Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh

The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, located in Bahjí near Acre, Israel, is the most holy place for Bahá'ís and represents their Qiblih, or direction of prayer. It contains the remains of Bahá'u'lláh and is near the spot where he died in the Mansion of Bahjí.

The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh is composed of a central area that contains a small, tree-filled garden surrounded by paths covered with Persian rugs. A glass roof was constructed by Qulám-‘Alíy-i-Najjár after the death of Bahá'u'lláh. At the northwest corner of the central area there is a small room containing Bahá'u'lláh's remains. The central area has doors to a number of other rooms that have, in recent years, been opened to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims and visitors.

The shrine, after `Abdu'l-Bahá's death, was occupied by Mírzá Muhammad `Alí and his supporters, who forcibly took the keys to the shrine in January 1922. The governor of Acre ordered the keys to be returned to the authorities and a guard was posted at the shrine. In early 1923 the keys were returned to Shoghi Effendi. In the 1950s, Shoghi Effendi had made plans for a future superstructure, which would surround the whole area and would include a platform with 95 marble columns, each 6 meters high. Shoghi Effendi has called the shrine the Daryá-yi-Núr (Ocean of Light), which has taken the Kúh-i-Núr (Mountain of Light, the Shrine of the Báb) under its shadow.

The shrine and its surrounding gardens, as well as the Mansion of Bahjí, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in July 2008.

Bahá'u'lláh's son Díyá'u'lláh, who died in 1898, was initially buried next to his father. However, having been declared a Covenant-breaker, Díyá'u'lláh's remains were disinterred in a "process" of "purification" through "cleansing" the "inner sanctuary" of the "most hallowed shrine," the "Qiblih" of the "Bahá'í World" at the request of relatives who were opposed to the Covenant-breaker faction of family.