Bahá'à House of Worship
As a Bahai Temple ( Bahai Arabic مشرق الاذكار transcription Mashriqu'l - Adhkár " Dawning of the praise of God") is called the sacral Bahai. Bahai Temple, there are worldwide in the United States, Samoa, Australia, Panama, Germany, India and Uganda. Another temple is being built in Chile.
Idea, purpose and design
All faiths gather in this sacred buildings to prayer and meditation. Neither pictures, statues or musical instruments can be found here. The focus of worship are the scriptures of all religions of the world, which are recited without preaching, interpretation or comment in the original language or translation. The religious leaders of the Baha'i, Baha'u'llah, has determined that the "Word of God " is to act yourself. Every visitor can participate in consultation on the readings.
Sung prayers in all languages and spiritual traditions of humankind are welcome in the temples. The acoustics of the central communal dome structure carries the human voice. No other sounds to the individual reflection and meditation interfere.
In the top of the dome, the crown, is an Arabic calligraphy of the Greatest Name to see an expression of praise: " O Glory of the All-Glorious! ".
Another feature is common to all the temples: Nine goals in all directions symbolize the openness for the followers of different religions.
Otherwise, the houses of worship are characterized by that its architectural diversity that deliberately represents different styles and symbols of different cultures.
History
The foundation stone for the first Baha'i temple was laid in December 1902 in the presence of leading representatives of public life in Ashgabat. Ashgabat was then in the Russian Empire and is today the capital of Turkmenistan. Finish the house was built around 1908. After the October Revolution in 1928, the house was expropriated by the Soviet authorities. However, the Baha'i community was able to use the building as a house of worship until 1938. 1938, the building was completely expropriated and converted into an art gallery in 1948 severely damaged by an earthquake. The heavy annual rains weakened the structure further, so that the building had to be demolished in 1962 for the protection of the adjoining houses. As a side facilities, the house had a hospital, a school and a hostel for travelers.
The foundation stone for the first Baha'i temple in America was laid by Abdul- Baha on March 1, 1912 the Chicago suburb of Wilmette (Illinois ). The dedication of this house on Lake Michigan only took place on 2 May 1953. The first slave device, a retirement home in 1959 started its work.
In January 1961, in Kampala (Uganda ), the first African Bahai Temple, in September 1961 at Mona Vale (about 35 km north of Sydney, Australia), the first house of worship of the antipodes and in July 1964, the first European Bahai Temple in Hofheim am Taunus ( district of Long grove ) inaugurated. 1987 declared the State of Hesse, this building at Frankfurt am Main as a cultural monument.
The first Baha'i Temple of Latin America was inaugurated in April 1972 on the Cerro Sonsonato (north of Panama City ) and the first temple of Oceania 1984 Tiapatu (9 km south of Apia ) in Samoa. The lotus flower-shaped temple in New Delhi, which is also known as the Lotus Temple, was finally inaugurated in December 1986 and won numerous awards for its architecture.
In addition to building and planning
The Bahai Temple is provided as the central building of an entire building complex. Future should be built, which will serve the social, humanitarian, educational and scientific purposes in this complex facilities. Abdul- Baha refers to this plant as "one of the most important institutions in the world " and of Shoghi Effendi it is described as the tangible expression of the connection between " Bahai worship and servitude " in which the " relieve suffering, the poor maintenance, the travelers refuge, the surviving ends consolation and education to the ignorant " is granted. After the Kitab -i -Aqdas a Mashriqu'l - Adhkar should be set up in every town and in every village. Consequently, many National Spiritual Assemblies plots have already acquired. Shoghi Effendi has acquired a site for a house of worship on Mount Carmel, Israel. The place of the future Baha'i temple there is marked by an obelisk since August 1971. The country house Bahji in the Baha'i world center a model of the future Baha'i temple can already be seen.