The Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá is the location in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

wherein the remains of

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian: , ;, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás (, ), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, who designated him to be his successor and head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 un ...

, one of the central figures of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

, will be reinterred. Since his death in 1921, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's remains have been located beneath one of the rooms of the

Shrine of the Báb The Shrine of the Báb is a structure on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Baháʼu'lláh in the Baháʼí Faith, are buried; it is considered to be the sec ...

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

Construction

On April 20, 2019, the

Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the nine-member supreme ruling body of the Baháʼí Faith. It was envisioned by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, as an institution that could legislate on issues not already addressed in the ...

announced that the time for the construction of a permanent Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá has come, and provided initial details:

...The Baháʼí world is being summoned to build the edifice which will forever embosom those sacred remains. It is to be constructed in the vicinity of the Riḍván Garden, on land consecrated by the footsteps of the Blessed Beauty hat is, Baháʼu'lláh">Baháʼu'lláh.html" ;"title="hat is, Baháʼu'lláh">hat is, Baháʼu'lláh the Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá will thus lie on the crescent traced between the Holy Shrines in Acre, Israel">ʻAkká and
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
. Work on the architectural plans is advancing, and more information will be shared in the coming months."

On May 7, 2019, the

announced Hossein Amanat as the architect of the new Shrine. On September 19, it released the design concept for the shrine and stated that the structure envisaged in the design seeks "to honor ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's unique position" and "to reflect at once His lofty station and His humility."

Fire

On 8 April 2022, a major fire broke out at the construction site of the new shrine. The fire broke out when windblown sparks from welding on the dome ignited scaffolding and expanded polystyrene (EPS) forms being used to mold poured concrete. The Universal House of Justice said in a statement that no one has been injured and that the Riḍván Garden was not damaged. It described the fire as "a considerable setback for the project", but said that construction would resume "as expeditiously as possible". On 14 April 2022, the

informed more details about the construction of the Shrine, that "initial information suggests that the fire was the result of an unfortunate accident", and that "the project team has already taken steps to move the project forward". On 4 July 2022, more information was shared by the

regarding the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, that the investigations on the result of the fire "has now concluded and confirmed that the fire was the result of an accident", and "Although the hrinestructures are fundamentally sound", "extensive testing has commenced" "to ensure that the project meets the highest standard of excellence". While no specific conclusion date for the project has been set, this accident will cause a substantial delay in finishing the project.

Notes

References

External links

BWNS: Coverage of construction work- official WebsiteDesign concept for the Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá - video
archived a
Ghostarchive.org
on 30 April 2022 Bahá'í pilgrimages Abdul-Baha Tombs in Israel {{Israel-stub