By Special to the Town Crier
This coming Tuesday, the Bahá’ís of Los Altos will take part in a celebration of unity and hope for the human race. The Bahá’ís of the world will open the 19 stunning terraces, formal gardens and fountains that extend from the port city of Haifa, Israel, to the summit of Mount Carmel.
A twilight ceremony, featuring an open-air premier concert at the base of Mount Carmel, will conclude with the spectacular lighting of the terraces. At the heart of the terraces is the gold domed shrine of the Bab, one of the most important holy places for the Bahá’ís. The event will be televised and broadcast worldwide, live via satellite.
The following morning, more than 3,500 Bahá’ís from almost every country in the world will walk up the terraces for the first time, in a solemn act of worship.
Many will celebrate their heritage in colorful national dress, as they demonstrate the central principle of the Bahá’í Faith: the unity of human race.
Among the celebrants will be 18 Bahá’ís representing the beauty and diversity of the United States.
For Bahá’ís, the completion of the terraces is concurrent with the faith’s realization of a century-long dream to create a spiritual and administrative center, which will befittingly represent the religion, long persecuted in the land of its birth, Iran.
This month, the Bahá’í community of Los Altos has placed two prominent displays on Bahá’í architecture at the Los Altos Library.
Maryam Afshar, a Bahá’í of Los Altos, who recently returned from the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, said “these projects on Mount Carmel have been the focus of the Bahá’í world community for over 20 years. They will now attract the attention of visitors and architects from around the world and proclaim the principles of our Faith.”
In a little more than 100 years, the Bahá’í faith has grown from an obscure movement in the Middle East to the second-most widespread religion after Christianity, with over five million members in 235 countries and dependent territories.
For more information, including photographs, available at: www.bahaiworldnews.org/terraces/index.html.
