMEY, addressed to the House of Spirituality of Bahá’ís of Chicago, dated Washington, D. C., October 12, 1908.
BROTHERS in the service of ‘Abhá:
As you have arisen for the construction of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in America, and, as I have recently visited ‘Ishqábád and seen there the great Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the East, of which we in the West have heard so much, I take it upon myself to write to you a description of this Edifice, hoping to share with you the great blessing of meeting with the friends in those parts and of beholding this Temple which is a testimony of their sacrifice and unity.
As you know, ‘Ishqábád is in Russia, Turkistán, just north of the Elburz Mountains, which separate the desert plain of western Turkistán, on the north, from Persia on the south. The city itself lies on the plain a short distance from the mountains, which here are very rugged and rocky. The town is quite modern in aspect, being laid off with gardens and broad streets, which meet at right angles. Rows of trees along the sidewalks remind one of a Western city, while the buildings and the waterways, which flank the streets and are fed with water coming from the nearby mountains, are strikingly Oriental.
I could hardly believe that this city had sprung up almost entirely during the past half-century. It was but a huddle of mud huts, when Bahá’u’lláh first directed some of His followers to settle there. Now this is replaced by a large and prosperous city of buildings of brick and stone.
The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár stands in the center of the city, surrounded by a large garden, which is bounded by four streets. It rises high above the surrounding buildings and trees, its dome being visible for miles as the traveler approaches the city over the plain. The building in plan is a regular polygon of nine sides. One large doorway and portico, flanked by turrets, facing the direction of the Holy City ('Akká), forms the principal motive of the facade, while the dome dominates the whole composition.
The walls of the Temple are of brick covered with a firm and hard stucco, which in that climate resists quite well the action of the elements, while the floors are concrete supported by iron or steel beams.
In plan the building is composed of three sections: the central rotunda, the aisle or ambulatory which surrounds it, and the loggia which surrounds the entire building.
The interior of the rotunda is five stories in height. The first or main floor story consists of nine arches, supported by piers, which separate the ambulatory from the rotunda proper. The second story consists of a similar treatment of arches and piers and balustrades, which separate the triforium gallery—which is directly above the ambulatory—from the well of the rotunda. The third story is decorated with nine flank arcades, between which is a shield upon which is inscribed in Persian characters, “Ya Bahá’u’l-‘Abhá.” The fourth story contains nine large windows, while the wall of the fifth story, which is not as high as the others, is pierced by eighteen bull’s—eye windows.
Above, there is the dome which is hemispherical in shape. The rotunda from the floor to the top of the dome is elaborately decorated with fret work and other designs, all in relief. . . .
The main portico of the Temple is two
stories in the clear, while the loggias, which
surround the building, are on two floors,
the lower being on the main floor level,
while the upper one is on the level of the
triforium gallery. This upper loggia is
reached by two staircases, one to the right
and one to the left of the main entrance,
and the gallery is entered from the loggia.
On the main floor the principal entrance
is through the large doorway, but there
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also several inner doors,
which connect the ambulatory with the loggia.
An abundance of light is admitted through the
windows in the upper part of the rotunda, as
well as through the windows of the upper gallery
and ambulatory, which open upon the loggias.
The Persian style of architecture has been used in treating the details and decorations of the buildings. . . .
From what I saw and heard in ‘Ishqábád, I found that those believers who superintended the building of the Temple were competent business men and that, although they had undertaken a large enterprise, every possible economy was made, yet at the same time no expense seemed to be spared when necessary for the beauty and solidity of the building.
Nine avenues of approach lead to the Temple. The main avenue of the nine, leading to the entrance portico, will be entered from the street by a monumental gateway. Last July they were completing the plans for this principal gateway to the grounds.
At the four corners of the garden are four buildings. One is a school. One is a house, where traveling Bahá’ís are entertained. One is to be used as a hospital, and the other is for workmen, storage, etc. Much of the property in the immediate vicinity of this enclosure belongs to Bahá’ís, so the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is the center of the community materially, as well as spiritually.
That which impressed me more than all else, as I stood before this Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, was the fact that the Bahá’ís of the East had all worked with one accord and had given freely toward its erection. . . .
Faithfully, your brother in the service of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
C. MASON REMEY.