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"lighten and uplift
them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses"
-Baha'u'llah
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Mansion
of Bahjí |
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"Greetings
and salutations rest upon this mansion which increaseth
in splendour through the passage of time. Manifold
wonders and marvels are found therein, and pens are
baffled in attempting to describe them."
The
dedicatory statement of `Udi Khammar places over the
lintel upon completion of the mansion in 1870 |
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This
large and imposing building, which covers an area of over 740
square metres, was built about 1870 (over an old one-story
structure built many years previously) as a summer palace for
`Udi Khammar, a prosperous merchant of `Akka and the original
owner of the eastern half of what is now known as the House of
`Abbud. The owners fled during an epidemic, and in 1879 the
Mansion was rented and later purchased as a residence for Baha'u'llah.
It was situated on a piece of elevated land crossed by the
aqueduct which brought water from the springs at Kabri to
`Akka. `Abdu'llah Pasha, the governor of `Akka, had a mansion
immediately to the south, now know as the Baydun Mansion. The
whole area was known as "Al-Bahja" or "Place of
Delight".
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Several
rooms on the upper floor are of particular interest to
Baha'is. The southeaster room was occupied by Bahá'u'lláh.
In it, He received visitors, including the distinguished
orientalist Professor
Edward G. Browne,
whose account of the meeting is familiar to many
Baha'is. The south-western room was used by Shoghi
Effendi during the times he stayed and worked at Bahjí.
The two small rooms at the centre of the north end of
the Mansion are interesting. The one on the left
contained for many years the library of the noted Baha'i
school, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, until it was transferred to
the International Baha'i Library for preservation under
more favourable conditions. The one on the right
contains the original gravestone of the Purest Branch
and of the Mother of `Abdu'l-Baha, as well as her
original coffin, placed there by the Guardian when he
transferred their remains from `Akka to new graves at
the base of the Arc on Mount Carmel in Haifa. |
Decorating
the interior of the Mansion are numerous photographs,
paintings, newspaper clippings, and other materials placed
there by the Guardian.
The Turkish primitive paintings above the windows on the
outside of the building are of no particular significance,
but are considered to be fine examples of such work of the
period.
Of the wall surrounding the Mansion, the one to the south is
completely original and includes, at its eastern end, a
small room which is the tomb of `Udi Khammar and the step
which Baha'u'llah used to mount His steed. The western wall
is original as far as the gate.
Excerpted
from Visiting Baha'i Holy Places, Baha'i World Centre
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