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The Bahá'í World Centre
The shrines, terraced gardens, and governing seat of the Bahá'í Faith in Haifa and Acre
On the slope of Mount Carmel above the port of Haifa, nineteen terraces of clipped lawns, flower beds, and fountains cascade toward a golden-domed shrine, one of the most photographed sights in Israel. This is the spiritual and administrative center of the Bahá'í Faith, a religion founded in 19th-century Iran that teaches the oneness of God, of religion, and of humanity. Its two holiest places lie here: the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa and, near Acre, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, the faith's founder, toward which Bahá'ís turn in daily prayer. Bahá'ís from around the world come on pilgrimage, while the gardens welcome visitors of every background free of charge.
The terraces climb about a kilometer up the north face of Mount Carmel, from the old German Colony at the foot of the mountain to its crest, with the Shrine of the Báb at their center. The shrine is a stone building of granite columns and arches crowned by a dome sheathed in gilded tiles. Along a curving path called the Arc, white marble buildings in a neoclassical style house the Universal House of Justice, the faith's elected international governing body, along with its archives and study center. Across the bay, near Acre, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh sits in formal gardens beside the Mansion of Bahjí, where he spent his last years. A shrine for his son 'Abdu'l-Bahá is under construction nearby, and its central structure was taking shape in 2026.
Bahá'u'lláh, exiled from Iran by the Persian and Ottoman authorities, arrived as a prisoner in Acre in 1868 and died at Bahjí in 1892. His son 'Abdu'l-Bahá had the remains of the Báb, executed in Iran in 1850, laid to rest on Mount Carmel in 1909, and the shrine's superstructure and golden dome were completed in 1953. The Seat of the Universal House of Justice was completed in 1982, and the terraces, designed by the architect Fariborz Sahba, opened in 2001. In 2008 UNESCO inscribed the Bahá'í Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee as a World Heritage site. About a million people visit each year, and the World Centre is run largely by Bahá'í volunteers who serve for set terms.