Experience the Baha’i Gardens and the Shrines of the Bab and Baha’u’llah from Home

The gardens surrounding the Shrines of the Bab and Baha’u’llah in Israel are open to the public at designated times and they are visited by more than one million guests every year! In 2008, these unique structures and gardens were inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in recognition of their “outstanding universal value” as holy places and places of pilgrimage for followers of the Baha’i Faith.

As a precautionary measure and in compliance with health regulations regarding the coronavirus, the Shrines and their surrounding gardens have been closed. However, www.ganbahai.org.il, which is the official public website for visitor information to these holy places has just launched a new gallery of images and videos, including historical ones, so you can visit these special places from home. You can see them all here: http://gallery.ganbahai.org.il/

It’s really important to distinguish that this website, and its accompanying information, is for general members of the Israeli public or for tourists.

Information about visiting the Shrines of the Bab and Baha’u’llah (and other holy places in the region) as a Baha’i can be found here: https://pilgrimage.bwc.org/

If you’re curious why the Shrines of the Prophet-Founders of the Baha’i Faith are in Israel and why the global administrative headquarters for the Baha’i community is in Haifa, you might enjoy this article: Why is the Baha’i World Centre in Israel?

Also, if you are looking for beautiful imagery of the Shrines and Holy Places, you might also enjoy these resources found on Baha’i Blog:

• Pathways – The Baha’i Gardens in the Holy Land
• 17 Majestic Photos of the Baha’i Gardens in Israel
• The Sun of Baha Has Set: Images of Bahji
• Negeen Sobhani’s Stunning Photos of the Shrine of the Bab

Lastly, a wonderful resource for photos is the Baha’i Media Bank. Although these images are posted for everyone to use freely, we definitely recommend reading their terms of use.

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.