# Temples, Baha'i

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-20 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Christopher Buck, Temples, Baha'i, bahai-library.com.
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> World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy                             http://religion2.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1584364?sid=157...
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> Baha'i temples
> 
> The Baha'i temple—known as a Mashriqul-Adhkar, literally the "Dawning Place of the
> Praise [of God]"—is one of the institutions conceived by Baha'u'llah, the founder of the
> Baha'i Faith. Mashriqul-Adhkar is a term with several meanings, depending on context,
> and can variously refer to: (1) a gathering of Baha'is engaged in devotion to God,
> especially at dawn; (2) any building dedicated to such worship (as in Iran and the
> Transcaspian Territory in Russia, where many Baha'i communities designated ordinary
> houses in their local communities as Mashriqul-Adhkars); (3) the complex of institutions
> surrounding a central house of worship that Baha'u'llah ordained to be at the very heart of
> every Baha'i community; or (4) the central house of worship itself. The only Baha'i temples
> that exist at present are continental temples. National and local Baha'i houses of worship
> will, in successive stages, be built in the future, as circumstances and resources allow.
> 
> In the Baha'i book of laws, The Most Holy Book (Kitab-i Aqdas), Baha'u'llah ordained that a temple be raised up
> in every city, town, and village throughout the world. While it was Baha'u'llah who instituted the Baha'i temple, it
> was Abdul-Baha who further elaborated on its essential architectural character and social purposes. Abdul-Baha
> encouraged Baha'is to establish Mashriqu-Adhkars in every "hamlet and city." If not possible due to persecution,
> then a Mashriqul-Adhkar could even be "underground."
> 
> Linking worship to service to humanity, the Baha'i house of worship takes on greater social significance in that it
> is not just spiritual in character, but is dedicated to medical, charitable, educational, and scientific pursuits as well.
> Thus the Baha'i temple is part of a grand vision of community building and urban planning, universally conceived
> and locally planned. In the words of Shoghi Effendi, Baha'u'llah's grandson and "Guardian" of the Baha'i Faith
> from 1921 to 1957, each house of worship and its dependencies "shall afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to
> the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved, and education to the ignorant."
> 
> Also associated with each Baha'i house of worship—although not part of the temple complex, strictly
> speaking—is a center for Baha'i administration, known as a Haziratul-Quds ("Sacred Fold"), although it is not to
> be connected to the Baha'i temple as such. An institution complementary to the Mashriqul-Adhkar, the
> Haziratul-Quds may consist of a council chamber, secretariat, treasury, publishing trust, archives, library, and
> assembly hall, and may be situated near the Mashriqul-Adhkar, although this is not a requirement, as is already
> the case in Wilmette, Illinois, where the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar—as the headquarters of the National Spiritual
> Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States—is located in Wilmette and in nearby Evanston.
> 
> The basic design for a Baha'i house of worship is distinctive in that each temple requires three essential
> elements: (1) a nine-sided, (2) circular shape, (3) surrounded by nine gardens with walkways. In Baha'i thought,
> the number nine symbolizes completion, perfection, and the unity of religions in their pure form. Nine likewise
> represents the numerical value of the Arabic word, "Baha'," from which the words "Baha'u'llah" and "Baha'i"
> (follower of Baha'u'llah) are derived. While a dome is not an essential requirement, it has so far been a structural
> 
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> World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy                           http://religion2.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1584364?sid=157...
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> feature of all Baha'i temples, as Shoghi Effendi advised in 1955 that "at this time all Baha'i temples should have a
> dome." Beyond these essentials, a Baha'i temple is typically designed to be culturally distinctive, often
> incorporating indigenous architectural influences in the design. Each design is selected for its intrinsic merit,
> irrespective of whether the architect is Baha'i or not. Two houses of worship—in Frankfurt and Panama—were
> designed by architects not affiliated with the Baha'i Faith, while other nonaffiliated architects have collaborated in
> perfecting the designs in Ishqabad and Sydney.
> 
> The doors of all Baha'i houses of worship are open to people of all religions, races, and nations. No sermons may
> be preached nor rituals performed. Sermons and rituals, as commonly understood, are not part of Baha'i practice
> anywhere, and the Baha'i Faith has no clergy. Use of pulpits is expressly forbidden in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, not just
> in the temples. No fixed speaker's platforms or altars are allowed, although readers may read sacred scriptures
> from behind an unadorned, portable lectern. During devotional programs, invited readers—of any faith—recite or
> chant, in any language, the sacred scriptures of the Baha'i Faith and of other religions. Baha'u'llah exhorts
> parents to teach their children to memorize passages from the Baha'i writings, so that they may chant or recite
> them in the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar. In the Baha'i house of worship in Wilmette, devotional services are currently held
> at 12:30 p.m. daily.
> 
> At present, there is a Baha'i house of worship on each continent of the world, with the construction of national and
> local houses of worship reserved for the future, as resources permit. The resources, or funds, necessary to erect
> and maintain these institutions comes from the regular or earmarked contributions of Baha'is only. Accepting
> donations from outside sources is strictly forbidden, as only Baha'is have the privilege of contributing to the Baha'i
> funds. While each Baha'i temple is administered and maintained by the national Baha'i council (known as a
> National Spiritual Assembly) of the country in which the temple is located, the ultimate oversight of the continental
> Baha'i houses of worship is by the international governing Baha'i council, called the Universal House of Justice,
> established in 1963. There are now seven Baha'i temples, with a eighth under construction, although the first
> Baha'i temple, which no longer exists, would bring the number to nine.
> 
> The first Baha'i temple was built in Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) in Russia's Transcaspian Territory (now Turkmenistan).
> It was first planned during the ministry of Baha'u'llah. This temple was designed by Ustad Alí-Akbar Banna of
> Yazd, under the direct supervision of Abdu'l-Baha, during the former's visit to Akka in 1893. Construction began in
> October 1902. Because Banna was killed during an anti-Baha'i pogrom during his visit to Yazd in 1903, a Russian
> engineer named Volkov was then hired to oversee the construction, which was completed in 1919. In 1928, the
> temple was expropriated by the Soviet regime, and was then rented back to the Baha'is for two five-year periods.
> It was finally converted into an art gallery in 1938. In 1948, the temple was damaged by violent earthquakes and
> further weakened by the heavy rains in the following years. In 1963, Soviet authorities demolished the remaining
> edifice and converted the site into a public park.
> 
> The second Baha'i house of worship was built near the shore of Lake Michigan in Wilmette, north of Chicago. On
> May 1, 1912, Abdul-Baha laid the cornerstone, which remains in a special room beneath the main floor of the
> temple itself. The principal architect, Louis J. Bourgeois (French-Canadian), who originated the exterior design in
> 1919, likened the Wilmette house of worship to a "Great Bell, calling to America." The temple was dedicated on
> May 1, 1953. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and has received prestigious
> design awards.
> 
> The third Baha'i temple is located in Africa, on Kikaya Hill on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda. It was designed
> 
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> World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy                          http://religion2.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1584364?sid=157...
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> by Charles Mason Remey, who worked closely with Shoghi Effendi in refining the design. Building commenced in
> May 1957, and the temple was dedicated on January 15, 1961. Standing at nearly 124.7 feet in height, the
> temple was the highest structure in East Africa at the time of its construction.
> 
> A landmark on the scenic northern coast of Sydney, Australia, the fourth Baha'i temple is located in Ingleside on
> the Mona Vale Hilltop, in the hills and bushland overlooking the beaches below. Also designed by Remey,
> excavations began in December 1957, and the completed temple was dedicated on September 16, 1961. Like
> the Wilmette temple, the Sydney house of worship is distinguished by its innovative use of crushed quartz
> concrete.
> 
> The fifth Baha'i temple was designed and built by Frankfurt architect Teuto Rocholl at Langenhain, in the Taunus
> Hills near Frankfurt-am-Main, West Germany. Its foundation stone was laid in November 1960 and the temple
> was dedicated on July 4, 1964, by Ruhiyyih Rabbani—distinguished Hand of the Cause of God (an appointed
> dignitary whose mission is to promulgate and protect the Baha'i Faith) and wife of the late Shoghi Effendi
> —representing the Universal House of Justice. All existing Baha'i temples were dedicated by Ruhiyyih Rabbani,
> in fact.
> 
> The sixth Baha'i temple was built on Cerro Sonsonate, a mountain seven miles north of Panama City, Panama.
> The cornerstone was laid on October 8, 1967. Designed by English architect Peter Tillotson, construction
> commenced on December 1, 1969, and the temple was dedicated on April 29, 1972. The temple's parabolic
> dome is built on the principle of a shell. Adorning the dome's supporting walls are abstract designs, in red marble
> chips, that evoke the decor of temples of the ancient Americas. Mahogany seats, set on a terrazzo floor,
> complete the interior space, which seats 550 people.
> 
> The seventh Baha'i temple was built in Western Samoa, in the Pacific Ocean, at Tiapapata, in the hills behind
> Apia. Designed by Hossein Amanat, the foundation stone was laid on January 27, 1979, by His Highness Susuga
> Malietoa Tanumafili II, Head of State of Samoa—the first ruling head of state in the world to become a
> Baha'i—and by Hand of the Cause, Ruhiyyih Rabbani, representing the Universal House of Justice. Both
> dignitaries also were prominent in the dedication of the house of worship on September 1, 1984.
> 
> The eighth Baha'i temple, known as the Lotus Temple because of its shape, was built near Nehru Place, at
> Bahapur, in New Delhi, India. Designed by Fariburz Sahba, a Canadian of Iranian birth, the Lotus Temple was
> conceived as a lotus that appears to float in a series of nine reflecting pools. There are three rows of nine petals
> each on the outside of the temple—that is, 27 exterior petals on the outside of the temple—and 2 interior rows of
> 9 petals, which comprise the interior dome of the Lotus. So there are five rows of nine petals each, representing
> the sacred names, the "Bab" and "Baha'"—commemorating the two prophet-founders of the Baha'i Faith.
> Described by one commentator as having the "the grandeur of a palace and the peace of a monastery," the
> design of Lotus Temple was originally inspired after Sahba had visited several holy places in India, when he
> realized that the symbol of the lotus blossom was revered by all the religions of the Indian subcontinent.
> Construction began on April 21, 1980, and the Lotus Temple was dedicated on December 24, 1986.
> 
> The Lotus Temple has enjoyed international renown and critical acclaim, having received prestigious awards from
> architectural and engineering societies. In 1987, the Lotus Temple received a "Structural Award" from the
> Institution of Structural Engineers of the United Kingdom (the world's leading professional body for structural
> engineering) for excellence in structural engineering (excellence, creativity and innovation, sustainability, value,
> 
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> World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy                           http://religion2.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1584364?sid=157...
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> and buildability). In that same year, Sahba was honored with the "First Honor Award—Excellence in Architecture"
> from the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture Affiliate of the American Institute of Architects. In
> 1988, Sahba was given the "Paul Waterbury Special Citation for Outdoor Lighting" by the Illuminating Engineering
> Society of North America for what was described as "the Taj Mahal of the Twentieth Century." In 1990, the
> American Concrete Institute recognized Sahba with its "Finest Concrete Structure in the World" award.
> 
> The ninth Baha'i temple, near Santiago in Chile, is the last of the continental Baha'i temples. Designed by Siamak
> Hariri of Toronto, Canada, this temple is conceived of as a translucent "temple of light." It will, in the words of the
> architect, be "both monumental and intimate, subtly structured and ordered yet capable of dissolving in light."
> This temple is constructed of a dome of glowing, translucent stone, and is notable for its absence of straight lines.
> The structure is created by nine alabaster (translucent stone) and cast-glass "wings," allowing sunlight to filter
> through during the day, and emitting a warm glow from the interior lighting at night. Gracefully torqued, these
> wings wrap around the interior of the dome, creating a nest-like structure. Each wing is made of two delicate
> skins of semitransparent, subtly gridded alabaster, with a steel structure enclosed in curving glass in between,
> with its primary structural members intertwining with secondary support members, like the structural veining
> within a leaf. The primary purpose of the nine surrounding ponds is to reflect the temple.
> 
> In its April 2001 message, the Universal House of Justice announced that the completion of the continental
> houses of worship would pave the way for the next stage of Mashriqu'l-Adhkar development: the construction of
> national houses of worship, as circumstances permit.
> 
> Christopher Buck
> 
> Further Reading
> 
> Flint, A. R., D. I. Cooper, and S. Naharoy. "The Structural Design and Construction of Two Baha'i Houses of
> Worship." The Structural Engineer 65, no. 3 (1987); Sahba, Fariburz. "Art and Architecture: A Baha'i Perspective."
> Journal of Baha'i Studies 7, no. 3 (1997): 53–82. http://www.bahai-studies.ca/journal/files
> /jbs/7.3.Sahba(scanned).pdf. Accessed September 6, 2009; Whitmore, Bruce W. The Dawning Place: The
> Building of a Temple, the Forging of the North American Baha'i Community. Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing Trust,
> 1984.
> 
> Select Citation Style:     Chicago
> 
> Chicago
> Buck, Christopher. "Baha'i temples." In World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy. ABC-CLIO, 2011-.
> Accessed October 30, 2011. http://religion2.abc-clio.com/.
> 
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> — *Temples, Baha'i (Used by permission of the curator)*