The Bahá’í Faith is a monotheistic religion that emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind and originated in the 19th-century in Persia.
The Bahá'í Gardens—geometric, meticulously manicured, and covering the northern slope of Mount Carmel—are Haifa’s most recognizable landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Rising up the summit of Mount Carmel are 19 curved terraces, filled with fountains, emerald lawns, bright flowers, and trimmed hedges. In the center of the gardens sits the domed Shrine of the Báb. Pilgrims come from all over the world to pay homage to the first leaders of the Bahai Faith.
The spiritual and administrative center of the Bahá’í Faith is permanently established in the Acre-Haifa area of northern Israel, following the explicit instructions of Bahá’u’lláh.
The burial place, or shrine, of Bahá'u'lláh near Acre and that of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa are the holiest spots on earth for Bahá’ís. Other sites associated with the life of Bahá’u’lláh as well as the burial site of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are revered by Bahá’ís as holy places.
The shrines are the object of pilgrimage for thousands of Bahá’ís each year.
The administrative offices are positioned in an Arc across Mount Carmel in Haifa and include:
the Seat of the Universal House of Justice,
the International Teaching Centre,
the Centre for the Study of the Texts,
the International Archives Building.
Also in Haifa are the Bahá’í International Community’s Secretariat and Office of Public Information.
Both shrines are open to the public.
The Bahai Gardens in Haifa are some of the most magnificent and impressive landmarks in Israel.
Baha'i Gardens in Haifa. Drone video