Templar House Ownership Transferred to Bahá'ís

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

We are pleased to announce that, after many years of patient negotiation, the city of Haifa has agreed to transfer to the Bahá’í World Centre the ownership of a two-storey Templar house on the lower slopes of Mount Carmel where Bahá’u’lláh Himself once stayed during a visit to the city. The property is to the east of the plaza at the foot of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb and adjacent to land where Bahá’u’lláh’s tent was pitched. The building, which sits on three hundred and sixteen square metres of land, is located in the World Heritage area of the Shrine of the Báb and its surroundings. It was built by a family of German Templars who inscribed the capstone above the front door of the house with the prophetic words "Der Herr ist nahe", the Lord is nigh. When the Blessed Beauty visited Haifa in the summer of 1891 and suffered a short illness, He stayed for a few days in the house as a guest of the family. Plans are being prepared for the restoration of the building so that, in time, it may be opened to pilgrims and visitors.

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cc: International Teaching Centre
Boards of Counsellors