These wonderful gardens shelter 19 terraces of flowers, water fountains and small sculptures that surround the Shrine of the Báb, the most famous holy place in the Bahá’i faith. This dome-shaped shrine and the monuments and buildings situated in these beautiful gardens make the complex one of the most visited places of pilgrimage in Haifa and Western Galilee. As the name suggests, this shrine was built in honor of the Báb, the prophet who is considered the main founder of the Bahá’i religion.

Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi, the Persian who called himself the Báb, laid the foundations of this new religion almost 200 years ago. His doctrine was preached by his descendants and today the Bahá’i faith has over seven million followers all over the world.

In case you didn’t know, the Bahá’i religion brings together the essential beliefs of all religions and promotes the goal of a unified world which ensures the prosperity of all nations, races, social classes and creeds. Situated in the Bahá’i Gardens, the Bahai World Centre in Haifa is the place where the nine elected leaders make important decisions. This is why Haifa is considered one of the most spiritual cities in the world when it comes to the tradition of pilgrimage in the Bahá’i faith.

The Bahá’i Gardens cover a large area which is divided into three different sections beautifully decorated with flowers and trees, water fountains and small sculptures. The lower section starts from the German Colony, a small area located at the foot of the Bahá’i Gardens, and reaches the Port of Haifa. The middle section includes the gardens around the Shrine of the Báb, which is the resting place of the famous prophet. The upper section lies between the Louis Promenade and the main gate where the visit starts. If you want your visit to be complete, you should cover all these sections.

You can visit the gardens on your own or you can choose one of the guided tours in English, Russian or Hebrew. For the 45-minute guided tour you don’t need a reservation and it’s free of charge. The only condition is to arrive half an hour ahead of the set time because the places are limited and the principle applied is “first come, first served”.

I visited the Bahá’i Gardens on my own because I wanted to take my time and enjoy their beauty to the fullest. As I have already said, I liked this place because, besides its beauty, it has a strong spiritual power. This is one of the places I would like to revisit one day because the hour I spent there went by so fast and lovely. You don’t have to take my words for granted. Just take a look at the following pictures which I’m sure will convince you to pay a visit to the Bahá’i Gardens in case you ever get to Israel.

The post Bahá’i Gardens in pictures appeared first on HikerTips.