For more than fifty years, the Baha’i House of Worship in Kampala, Uganda, has been in the Guardian’s words, ‘the spiritual heart of Africa’. It was built in the first decade of Uganda’s Baha’i history, and has stood through the years of plenty, when the Baha’i community of Uganda grew to be the largest on the continent. In the 1970s a wave of Sub-Saharan countries banned the Baha’i Faith, including Uganda, under then rule Idi Amin, but this ban was rescinded in the following decade, and today Uganda is home to tens of thousands of Baha’is.

We’ve collected a dozen photos of the mother temple of Africa from Flickr and 500px, to give you a visual glimpse of this beautiful hub of Baha’i activity and worship.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out our collection of 15 Captivating Photos of the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette.