• The first Trustee of the Huqúqu'lláh was Hájí Sháh-Muhammad-i-Manshádí, or Jináb-i-Sháh Muhammad from Manshád, Yazd who had become a believer in Baghdad. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 25 March, 1985]
• His title was Amínu'l-Bayán (Trustee of the Bayán).
• He made many journeys between Iran and the Holy Land carrying donations and petitions from the friends and returning with Tablets and news.
• See SABF47-48 for the story of the lost coin given as a donation by a very poor woman.
• He was tasked with receiving the casket of the Báb after the location had been discovered by a number of believers. He transferred it to the Mosque of Imámzádih Zayd in Tehran where it was buried beneath the floor of the inner sanctuary of the shrine. It was consequently discovered and moved to a series of private homes in Tehran until 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent for it for the internment. [ISC-1963p32]
• Hájí Sháh-Muhammad was in 'Akká when Áqá Buzurg, entitled Badí', came to confer with Bahá'u'lláh. He and Badí met on Mount Carmel as directed by Bahá'u'lláh.
• He was killed as a result of wounds incurred during an attack during a Kurdish revolt. [RoB3p73]

See History of Information.

The report can be found on Bahá'í Library.

He subsequently wrote to Lt-Col Justin Sheil, the British Minister in Tihran on the 16th of January and again to Canning on the 25th of the month. [BBRp4, 83-90]

The wife of Ḥakím Áqá Ján, Ṭúṭí Khánum, was a deeply faithful believer and his son, Mírzá Mihdí Khán, a doctor of medicine like his father, became the personal physician of Náṣiri'd-Dín Sháh.

In 1881, on his deathbed, Ḥakím Áqá Ján was reported to have seen Bahá'u'lláh standing in his room although He was in the Holy Land. In a tablet addressed to his son after his passing, Bahá'u'lláh said that He was with him at the moment of his ascension. [An Account of the Life of Ḥakím Áqá Ján translated by Adobe Masumian]

For more information on the enrolment of Persian Jews see Jewish Identities in Iran: Resistance and Conversion to Islam and the Baha'i Faith by Mehrdad Amanat as well as Arsalan Geula's Iranian Bahá'ís from Jewish Background: A Portrait of an Emerging Bahá'í Community.]

Among those attracted was the personal court physician during the Qájár Dynasty, Hakím Masíh, who first learned about the Faith when he was accompanying Muhammad Sháh to Karbila. While en route he encountered Tahirih in Baghdad, who was giving a lecture. He also met with her personally and observed her interactions with the divines. Years later he was called upon to treat a child, Ibn -I-Asdaq, who, with his father Ismu'lláhu'l-Asdaq, were chained together in the Siyáh-Chál for two years and four months. For a period of two months he visited the child regularly and learned more of the Faith from his father. Hakím Masíh taught the Faith to his family and this was the start of the Jewish conversion in Hamadán and Káshan. He was favoured by a number of tablets from Bahá'u'llah and his youngest grandson, Dr Lutfu'lláh h Hakím served the Master as well as Shoghi Effendi and was elected to the first Universal House of Justice in 1963. [Rob3p265-268]

Two hours and eleven minutes after sunset Siyyid `Alí-Muhammad made His declaration to Mullá Husayn-i-Bushrú'í in the upper room of His House. [DB52-65]

"I am, I am, I am, the promised One! I am the One whose name you have for a thousand years invoked, at whose mention you have risen, whose advent you have longed to witness, and the hour of whose Revelation you have prayed God to hasten. Verily I say, it is incumbent upon the peoples of both the East and the West to obey My word and to pledge allegiance to My person." [DB315-316]

• See MBBA146-152 for a description of how arrangements were made to accommodate the Western visitors in a relatively new city with no hotels and few houses. The city was built to accommodate the construction of the Suez Canal which had been completed in 1869. Other sources indicate that the pilgrims were accommodated in Cairo.
• 'Abdu'l-Bahá expressed His appreciation to Mírzá Áqá Nuri'd-Din for his service in accommodating the Western pilgrims. His Tablet seems to indicate that he was kept in place for that purpose. [MBBA152]
• They divided themselves into three parties, using Cairo as a staging post. [AB68; BFA1:143; SBBH1:93]
• See AB68–72; BFA2:9; DH61; GPB257, 259 for those included in the pilgrimage group.
• Included were Mrs Hearst's nieces, a few American friends and, joining in London, Mrs Mary Thornburgh-Cropper and her mother. [SCU13. CH234-236; LDNW15]
• In Paris the group was joined by two nieces of Mrs Hearst, Mrs Thornburgh, her daughter Miriam Thornburgh-Cropper and May Bolles. [AB68]
• LDNW15 says that Ella Goodall and Nell Hillyer and May Bolles joined the party in Paris.
• There were further additions in Egypt. [AB68]
• See BFA1:143–4 for those included in the first group.
• Among the group was Robert Turner, the first member of the Black race to become a Bahá'í. For 35 years, Turner faithfully served as butler to Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Senator George Hearst, parents of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. [AB72; BBD227; BFA1:139; GPB259]
• `Abdu'l-Bahá received the pilgrims in the House of `Abdu'lláh Páshá. [BBD13, 108; DH61]
• See AB68–71; BW16:104–5; CH235–6 and GPB257–9 for the pilgrims' responses to the pilgrimage.
• Edward Getsinger made a recording of `Abdu'l-Bahá chanting a prayer. [BFA1:160]
• Getsinger also took photographs that he later tinted and published as an album. [LDNW16]
• On the 18th of January, 1899, Lua received her first Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in fact, it was the first Tablet addressed to a North American believer. [LGHC23]
• See TF31-52 for details of Lua Getsinger's pilgrim experience and TF44-46 for 'Abdu'l-Bahá's parting remarks to the pilgrims.
• The Getsingers returned from the pilgrimage with an Arabic copy of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas which was later translated by Anton Haddad. They departed on the 23rd of March, 1899. [BFA2:11; LGHC30]
• See Star of the West, vol. VII, No. 4 or "Lua Getsinger - Herald of the Covenant" By Amine DeMille for a description of how 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave Lua the power to speak eloquently. [LDNW15] iiiii

• See BKG168, GPB149, RB1:260–1 and SA234–5 for details of His walk.
• For the first time, He wore a tall táj as a symbol of His station. [BBD221; BKG176; GPB152]
• Bahá'u'lláh entered the Garden just as the call to afternoon prayer was being made. [GPB149; RB1:261]
• On this day Bahá'u'lláh declared His mission to a few of His disciples. [RB1:260, 262]
• On the afternoon of Bahá'u'lláh's arrival at the Garden He revealed the Lawh-i-Ayyúb (Tablet of Job) (also known as the Súriy-i-Sabr (Súrat of Patience), Madínatu's-Sabr (City of Patience) and Súrat Ayyúb for Hájí Muhammad-i-Taqíy-i-Nayrízí whom He surnamed Ayyúb (Job). He was a veteran of the battle of Nayríz. The Tablet praised Vahíd and the believers of Nayríz. [SA239; Tablet of Patience (Surih Íabr): Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh and Selected Topics by Foad Seddigh]
• He also revealed the Tablet of Ridván, an Arabic tablet beginning with "He is seated upon this luminous throne.... [SA239]
• ...and Húr-i-'Ujáb (The Wondrous Maiden). [SA239]
• ...as well as Qad atá Rabí'u'l-Bayán, ...The Divine Springtime is come.... [SA240]
• and an Arabic Tablet that begins...When the gladness of God seized all else. [SA240]
• 'Of the exact circumstances … we, alas, are but scantily informed.' [BKG173; GPB153]
• For such details as are known, see BKG173–5 and GPB153. iiiii
• For the import of the event, see BKG169–73; G27–35; GBP153–5.
• This initiated the holy day of the First Day of Ridván, to be celebrated on 21 April. [BBD196]
• This marked the end of the dispensation of the Báb and of the first epoch of the Heroic or Apostolic Age of the Bahá'í dispensation. [BBD72, 79]
On the same day Bahá'u'lláh made three important statements to His followers:
1. He forbade the use of the sword.
2. He stated that no other Manifestations will appear before one thousand years. This was later reiterated in the Kitáb-i-Badí' and in The Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
3. He stated that, as from that moment, all the names and attributes of God were manifested within all created things, implying the advent of a new Day. [RB1:278–80]

During the 12 days in the Ridván Garden Bahá'u'lláh confided to 'Abdu'l-Bahá that He was 'Him Whom God shall make manifest'. [CH82]

• See CH82–3 for the effect of this announcement on 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

"In the city of 'Ishqábád the newly established Shí'ah community, envious of the rising prestige of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh who were living in their midst, instigated two ruffians to assault the seventy-year old Hájí Muhammad-Ridáy-i-Isfáhání, whom, in broad day and in the midst of the bazaar, they stabbed in no less than thirty-two places, exposing his liver, lacerating his stomach and tearing open his breast. A military court dispatched by the Czar to 'Ishqábád established, after prolonged investigation, the guilt of the Shí'ahs, sentencing two to death and banishing six others - a sentence which neither Násir'd-Dín Sháh, nor the 'ulamás of Tihrán, of Mashad and of Tabríz, who were appealed to, could mitigate, but which the representatives of the aggrieved community, through their magnanimous intercession which greatly surprised the Russian authorities, succeeded in having commuted to a lighter punishment." [GPB202-203]

He was "outed" as a Bahá'í when he arose to defend the community in the aftermath of the assassination of the Shah in April of 1896. Until official word came from Iran through the Consulate that the Bahá’ís were not involved, a number of Shi‘at Iranian expatriates were calling for a retaliatory massacre of the Bahá’ís in Egypt. It was during this period that at a gathering in the Iranian Consulate, Mírzá Abú’l-Fadl openly declared himself to be a Bahá’í.

Mírzá Abú’l-Fadl had by this time established contacts with the Egyptian press. When news reports containing charges that the Bábís were behind the Shah’s assassination began to circulate, Ya‘qub Sarruf and Farís Nimr asked Mírzá Abú’l-Fadl for an article on the Bábí and Bahá’í movements for their secular-minded journal, al-Muqtataf. Mírzá Abú’l-Fadl complied, and as such brought the history and teachings of the Faith to the attention of intellectuals throughout the Arab world. [Memories of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá By Mírzá Habíbu'lláh Afnán p58-59; 65]

During this period, a number of early treatises were published in Cairo, including: an Arabic polemical history of the Bábís by Mírzá Muhammad-Mihdí Khán, the Za’ímu’d-Dawlih (The Key to the Gate of Gates, was printed in Cairo in 1903 (Supposedly this was a dispassionate account of the Bábís and Bahá’ís, but in fact a distortion of truth, and in effect, as attested by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, intended to arouse passions against the Bahá’ís.); numerous titles in Persian, including collection of Tablets, prayers and poetries of Bahá’u’lláh, His Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, The Seven Valleys, The Four Valleys;. He published the first series of Bahá'í books in Egypt, including the first three-volume compilation of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets, which the Master entitled Makatib-i-`Abdu'l- Bahá. Mírzá Abú’l-Fadl’s Kitáb Fará’id, Dawra’l-Bahiyyih, and Hujaju’l-Bahiyyih; and Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí’s Dalá’ilu’l-‘Irfán. Publications in Arabic included Bahá’u’lláh’s Ishráqát, Tajallíát, Tarázát, and Kalamát. Myron H. Phelps completed his work, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, when in Cairo in March 1903. ['Abdu'l-Bahá in Egypt: A Compilation of Eyewitnessess by Ahang Rabbani p 4-5]

See as well 'Abdu'l-Baha's First Thousand-Verse Tablet: History and Provisional Translation by Ahang Rabbani and Khazeh Fananapazir pg 107-108.

Vahíd traveled from Yazd towards Shíráz, eventually coming to Nayríz. He went to the Mosque of Jum'ih where he ascended the pulpit and proclaimed the Cause of God. The governor moved against him and Vahíd ordered his companions to occupy the fort of Khájih. The siege that followed lasted a month. [B178, 204–5; BBR109–13; BW18:381; For23]

Mirza Asadu'llah was the first to undertake the organization of a local House of Justice in Iran. He took the initiative to invite eight other prominent believers to form a body, responding to the laws of the Kitáb-i Aqdas , which they referred to as bayt al-'adl (House of Justice) or bayt al-a'zam (the Most Great House).

The organization of this first House of Justice was kept a secret, even from the believers. However, it met sporadically in the home of Mirza Asadu'llah for a couple of years. After consulting with this body, the prominent Bahá'í men who had been invited to attend its meetings would seek to take action as individual Bahá'í teachers that would implement its decisions.

Around 1881, the Tehran House of Justice was reorganized and more members were added. The House adopted a written constitution and pursued its activities with more organization and vigour than before. The constitution mandated, however, that the meetings remain strictly confidential, hidden from the body of the believers. [The Service of Women on the Institutions of the Baha'i Faith]

In 1862 he had been appointed physician to the diplomatic delegation sent to Persia to establish relations between the newly created Kingdom of Italy and the Persian government. There in Tabriz, Lessona met Daud Khan, who told him about the new Revelation. He met often with Gobineau, who had then become the French Ambassador to Persia and the two became lifelong friends. Most of Lessona's information on the Bábi Faith came from these two sources, especially the latter. He found it difficult to get any first-hand information about the Babis, but did recognize, in 1962, that the successor to the Báb was living in Baghdad.

Lessona organized two-part conference on the Bábi movement that was held in December of 1880. The following year he published the proceedings of the conference in a small monograph called I Bábi. It was the first Italian historical testimony on the Bábí - Bahá'í Faith. [Bahá'í Tributes; Bahá'í Teachings; BW12p900]

See more details at 1868 May 26.

"spot that art situate on the shores of the two seas" [KA217]

Upon arrival He and His family were driven to the residence of Shamsi Big near the Sharif Mosque. They stayed here about one month. His companions were given accommodation elsewhere in the city. [BKG197, 204; GPB157–61, HDBFXXVIII]

For the story of Mullá ‘Alí Ján and his wife ‘Alavíyyih Khánum and their work in the village of Máhfurúzak of Mazandaran province see Bahá'í Chronicles and Alavíyyih Khánum and Mullá 'Alí by Mehraeen Mottahedin-Mavaddat and Moojan Momen.

Their school was a precursor for the Tabbiyat School system that started in Tehran in 1898 and operated until 1934. These schools were distinctive for their approach, integrating moral and academic education while emphasizing the principle of equality between women and men. Dr. Yazdani noted various examples of how these schools were progressive in their approaches: “Physical punishment in schools… was ordinary at that time, …but Bahá’í schools did not do that. And then, co-ed schools were almost non-existent. For some time, wherever possible, they were co-ed schools.”

‘Abdul-Bahá was directly involved in the promotion of agricultural activity in Iran. The efforts drew inspiration from the Bahá’í teachings, which emphasize the role of the farmer as “the first active agent in human society.” He encouraged the Bahá’ís of Iran to begin cultivating tea, so that the country would not need to rely so heavily on imported tea. “He very clearly wanted the Bahá’ís of Iran to do their best for the betterment of the country in every aspect,” she noted.

Noteworthy also are the innovative efforts of the Bahá’ís related to public health matters and hygiene initiatives. These endeavours not only attended to the immediate material needs of individuals, but introduced ideas that were novel at that time, such as installing showers in traditional Iranian bath houses. Previously, these places had been sources of infection and disease, because the water would not be changed frequently. In contrast to other bath houses, the new, clean bath houses founded by Bahá’ís were open to everyone, irrespective of denomination—an initiative that benefitted all members of society. Other examples of the provision of health services were the Sehat Hospital and the Misaghieh Hospital, both established in Tehran.

The principle of the equality of women and men has challenged prevailing social norms. She gave an example of the capability of women in both private and public spheres. “From very early on, Bahá’ís have applied the principle of the equality of rights for men and women to their private, social, and administrative lives. The rights that women have, for example, in marriage, are all based on the equality of women and men.”

Another contribution of the Bahá’í community was to introduce the practice of consultation and collective decision-making. In spite of the difficulties for the Bahá'ís in modern day Iran due to the relentless persecution, they continue to serve the needs of their society with constructive resilience, a term often used by the Universal House of Justice to describe stalwart spirit of the Bahá'ís of Iran in the face of the unjust situation. [BWNS1756]

Anton Haddad was the first Bahá'í to arrive in the New World. [BFA1p26]

The Treatise was the first policy statement of `Abdu'l-Bahá upon taking the reins of the leadership of the Bahá'í community. It shows His alarm at the increasing involvement of religious leaders and communities in this populist movement against the civil Iranian state and cites the way past such religious populist movements have led to foreign intervention or increased absolutism (e.g. the `Urabi Revolt in Egypt and the 1876 Constitutional Revolution in Istanbul). `Abdu'l-Bahá argues forcefully for a separation of religion and state as a basis for Bahá'í non-involvement in such anti-state violence.

In the 48 years since His martyrdom the Remains of the Báb had been secreted from a silk factory in Tabriz to Ṭihrán, Iṣfáhán, Kirmansháh, Baghdád, Damascus, Beirut and finally to 'Akká and then to the Mountain of God. [CoF54]

He insisted that the utmost secrecy be observed. "The dangers inherent in conserving such a precious Trust were enhanced tenfold with the defection of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's brothers….Spies in the employ of these disloyal members of Bahá'u'lláh's own family could be found in the telegraph offices and ports throughout the region." [LWS147]

• See Commentary on the Islamic Tradition "I Was a Hidden Treasure..." by Abdu'l-Bahá translated by Moojan Momen. In the article, he refers to another provisional translation done by Baharieh Ma'ani in collaboration with Hooper Dunbar.
• See 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Response to the Doctrine of the Unity of Existence by Keven Brown Fourth Section.
• See as well BNE52. Here, 'Abdu'l-Bahá is described as "about fifteen or sixteen years of age".
• Mention of this Tablet is made in Messages to Canada, p34-35, where, in a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, it is stated that the Tablet is about 50 pages in length and had been published in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's second volume of His Tablets published in Egypt.
• A Tablet of Baháʼuʼlláh, recently discovered by Necati Alkan and available in provisional translation by Adib Masumian, indicates that it was written during the sojourn in Edirne. The original text has been published in Safíniy-i-ʻIrfán, vol. 6, p. 10 (2003). In the Tablet Bahá'u'lláh says that Ali (Şevket/Shawkat) Pasha requested 'Abdu'l-Bahá to write His commentary "during the days of stopover/residence in the Land of Mystery" (dar ayyám-i tavaqquf dar Ard-i Sirr).

  And now concerning the extensive commentary on the Islamic tradition which begins, "I was a hidden treasure…" During the days of Our sojourn in the Land of Mystery, ʻAlí Páshá had asked the Most Mighty Branch of God—may My life be a sacrifice for the ground which His most pure footsteps have trodden—to provide a commentary on this hadith. This He did in accordance with the exigencies of the time, and His purpose was that all may benefit from it…

  As per a 1995 article prepared for The Bahá'í Encyclopedia, it was previously believed that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was 17 years old at the time of writing, if so, this would have dated the Tablet at about 1861. Given that this new evidence proves that it was written in Edirne, He would have been 19 years old but more probably in his early twenties. [Thanks to Necati Alkan for providing this correction and to Adib Masumian for doing the translation at his request.] iiiii

Mírzá Yahyá's henchman, Siyyíd Muhammad, convinced Yahyá to challenge Bahá'u'lláh to to face-to-face encounter in the mosque of Sultán Salím in a distant part of the city, believing that Bahá'u'lláh would not show. Bahá'u'lláh immediately set out to walk to the appointed mosque. Upon learning this Mírzá Yahyá postponed the interview for a day or two. Bahá'u'llah returned to His home and revealed a Tablet to be delivered to Siyyíd Muhammad when he produced a sealed note stating that should Mírzá Yahyá fail to appear at the trysting-place, he would produce a document refuting Yahyá's claims. Neither were forthcoming and the Tablet to Siyyid Muhammad remained undelivered.

Prior to this the community had been divided however this incident firmly established His ascendency. The Covenant of the Báb had prevailed [GPB168-170]

"Mirza Aqa Jan himself has testified: 'That Blessed Beauty evinced such sadness that the limbs of my body trembled.' He has, likewise, related, as reported by Nabil in his narrative, that, shortly before Baha'u'llah's retirement, he had on one occasion seen Him, between dawn and sunrise, suddenly come out from His house, His night-cap still on His head, showing such signs of perturbation that he was powerless to gaze into His face, and while walking, angrily remark: 'These creatures are the same creatures who for three thousand years have worshipped idols, and bowed down before the Golden Calf: Now, too, they are fit for nothing better. What relation can there be between this people and Him Who is the Countenance of Glory? What ties can bind them to the One Who is the supreme embodiment of all that is lovable?' 'I stood,' declared Mirza Aqa Jan, 'rooted to the spot, lifeless, dried up as a dead tree, ready to fall under the impact of the stunning power of His words. Finally, He said: "Bid them recite: 'Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!' Tell them to repeat it five hundred times, nay, a thousand times, by day and by night, sleeping and waking, that haply the Countenance of Glory may be unveiled to their eyes, and tiers of light descend upon them." He Himself, I was subsequently informed, recited this same verse, His face betraying the utmost sadness." [BKG114]

• For details of the life of this man see RoB2p274.

• B204–5 says Lt-Col Sheil reported it to London in February; BBRSM28, 216 says it was January or February; DB466 sets it at Naw-Rúz 1850 and DB468 says that the siege carried on for 40 days.
• See BBR106–9 for the various dates assigned to this event and for the difficulties in dating it.

"Ranked as 'one of Bahá'u'lláh's most challenging works', The Surih of the Temple was composed... during the turbulent period which saw the formation of a schism within the rank and file of the Bábí community,. This eloquent and incisive Arabic epistle combines a mystical and proclamatory style to enunciate Bahá'u'lláh's Mission to those among the Báb's followers who had failed to recognize His Revelation. " [BBS132] [Tablet of the Temple (Suratu'l-Haykal) by John Balbridge]

Parts of this Tablet has been translated in Gleanings XXI, CXLVIII, and CLIV, and one paragraph was translated in Promised Day is Come 115-16. [RoB2p281-290; Uplifting Words; Wilmette Institute notes on the Tablets of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh ]

"Many of the laws of the Báb...are carefully designed in a way that testifies that the advent of Him Whom God shall make manifest was impending....The Báb never revealed the words of the (obligatory) prayer itself, thus making the implementation of this law dependent on the arrival of the Promised One." [GH366]

The original Bahá'í obligatory prayer, mentioned in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, involved nine cycles of movement starting with a bow (rak`ah) and was to be said morning, noon, and afternoon. It probably called for three rak`ahs at each time. Bahá'u'lláh revealed the text but did not release it in order to avoid provoking conflict with Muslims. (This prayer was one of the documents in the cases taken by `Abdu'l-Bahá's brothers shortly after the passing of Bahá'u'lláh.) Some time later, after the writing of the Kitab-i-Aqdas but before that of its supplement Questions and Answers, Bahá'u'lláh wrote a second set of obligatory prayers which are in use today. Three alternative forms were provided: a very short prayer to be said between noon and sunset; a somewhat longer prayer to be said in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening; and a long prayer to be said once during twenty-four hours. [Prayer and Worship by John Walbridge]

At the beginning of the Báb's incarceration the warden `Alí Khán kept the Báb strictly confined and allowed no visitors. He had a vision of the Báb engaged in prayer outside of the prison gates, knowing that the Báb is inside. He became humble and permitted the Bábís to visit the Báb. [Bab129–31; DB245–8]

The winter the Báb spent in Máh-Kú was exceptionally cold. [DB252]

Many of the Báb's writings were revealed in this period. [GPB24–5]

Note that The Bahá'í Encyclopedia Project dates his passing 1874-1875.

Originally, Fáṭimih Bagum did not accept her Son's cause unlike her brother, however she kept an open mind. She was devastated on hearing the news of the treatment of her Son, and after His martyrdom her family kept it a secret from her for nearly a whole year. After hearing the news, the distraught Fáṭimih Bagum moved to Karbilá with her closest companions in December of 1851. She did not become a believer until some time later when Bahá'u'lláh instructed two of His faithful followers, Hájí Siyyid Javád-i-Karbilá'í and the wife of Hájí 'Abdu'l-Majíd-i-Shírázi to instruct her in the principles of the Faith

At about this time, there erupted in Iran a general persecution of the Baha'is that affected most of the country, in particular Tehran, Yazd, Isfahan, Sabzivar, Fars and Rasht. With the approval of Bahá'u'lláh the Bahá'ís began to settle in Ishqabad.

In about 1884, the first four Baha'is to settle permanently in Ashkhabad arrived there. Two of these arrived from Sabzivar, Aqa 'Abdu'r-Rasul Yazdi and Aqa Muhammad Rida Arbab Isfahani. On 3 April 1884, two other Bahá'ís arrived, Ustad `Ali Akbar and Ustad Muhammad Rida, both builders from Yazd. [The Baha'i Community Of Ashkhabad; Its Social Basis And Importance In Baha'i History by Mojan Momen p281-282]

The Bahá'í community of Ishqabad, because of the continuous influx of pioneers from Iran (most from Yazd), soon grew to the point of saturation resulting in the friends choosing to pioneer to other parts of Turkestan. They first settled in larger cities, such as Marv, Chardzhou, Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent and later when to smaller places. Soon there were Bahá'ís all over Turkestand, from Tashkent to the far corners of the Caspian Sea [YS pg.xvi]

In 1906 Berlin was the host of a conference to consider radiotelegraph standards. It was attended by representatives of 29 nations and culminated in the International Radiotelegraph Convention. An annex to the convention eventually became known as ITU Radio Regulations. At the conference it was also decided that the Bureau of the International Telegraph Union would also act as the conference's central administrator. The name International Telecommunication Union was adopted in 1932 to reflect its expanded responsibilities over radio and the telephone. On 15 November 1947, the ITU entered into an agreement with the newly created United Nations to become a specialized agency within the UN system.

The mandate of the ITU has broadened with the advent of new communications technologies. It promotes the shared global use of the radio spectrum, facilitates international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, assists in developing and coordinating worldwide technical standards, and works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world. It is also active in the areas of broadband Internet, optical communications (including optical fibre technologies), wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, TV broadcasting, amateur radio, and next-generation networks.

Based in Geneva, Switzerland with regional offices on every continent. the ITU's global membership included 193 countries as well as more than 1,000 businesses, academic institutions, and international and regional organizations. [ITU Website]

Seven Bahá'ís were executed on the order of the governor of Yazd, Husain Mírzá, Jalálu'd-Dín-Dawlih (the grandson of the shah and the son of Zillu's-Sultán) and at the instigation of the mujtahid, Shaykh Hasan-i-Sabzivárí. [BW18p384]