Baha'i news: Holy place restoration sheds light on region's heritage

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Holy place restoration sheds light on region's heritage


ACRE, Israel, 1 November (BWNS) – After more than three years of 
restoration and conservation work, a Baha'i sacred site is offering a 
glimpse into the industrial and spiritual heritage of this part of 
the Holy Land.

From the Roman era into the early 20th century, mills on this site – 
some two kilometers southeast of the old city of Acre – produced the 
flour to feed the area's population.

"This was a very significant agricultural hinterland for the city," 
points out Albert Lincoln, Secretary General of the Baha'i 
International Community. "The mills were part of what was probably 
one of the region's largest industrial complexes. They were first 
documented in 1799 by the French delegation surveying the area in 
connection with Napoleon's intended conquest."

But for Baha'is, this place has spiritual significance, adds Mr. 
Lincoln. "It's one of the most beautiful holy places associated with 
the presence of Baha'u'llah here during the late 19th century."

In 1875 – eight years after Baha'u'llah's incarceration within the 
walls of the prison city of Acre – His son 'Abdul-Baha rented an 
island formed by two water canals, diverted from the Na'mayn river to 
power the flour mills. On this island, 'Abdu'l-Baha created an 
exquisite garden for His father Who, by then, had suffered more than 
two decades of imprisonment and exile. Baha'u'llah called the garden 
"Ridvan" – meaning "paradise".

A swamp drainage scheme to curb malaria and increase arable farmland 
in the 1930s and 1940s deprived the garden of its unique island 
setting. But now, with the restoration of the water canals, the 
Ridvan Garden is an island once again. This week, some 280 Baha'is – 
from as far afield as Mongolia, Rwanda and El Salvador – became the 
first pilgrims since 2007 to visit this holy place. 


A "verdant isle"

After 'Abdu'l-Baha's acquisition of the island, pilgrims from Iran 
and neighboring countries brought shrubs, trees and flowering plants 
to populate the flower beds. During their long overland journeys, 
some of the travelers watered the plants at the expense of their own 
thirst.

As restrictions on His movements were gradually relaxed, Baha'u'llah 
made His first visits to the garden. He went there often, sometimes 
staying overnight in a modest house on the island.

The spot also became known outside of the Baha'i community. Laurence 
Oliphant, a British writer who visited in 1883, remarked, "Coming 
upon it suddenly it is like a scene in fairy land...The stream is 
fringed with weeping willows, and the spot, with its wealth of water, 
its thick shade, and air fragrant with jasmine and orange blossoms, 
forms an ideal retreat from the heats of summer."

Using historic photographs and descriptions, an international team of 
architects and engineers has restored the Ridvan garden to its 
original character, assisted by the Israel Antiquity Authority which 
provided a conservation survey of the entire site and carried out 
part of the work. 

"Our mission was to recreate the island as it had been at the time of 
Baha'u'llah," says Khosrow Rezai, a representative of the design team 
who oversaw the project. "So our task was to investigate and find as 
much historical evidence as we could about how it looked, so we could 
bring the island back to life."

The two water canals have been reinstated on either side of the 
garden at their original locations, leading to the flour mills – some 
of which have also been restored. "We found an aquifer 40 meters 
underground and are using it to feed the canals," says Mr. Rezai. 
"But the configuration of the canals gives the impression that the 
water is once again coming from the mountains and is flowing out 
towards the ocean."

With the recreation of the garden's original setting, pilgrims can 
now experience the feeling of a spiritual retreat. "We have tried to 
convey, to the extent possible, the tranquillity of the garden 
prepared by 'Abdu'l-Baha as a place where Baha'u'llah could find 
rest," says Mr. Rezai. "Being able to see the water gives you an 
amazing feeling. You cross it, you smell it, you hear it. Hopefully 
it transmits the sense of happiness and joy that Baha'u'llah felt."

Albert Lincoln agrees that the restoration has brought about a 
radical change in the atmosphere of the place. "It's part of the 
territory that comes with being a religion born in historical time – 
as opposed to archaeological time – that we have the possibility of 
doing authentic restoration and of recreating quite closely the 
feeling that prevailed when Baha'u'llah was actually here. He 
referred to it as 'Our Verdant Isle' and wrote some beautiful things 
in which he describes Himself actually sitting in the garden at the 
time when it had water around it.
 
"In one passage, Baha'u'llah says that He was here in the garden 
enjoying 'its streams flowing, and its trees luxuriant, and the 
sunlight playing in their midst.' The whole narrative that goes with 
it is an outdoors narrative – it's sun, wind, water – all these 
factors," enthuses Mr. Lincoln.


A unique holy place

Just visible on the southern horizon from the site, Mount Carmel 
rises up, the location of the Shrine of the Bab and its monumental 
garden terraces. They – along with the Shrine of Baha'u'llah and its 
environs north of the Ridvan garden – were named UNESCO World 
Heritage sites in 2008.

But the Ridvan Garden is unique among Baha'i holy places, says Mr. 
Lincoln. "In the others, the gardens surround buildings and 
structures. But here, the holy place is in itself a garden, and on a 
more intimate scale than the others."

"With its conservation – and the restoration of the flour mills – the 
whole site says something about the historical roots of the Baha'i 
Faith in this land and how they are intertwined with the history of 
the country," he says.



To view this article and photographs online, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/787