Swift and savage persecution at the hands of the dominant Muslim clergy followed this announcement. The Báb was arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and finally on July 9, 1850 was executed in the public square of the city of Tabriz. Some 20,000 of His followers perished in a series of massacres throughout Persia. Today, the majestic building with the golden dome, overlooking the Bay of Haifa, Israel, and set amidst beautiful gardens, is the Shrine where the Báb's earthly remains are entombed.

The Promised One

Born in 1817, Bahá'u'lláh was a member of one of the great patrician families of Persia. The family could trace its lineage to the ruling dynasties of Persia's imperial past, and was endowed with wealth and vast estates. Turning His back on the position at court which these advantages offered Him, Bahá'u'lláh became known for His generosity and kindliness which made Him deeply loved among His countrymen.

Bahá'u'lláh's privileged position did not long survive His announcement of support for the message of the Báb. Engulfed in the waves of violence unleashed upon the Bábís after the Báb's execution, Bahá'u'lláh suffered not only the loss of all His worldly endowments but was subjected to imprisonment, torture, and a series of banishments. The first was to Baghdad where, in 1863, He announced Himself as the One promised by the Báb. From Baghdad, Bahá'u'lláh was sent to Constantinople, to Adrianople, and finally to Akka, in the Holy Land, where He arrived as a prisoner in 1868.

From Adrianople and later from Akka, Bahá'u'lláh addressed a series of letters to the rulers of His day that are among the most remarkable documents in religious history. They proclaimed the coming unification of humanity and the emergence of a world civilization.

The kings, emperors, and presidents of the nineteenth century were called upon to reconcile their differences, curtail their armaments, and devote their energies to the establishment of universal peace.

Bahá'u'lláh passed away at Bahjí, just north of Akka, and is buried there. His teachings had already begun to spread beyond the confines of the Middle East, and His Shrine is, today, the focal point of the world community which these teachings have brought into being.

The Interpreter

From earliest childhood, `Abbas Effendi, the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, shared His father's sufferings and banishments. He took as His title `Abdu'l-Bahá, the "servant of Bahá." Bahá'u'lláh appointed Him the one authorized interpreter of the Bahá'í teachings and the Head of the Faith after His own passing. In `Abdu'l-Bahá was seen a perfect example of the Bahá'í way of life.

While `Abdu'l-Bahá was still a prisoner of the Ottomans, the first Bahá'í pilgrims from the western world arrived in Akka in 1898. After His release in 1908, `Abdu'l-Bahá set out on a series of journeys which, in 1911-1913, took Him to Europe and America. There He proclaimed Bahá'u'lláh's message of unity and social justice to church congregations, peace societies, the members of trade unions, university faculties, journalists, government officials, and many public audiences.

`Abdu'l-Bahá passed away in 1921, having consolidated the foundations of the Bahá'í Faith and greatly expanded its reach. The northern rooms of the Shrine of the Báb, where He is interred, are a place of pilgrimage for Bahá'ís visiting the World Center of their Faith.

The Guardian

Abdu'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament appointed His grandson, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith and interpreter of its teachings. Shoghi Effendi served until his death in 1957. During these thirty-six years the Guardian translated many of the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá into English, expounded their meanings, encouraged the establishment of local and national Bahá'í institutions, and guided a series of plans aimed at diffusing Bahá'í ideals throughout the world.

In the Holy Land, the Guardian's enduring memorial is the magnificent setting he created for the World Center of the Bahá'í Faith. The completion of the Shrine of the Báb was his work as was the construction of the International Bahá'í Archives building. It was also Shoghi Effendi who designed and laid out the gardens at Bahjí and on the slopes of Mount Carmel.

1957-The Present

After Shoghi Effendi’s passing, in accordance with the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Universal House of Justice was elected by the National Spiritual Assemblies from around the world. It is the global governing body of the Bahá'í Faith, located on the slopes of Mount Carmel, in Haifa, Israel. The Universal House of Justice guides the Bahá'í community in all matters not specifically elucidated in the writings and Scriptures and oversees its expansion. It has continued translations of the Holy Writings, orchestrated defense of the persecuted Iranian Bahá'ís, encouraged and guided the development of Bahá'í communities throughout the world, and continued the development of the shrines, administrative sites and gardens. Under its guidance the Bahá'í community has achieved consultative status at the United Nations as an international non-governmental organization. In 2001, the Bahá'í community completed the nineteen garden terraces that ascend Mount Carmel. News articles have been published around the world extolling their beauty and majesty.  The terraces have been called one of the ten manmade wonders of the world.

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