Baháʼí House of Worship

The cornerstone for the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois was brought to the site by Nettie Tobin and accepted in 1912 by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá during his only visit to the United States and Canada. Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1953, with a delay of several years during the Great Depression and World War II. The Wilmette House of Worship is the largest and the oldest surviving Bahá'í House of Worship. Known by Bahá'ís as the "Mother Temple of the West" and formally as the "Bahá'í House of Worship for the North American Continent", it stands in north suburban Cook County, on the shores of Lake Michigan. The cladding is made of white portland cement concrete with both clear and white quartz aggregate. It has received numerous design awards, and is a prominent Chicago-area landmark. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[10]

The height of the auditorium is 138 feet (42 m), and the diameter of the dome is 90 feet (27.5 m). From ground level, which is 597 feet above sea level just on the west side of Sheridan Road, the building stands approximately 164 feet tall above ground level. The auditorium seats 1,200 visitors.[8] Like some other Bahá'í temples, it has a gallery balcony from which choirs or soloists may perform. No instrumental music is allowed during services in the auditorium, although all kinds of music may be performed in the meeting room below. In general, no videography, photography, or any other activity inconsistent with quiet meditation is allowed in the auditorium.

One of nine towers

Foundation Hall, which is used for large meetings and holy day celebrations is located underneath the main auditorium. The large underground area also contains offices not regularly open to the general public, including a media center, studios, and the Baha'i Archives, which can be visited by appointment. As of May, 2015, the displays, restrooms, offices, bookstore, and the viewing room for videos have been moved to a newly constructed Welcome Center located between the gardens and the parking lot to the southwest of the House of Worship. The previous Visitor's Center is no longer routinely open to the public.

Calligraphy of the "Greatest Name" in the center of the dome

The principal architect was Louis Bourgeois, but the interior cladding was designed by Alfred Shaw of Shaw, Metz, and Dolio. Engineering plans were prepared by Allen McDaniel of The Research Service of Washington, D.C. The general contractor was George A. Fuller, Co. Both the pioneering exterior and interior cladding were fabricated and constructed by John Joseph Earley and the Earley Studio.[11]

The Bahá'í House of Worship is a place of worship for all people. The only decorative art inside and out involves shapes and designs made by intersecting lines. There are no images of people or places. The building itself is decorated inside and out with verses from the Baha'i Writings, all of them by Baháʼu'lláh. As there are nine entrances to the building, there are nine verses above the doors and nine inside the buildings above the alcoves.

The verses outside are engraved into the stone, in large legible letters. Above the doors are small engraved versions of the "Greatest Name", one of several Bahá'í symbols and an elaborate decorative design that includes the letters ABHA, representing the prayer "Alláh u Abhá" (God is Most Glorious) in Arabic. It is the numerical value of these four letters in the words abha and baha (for Baháʼu'lláh) that add up to total nine, one of reasons Bahá'í Houses of Worship are nine-sided.

The most decorative element on the outside of the building is the tracery on the nine towers. These are intertwined with the generally recognized symbols of many world religions, including the Cross, the star and crescent, the Star of David, and the original swastika design, an ancient symbol having arms bent at right angles, used for thousands of years as a representative symbol of world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The only decorative symbol inside the auditorium is a large, lighted version of the Greatest Name in the exact center of the inside of the dome.

From 1958–2001, the Bahá'í House of Worship was associated with a "home for the aged", operated by the U.S. Bahá'í community.[12] The Bahá'í Home has since closed, although the building remains in use for a local Bahá'í School and a regional training center.[13]

In 2007, the Bahá'í House of Worship was named one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism.[14][15]

Kampala, Uganda
Mother Temple of Africa
Designer	Charles Mason Remey
Dedication	13 January 1961
Capacity	400 seats
Height	38 m ground level to the tip of the spire
Ground breaking	The foundation stone was laid by Rúhíyyih Khánum on 26 January 1958.

The Mother Temple of Africa is situated on Kikaaya Hill, in Kawempe Division, in northern Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.[16]

The temple was designed by architect Charles Mason Remey.[1]

The foundation stone was laid on 26 January 1958 by Rúhíyyih Khánum, representing Shoghi Effendi, the head of the religion. Musa Banani, the first Hand of the Cause in Africa, was also present for the groundbreaking and placed in the foundation a gift of soil from the Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh, sent by Shoghi Effendi.[16] The dedication ceremony was held 13-16 January 1961, which was also attended by Rúhíyyih Khánum.

The building is more than 130 feet (39 m) high, and over 100 meters in diameter at the base. The dome, composed of lace-like tiles, rises over 124 feet (37 m) high and is 44 feet (13 m) in diameter. The foundation goes 10 feet (3 m) underground to protect it from earthquakes common in that part of the world.

The green dome is made of fixed mosaic tiles from Italy, and the lower roof tiles are from Belgium. The walls of the temple are of precast stone quarried in Uganda. The colored glass in the wall panels was brought from Germany. The timber used for making the doors and benches was from Uganda. The 50-acre (200,000 m²) property includes the House of Worship, extensive gardens, a guest house, and an administrative center.[17]

Sydney, Australia
Mother Temple of the Antipodes
Designer	Charles Mason Remey
Dedication	15 September 1961
Capacity	500 seats
Height	40 m
Ground breaking	The foundation ceremony was led by Charles Mason Remey and Clara Dunn on 22 March 1958.

The fourth Baháʼí temple to be completed (and third still standing) is in Ingleside in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia.[4] This Temple serves as the "Mother Temple of the Antipodes".[18] According to Jennifer Taylor, a historian at Sydney University, it is among Sydney's four most significant religious buildings constructed in the twentieth century.[19] The initial design by Charles Mason Remey was given to Sydney architect John Brogan to develop and complete.[19] It was dedicated in September 1961 and opened to the public after four years of construction.[20]

Construction materials include crushed quartz concrete,[9] local hardwoods in the interior,[19] and concrete and marble in the dome.[20] There is seating for six hundred people.[1] The building stands 38 metres in height, has a diameter at its widest point of 20 metres, and is a highly visible landmark from Sydney's northern beaches.[1] The property is set high in a natural bushland setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean.[1] The surrounding gardens contain a variety of native Australian flora including waratahs, three species of eucalypts, caleyi and other grevillea, acacia, and woody pear.[1] Other amenities located on the site include a visitors' centre, a bookshop, a picnic area, and the administrative offices of the Australian Baháʼí community.[18]

Hofheim-Langenhain, Germany
Mother Temple of Europe
Designer	Teuto Rocholl
Dedication	4 July 1964
Capacity	600 seats
Height	28 m
Ground breaking	The foundation stone was laid by Amelia Collins on 20 November 1960.

The Mother Temple of Europe is located at the foot of the Taunus Mountains of Germany, in the village of Langenhain, a suburb of Hofheim, Hesse near Frankfurt. It was designed by Teuto Rocholl. The temple was dedicated on July 4, 1964, after three and a half years of construction, including a performance by Maria Montana.[21] It is made of steel, aluminum, and glass. 540 diamond-shaped windows give the dome an optical lightness and permit the sunlight to play in it. Diameter of the central hall area is 25 meters, while the diameter of the outside ambulatory area is 48 meters. Height from ground level is 28 meters. The outstanding characteristic acoustics of this setting are created by the reverberation within the dome and the resonance of its myriad window ledges. Choirs here sometimes sing while standing around the circumference of the temple floor, with the audience in the center.

Panama City, Panama
Mother Temple of Latin America
Designer	Peter Tillotson
Dedication	29 April 1972
Capacity	550 seats
Height	28 m
Ground breaking	The foundation stone was laid by Rúhíyyih Khánum on 8 October 1967.

The Bahá'í temple in Panama City, Panama, dedicated April 29, 1972, was designed by English architect Peter Tillotson.[4] It serves as the mother temple of Latin America. It is perched on a high cliff, "Cerro Sonsonate" ("Singing Hill"), overlooking the city, and is constructed of local stone laid in a pattern reminiscent of Native American fabric designs.

The dome is covered with thousands of small oval tiles, and the entrance gates of the temple are constructed in a unique three-dimensional design each consisting of an equilateral triangle of three vertical posts with multiple rows of bars stretching between them at various angles, each row of which gradually changes from vertical to horizontal.

Apia, Western Samoa
Mother Temple of the Pacific Ocean
Designer	Husayn Amanat
Dedication	1 September 1984
Capacity	700 seats
Cost	$6,500,000
Height	19 m
Ground breaking	The foundation stone was laid by Malietoa Tanumafili II on 27 January 1979.

The Bahá'í House of Worship in Tiapapata, in the hills behind Apia, Samoa, was dedicated on September 1, 1984,[4] having been completed at a cost of $6,500,000.[22] It serves as the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands. The temple was designed by Hossein Amanat, and was dedicated by His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa, the world's first Bahá'í head of state, and Rúhíyyih Khánum.[9] Its 30-meter domed structure is open to the public for individual prayer, commemoration of Baha'i holy days, and weekly devotional meetings. The structure is open to the island breezes.[1]

Bahapur, New Delhi, India
Mother Temple of the Sub-continent of India
Designer	Fariburz Sahba
Dedication	24 December 1986
Capacity	1,300 seats
Cost	$10,000,000
Height	34 m
Ground breaking	The foundation stone was laid by Rúhíyyih Khánum on 17 October 1977.

The Bahá'í House of Worship in Bahapur,[1] New Delhi, India was dedicated in December 1986, having been completed for a total cost $10 million.[22] It was designed by Iranian-American architect Fariborz Sahba and is commonly known as the Lotus Temple.[23] It has won numerous architectural awards[24][25] and has been featured in magazines and newspapers.[26] The temple has become a major attraction for people of various religions; on some Hindu holy days, it receives up to 100,000 visitors, and overall it receives about 2.5 million visitors annually.[25]

Inspired by the lotus flower, the temple's design is composed of 27 free-standing, marble-clad "petals" grouped into clusters of three and thus forming nine sides.[1] The temple's shape has symbolic and inter-religious significance because the lotus is often associated with the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.[25] Nine doors open on to a central hall, capable of holding up to 2,500 people.[24] The temple is situated on a 26-acre (105,000 m²; 10.5 ha) property featuring nine surrounding ponds.[24]

Santiago, Chile
Mother Temple of South America
Designer	Siamak Hariri
Dedication	13 October 2016
Capacity	600 seats
Cost	$30,000,000
Height	30 m
Ground breaking	Construction began in November, 2010.

The continental Bahá'í House of Worship for South America was the last continental temple to be completed and is located in Santiago, Chile.[27] In late 2002, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Chile announced a competition for the design of the temple.[28] The chosen design was by Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontarini Architects in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[29] The construction phase started in November 2010[30] and construction was completed in October 2016,[31] with doors opening on October 19, 2016.[32] The Santiago temple has won a range of Canadian and international architectural awards.[33][34][35][36][37][38]

The Santiago Bahá'í House of Worship is ringed by nine entrances, nine pathways, and nine fountains, and the structure is composed of nine arching "sails."[32] These have also been described as nine "petals" and the temple's shape as "floral"; the "petals" are separated by glass which allows light to illuminate the temple's interior.[39] The exterior of the "petals" is made from cast glass while the interior is made from Portuguese marble.[35] The sides of the temple are held up on the inside by a steel and aluminum superstructure.[32] The temple can seat 600 people[38] and it is 30 metres high and 30 metres in diameter.[39]

Local Bahá'í House of Worship in Battambang

The Battambang, Cambodia temple was the world's first local Bahá'í House of Worship to be completed. The temple was designed by Cambodian architect Sochet Vitou Tang, who is a practicing Buddhist, and integrates distinctive Cambodian architectural principles.[41] A dedication ceremony and official opening conference took place on September 1–2, 2017, attended by Cambodian dignitaries, locals, and representatives of Bahá'í communities throughout southeast Asia.[42][43]

Local Bahá'í House of Worship in Agua Azul, Colombia

The temple in Agua Azul in the municipality of Villa Rica in the Cauca Department, Colombia was the second local House of Worship to be completed. The temple design, by architect Julian Gutierrez Chacon, was inspired by the shape of the cocoa pod, a plant integral to Colombian culture.[44] An opening dedication ceremony was conducted on July 22, 2018, followed by devotional services in the House of Worship.[45]

A local Bahá'í House of Worship was opened on Sunday, May 23, 2021 in Matunda Soy, Kenya.[46]

On November 13, 2021, a local Bahá'í House of Worship opened in the town of Lenakel on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu.[47]

Currently, construction of a Bahá'í House of Worship is ongoing in Papua New Guinea,[48] while groundbreaking ceremonies have taken place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo[49] and India.[50]

Approved Design for Bahá'í House of Worship, Tehran, Iran

A site was selected and purchased before 1944[51] for a Bahá'í House of Worship in Tehran, Iran.[18] Upon the request of Shoghi Effendi, Charles Mason Remey provided a design for this temple which Shoghi Effendi approved. The drawing of it was published in The Bahá'í World XIV: 1963-1968, p. 495. The construction of this temple has been delayed indefinitely, however, due to the hostile political situation in Iran.[52][18]

Model of the Mount Carmel House of Worship

Obelisk marking the position of the future Bahá'í House of Worship, Mount Carmel, Haifa

A site has been selected for a Bahá'í Temple in the vicinity of the Bahá'í World Centre on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. It is near the spot where Baháʼu'lláh chanted the Tablet of Carmel, the "Charter of the World Spiritual and Administrative Centers of the Faith on that mountain" according to Shoghi Effendi. A design by Mason Remey was approved by Shoghi Effendi.[53] A photo of that model can be found in Baha'i World vol. XII, p. 548. It now stands in the upper hall of the Mansion of Bahji.[54] In August 1971 the Universal House of Justice erected an obelisk on the site, on the side of which is the Greatest Name.

Upon his visit to Green Acre in Eliot, Maine in 1912, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá stated that the second Bahá'í House of Worship in the United States would be located there.[55]

• Buck, Christopher (2010). "Temples—Baha'i Faith". In Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin (eds.). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. 6. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 2817–2821. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
• Hassall, Graham (2012). "The Bahá'í House of Worship: Localisation and Universal Form". In Cusack, Carol; Norman, Alex (eds.). Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. 4. Leiden: Brill. pp. 599–632. doi:10.1163/9789004226487_025. ISBN 978-90-04-22187-1. ISSN 1874-6691.
• Momen, Moojan (2010). "Mašreq al-Aḏkār". Encyclopædia Iranica (online ed.).
• Rafati, V.; Sahba, F. (1988). "BAHAISM ix. Bahai temples". Encyclopædia Iranica. III. pp. 465–467.

• Armstrong-Ingram, R. Jackson (1987). Music, Devotions, and Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. Studies in Bábí and Bahá'í History. 4. Los Angeles: Kalimát Press.
• Badiee, Julie (1992). An Earthly Paradise: Baháʼí Houses of Worship Around the World. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-316-X.
• Whitmore, Bruce W. (1984). The Dawning Place: The Building of a Temple, the Forging of the North American Baháʼí Community. Baháʼí Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, USA. ISBN 0-87743-192-2.