Baha’i shrines chosen as World Heritage sites |
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QUEBEC CITY — A United
Nations committee meeting here has determined that two Baha'i
shrines in Israel possess "outstanding universal value" and
should be considered as part of the cultural heritage of
humanity. The decision today by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee
means that the two most sacred sites for Baha'is - the resting
places of the founders of their religion - join a list of
internationally recognized sites like the Great Wall of China,
the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, and Stonehenge. The World Heritage List also includes places of global
religious significance like the Vatican, the Old City of
Jerusalem, and the remains of the recently destroyed Bamiyan
Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. The Baha'i shrines are the first sites connected with a
religious tradition born in modern times to be added to the
list, which is maintained by UNESCO, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The two shrines, one near the recognized heritage site of Old
Acre on Israel's northern coast and the other on Mount Carmel in
Haifa, are the resting places of Bahá'u'lláh and the Bab, the
founders of the Baha'i Faith. Baha'is believe that both Bahá'u'lláh and the Bab were
messengers of God; their resting places are sites of pilgrimage
for a religious community of some five million believers. The
shrine of Bahá'u'lláh is the focal point of prayer for Baha'is
all over the world, giving it an importance comparable to the
Western Wall in Jerusalem for Jews and the Kaaba in Mecca for
Muslims. Born in Iran, Bahá'u'lláh was banished to Acre in what was
then the Ottoman Empire, where he died in 1892. The Bab was
executed in Iran in 1850, and His remains were later moved to
Haifa for burial.
The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh near Acre, north of Haifa –
the holiest spot
on earth for members of the Baha’i
Faith – also is part of the World Heritage… » The two shrines are noteworthy for the formal gardens that
surround them, blending design elements from many cultures. In
addition to Baha'i pilgrims, they attract hundreds of thousands
of visitors and tourists every year. "We welcome the UNESCO recognition, which highlights the
importance of the holy places of a religion that in 150 years
has gone from a small group found only in the Middle East to a
worldwide community with followers in virtually every country,"
said Albert Lincoln, secretary-general of the Baha'i
International Community. "The Baha'i community is particularly grateful to the
government of Israel for putting forward this nomination," he
said. The World Heritage List was established by UNESCO in 1972 to
identify, protect, and preserve places of "cultural and natural
heritage of outstanding universal value." So far, 184 nations
have signed the World Heritage Convention, which defines the
general standards of selection for the list, and more than 850
sites have been recognized, including natural areas, such as
East Africa's Serengeti and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The World Heritage Committee is composed of 21 states that
are signatories of the World Heritage Convention. It meets
annually in the home country of its chairperson. This year's
chair is Dr. Christina Cameron of Canada, and the gathering in
Quebec, which is itself a world heritage site, corresponds with
that city's 400th anniversary celebrations.
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This website is sponsored by The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Shellharbour, NSW, Australia. Send E-mail to shellharbour@nsw.bahai.org.au Last modified: July 2008 |