Pilgrimage or Tourism at the Baha'i Gardens?

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Akko and Haifa are the two holiest cities for the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'i Gardens, located on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel, have become a major tourist site in recent years. Baha'i pilgrims also travel there to pray and meditate at the Shrine of the Báb located in the gardens. Why are these two cities holy to the Baha'is? What is the significance of pilgrimage here?

Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry
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This is an excellent presentation of the brief history of the Baha'i Faith and the holy sites by someone who's actually not Baha'i. Your research and accuracy is commendable. Thank you for presenting in such an honest and relevant style.

robizadi
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This comment section is proof that discussions about religion can be civil and respectful. It makes me happy.

elfarlaur
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Fun fact: The Shrine of the Bab was built by a Canadian Bahai architect who also built the Saskatchewan Legislative Building.

mjr_schneider
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I recently visited Haifa and Akko as a Baha'i pilgrim. It was a beautiful and humbling experience, coming home to my true self! It was a time for praying and meditating, and visiting the places where Baha'u'llah has been. I also love the scent of roses in the Shrine of the Bab and Baha'u'llah. Thanks for this video, you are well informed and you did your research!

SaraEbra
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Thank you for your thoughtful commentary on the Baha'i Faith. I am a Baha'i and my husband and I went on Pilgrimage in 2005. Pilgrimage is a 9 day experience. We are divided into groups and our Pilgrim Guide, a Baha'i, takes us around to the Holy sites in Acca and Haifa. We are also given plenty of time to pray and visit the Shrines and other sites on our own. It is a deeply personal experience which is different for everyone. Pilgrims have the opportunity to meet with the members of the Universal House of Justice, the elected governing body of the Baha'i Faith. Pilgrims also associate with each other in the Pilgrim House for meals and to share experiences with Baha'is from all parts of the world. Baha'is are not supposed to proselytize; however we do love to talk about and "teach" our Faith when there is interest. For this reason, out of respect for the Government of Israel, except for the few Baha'is living and working on Mount Carmel, Akka, and a representative Office in Jerusalem, Baha'is are not allowed to live in Israel or even to visit without permission from the House of Justice. The "Baha'i Gardens" or "Persian Gardens" have received the Beautification of Israel award twice. Wishing you peace and love.

dorothylongo
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My husband, who is a member of the Bahai Faith, and I went on pilgrimage to Haifa & Akka in 2019. I am still a practicing Catholic Christian but appreciate and love the Bahai faith and writings. The experience on the long (9 day) pilgrimage was very enriching, peaceful and meditative. The trip was curated in the sense we went to 2-3 sites each day that were connected or associated. (Early arrival of Baháʼu'lláh, exile, life of Abdu'l-Bahá, etc) We were put into tour groups of about 15-20 people by language to allow a tour in a language we understood. Our Bahai volunteer guide would tell us some of the history of the site, certain writings or prayers that may have started there. Along the way we were encouraged to sit and pray or meditate, given 30-45 minutes in each of the important rooms or locations just to be, no other things to read or accomplish. There was some group readings and prayers mixed in. It was a very unique way to experience the sites where holy people walked and lived.

An answer to a question you didn't specifically ask: The reason there is not a large permanent Bahai community in Israel is because when the state of Israel agreed to allow Bahais access to their various holy sites where Baháʼu'lláh and his son/successor Abdu'l-Bahá lived & taught, part of the agreement stated the Bahais could not prosthelytize in Israel. Probably also why your tour guide was a Jewish Israeli.

saramcguff
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I have never heard of the Bahá'í Faith before. Thank you for the exposure to something completely new to me.

Rywhiskey
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Wow! What a fantastic video you put together, well done! Very informative and the final question comparing pilgrimage to tourism is a stimulating one. I am a Baha’i from Phoenix, Arizona and I have been on pilgrimage to Haifa and Akka twice.

The first time I went with my family when I was 19 years old and I had quite an interesting experience connected to your question. In fact, in our pilgrim orientation our pilgrim guide made a point to emphasize that we approach our experience with the mindset of a pilgrim, rather than a tourist. Up until that point I had been most excited about all of the great pictures I would get of all of the beautiful gardens and monuments with my new digital camera.

Later that day walking around I was taking pictures with my digital camera, when my camera slipped out of my hand and landed lens first on the hard concrete. The camera was damaged beyond repair, and I would not be able to take pictures for the remainder of the pilgrimage. I couldn’t help but think this may be a divine act to teach me an important lesson. Whether or not it was divine intervention or mere coincidence, it helped me to get into the mindset of a pilgrim where I was more present mentally and spiritually with each place we visited the remainder of the pilgrimage.

I had the bounty of returning for another pilgrimage about three years ago, this time around I was a much more mature and devout Baha’i. And all I can say was that it was one of the most spiritually edifying experiences I’ve ever had. My wife and I prayed fervently to have our first child, which we later conceived just a few months later. Interestingly, I also had some mental tests going on throughout the pilgrimage that really helped to humble my soul and pray deeply to become a better human being.

Additionally, the bounty of being able to pray right at the burial site of a Messenger of God is quite a remarkable experience. Also, having a formal program put together that is spiritually reverent, historically educational, and brings together pilgrims from all over the world in unity brought my soul so much joy!

Those are just some thoughts on my mind at the moment about your question, hope they are insightful. Thanks again for putting together this wonderful video and wonderful YouTube channel!

All the best to you and your endeavors. 🙏🏽

ColbyJeffers
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I recently came back home after years of living abroad and going thru my stuff I found a book gifted to me so many years ago by an ex boyfriend of mine. The book is "the hidden words" and I never read it before but started yesterday and I thought maybe you had a video about it!!! I've been following your channel for a long time! Thank you for such interesting content.

rochi_mochi_co
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Pilgrimage goes beyond words.The holy threshold is described as: "exalted above the knowledge of the learned and the praise of all that glorify Thee.."
The effects of pilgrimage for a believer grow deeper and more powerful over time.

nancycole-auguste
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Long time subscriber and Bahá’í here. Firstly, thank you for this presentation. Your videos are always enlightening.
I think in every religious group there are members with varying degrees of devotion, including in the Bahá’í Faith. All scriptures teach the sacredness and holiness of pilgrimage. Some adherents I think are casually committed and so the pilgrimage experience will be more material (touristy) than spiritual. Christians for example, given there are over 2 billion, you’re gonna get a heck of a lot of tourists, but of course there are plenty who completely avoid the material attractions and for them is a spiritual devotional experience of Christ and His passion. At the same time, I’m sure there are Bahá’ís who treat Bahá’í pilgrimage as mostly a tourist experience with pretty gardens and buildings, buying souvenir trinkets to bring home. Not saying one is bad or good. But it’s a spectrum. So I won’t say “for Bahá’ís pilgrimage is...” but I can definitely say according to Bahá’í texts..
“Render thanks unto God that thou didst come to the Blessed Spot, didst lay thy head upon the Threshold of the Sacred Shrine, and didst make pilgrimage to the hallowed sanctuary round which circle in adoration the intimates of the spiritual realm. Thou didst gain admittance into the assemblage of the Merciful and didst enjoy communion”
But if you wanna see how Bahá’ís themselves experience it YouTube search “Pilgrimage: A Sacred Experience”. It’s a video made by the Bahá’í world community.

shadbakht
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Hi Andrew, Excellent video (as always). As someone who has seen a great number of short presentations of the history of the Baha’i Faith, I give you top marks on accuracy. Your observation about the separate experience of pilgrims and tourists is also very astute. Jay D. Gatrell and Noga Collins-Kreiner have offered an analysis of it in their paper “Negotiated space: Tourists, pilgrims, and the Bahá’í terraced gardens in Haifa”. Baha’i pilgrimage is as you surmise quite different from that of a tourist. While some tourists do draw some spiritual experience from their visit, the guides are there primarily to inform. In a Baha’i pilgrimage every planned activity serves the purpose of providing the pilgrim with an experience that is spiritually meaningful and connects them with the history of the Baha’i Faith in a personal way. They also given the opportunity to visit the shrines for prayer and meditation on their own.

dgrolin
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I fell upon your channel by accident, and I am staying with you on purpose. Thank you for your informed and measure discussions about religions. At 76 years old, I find it reassuring that you are able to inform, not incite.

William-tw
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I'd love to see more on Bahá'í, it's something I've been interested in for a long while.

rorysparshott
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What a lovely presentation. A pilgrimage would, for me, represent a homecoming. As a member of the Baha'i Faith, I am deeply drawn to my dream of a visit to Haifa and Akka. It is the 'home' I've not yet seen. It will be a solace of the deepest order when I do.

Tourism is sight-seeing, with a focus on viewing places of interest, learning some of the history associated with the sights, and education, and perhaps a new interest to learn more is awakened.

BarbaraPryor-Smith
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4:24 that's a very beautiful building with that garden and view.
It's somewhat classical, romantic, but also has this something of eternal and futuristic.

daddyleon
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I went there as a pilgrim in 2007 CE, no idea what it's like as a tourist, but the pilgrimage was one of the most meaningful, beautiful and wonderful experiences of my life! I hope to go again together with my wife and children once they're old enough to appreciate it more. I don't recall seeing any tour groups, but i might have. Also, pilgrims get exclusive access to the terraced gardens and don't have to move around in a group.

balancepositivetherapy
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I am a Baha'i and I went on pilgrimage in December. The experience is vastly different from that of a tourist, but most of that is attributed to the goals of a pilgrim vs that of a tourist. As s pilgrim we become more intimately acquainted with the persons of the Bab and Bahaullah who are both buried there, and in Bahaullah's case spent the last 40 years of his life there. It is for Baha'is the most sacred spot on earth, and pilgrimage a time to reflect on our lives. Tourists most likely go for a different experience.

veiloflight
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Thank you for making a video about the Baha'i Faith. it warms my heart to come across this as I was learning about the Hajj in one of yhour other videos. I have been a Baha'i my entire life and have made one 9-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Israel, nearly 20 years ago. I cannot express to you how powerful an exprience it was... my heart and soul felt like it had returned home and there was nothing but pure love in that place. It was a very moving experience and I learnt a lot, not just about the Faith itself, but also about my own spiritual journey. I received a great numnber of insights there and being able to enter the sacred shrines, home of the Holy family and the archives building on Mount Carmel, in which one can see relics from the time of The Bab and Baha'u'llah, was a most magical experience.

I can remember everything about it... the scent of the roses at the threshhold of Baha'u'llah's resting place, the only photograph of His blessed face, the broken roof tiles that form the pathways at the gardens of Bahji, the smiles from the Baha'i youth that volunteered at the pilgrim centre or tended to the gardens every day...it was unlike anything I've ever experienced anywhere on earth, and I've seen a lot of this great planet of ours. Definitely hard to top!

Though, I suspect the experience is as unique as the individual who makes the pilgrimage itself. All the best with your channel, it's refreshing to come across something that is sharing such meaningful content.

paulhennessey
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My ex girlfriend is Persian and her and her family were Baha’i I never fully understood the religion but I think this video did a good job explaining it to us. Thank you.

westnile
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