10 Haparsim Street
10 Haparsim Street, also known as the Western Pilgrim House, is a Bahá’í property located in Haifa, Israel. It has served several important functions of the Bahá’í World Centre and is currently a site visited during Bahá’í pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
History[edit]
Bahá’u’lláh pitched His tent on the site where the building currently stands at some point during His lifetime.[1] In 1919 the land was donated by a Persian Bahá’í to be used for the construction of a building to house pilgrims as there was an increasing number of pilgrims from the West who could not be accommodated with existing facilities. In November 1919 W. H. Randall provided funding for the construction of the building,[2] and designs for the building were prepared at the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.[1][3] The design selected for the building was prepared by Charles Mason Remey.[4]
Shoghi Effendi oversaw the beginning of construction of the building on April 9, 1922,[5] however funds soon ran out and construction was suspended. In 1923 Amelia Collins donated the funds for the completion of the building while on pilgrimage and it was finished in 1926.[6] As of 1927 Australian Bahá’í Effie Baker had moved to the Holy Land and was serving as the hostess of the Western Pilgrim House and Shoghi Effendi renovated the building that year with new furniture.[4] There was a large oval room on the first floor on the north side of the building which was used as a dining room where the western pilgrims would eat and Shoghi Effendi would join them for dinner using a small antechamber room which lead directly from outside to the dining room to enter and leave the building.[7]
From 1951 10 Haparsim Street was used as the offices of the International Bahá’í Council in addition to continuing to accommodate pilgrims,[1] with all members of the Council using it as their residence while serving in the Holy Land, except for Luṭfu’lláh Ḥakím, and Shoghi Effendi conducted his meetings with the body at the dinner table in the building or through messages delivered to the building.[8] In 1961 the Custodians reconstituted the International Bahá’í Council as an elected body and the elected membership converted the dining room of 10 Haparsim Street which Shoghi Effendi used to meet with pilgrims into its consultation chamber and converted the chamber between the dining room and outside which Shoghi Effendi used to leave the building into an office.[9]
In June 1963 it became the Seat of the Universal House of Justice and due to the workload of the body it was decided that the whole of the building was required and it ceased to be used to accommodate pilgrims.[10] On February 2, 1983, the Universal House of Justice moved its seat to the newly constructed Seat of the Universal House of Justice,[11] and on April 15, 1984, the International Teaching Centre occupied the building as its seat.[12]
In 2001 the International Teaching Centre moved its seat to the International Teaching Centre Building,[13] and as of 2003 10 Haparsim Street was being used as the offices of the Bahá’í International Community Secretariat.[1] In 2025 a celebration of the Centenary of the building was held in the Holy Land with one hundred and forty people, including residents of neighbouring properties, civil society representatives, local religious leaders and government officials, and artists, attending the event.[14]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Baha'i World Centre, Visiting Baha'i Holy Places, Baha'i World Centre: Haifa, 2003, p 39
- ↑ David Ruhe, Door of Hope: A Century of the Baha'i Faith in the Holy Land, George Ronald: Oxford, 1983, p 179
- ↑ H.M. Balyuzi, Abdu'l-Baha: The Centre of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1971, p 448
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star of the West, Vol. 18, p 278
- ↑ Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, Baha'i Publishing Trust: London, 1969, p 69
- ↑ David Ruhe, Door of Hope: A Century of the Baha'i Faith in the Holy Land, George Ronald: Oxford, 1983, p 180
- ↑ Ugo Giachery, Shoghi Effendi, George Ronald: Oxford, 1973, p 10
- ↑ Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, Baha'i Publishing Trust: London, 1969, p 148
- ↑ Baha'i News (1961). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 366, Pg(s) 1. View as PDF.
- ↑ 16 June 1963 Message from the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 23. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 28. View as PDF.
- ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/131/
- ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/1801/century-old-haifa-building-serves-meeting-place-friendship
