haifa part 3: a fountain that is a kilometer long

As I mentioned briefly in my last post, Mount Carmel (Har Hacarmel) is home to the holiest place of the Bahai religion, the Shrine of the Bab. The shrine is the gold domed building in the photos below. The Shrine is surrounded by gardens, which are about one kilometer in length, stretching from the base of Mount Carmel to the crest of the mountain. The Bahai religion has a focus on justice and equality. It also recognizes the prophets of all religions as prophets bringing different parts of one message from one god.


Bahai Pilgrims walk up the kilometer long gardens as part of a pilgrimage. Visitors take a free tour, and walk down from the top. The gardens are rich with a symbolism that revolves around justice, equality, and a multi-faith/multi cultural perspective. The Golden Dome for instance, uses architectural details from the many different cultures that make up the religions which the Bahai look to as foundational elements. And the Gardens play with symmetry, asymmetry and naturalism in which the Bahais feel represent the different aspects of their faith.


The stairs that bring the pilgrims up and the tourists down are surrounded by fountains. Having been in bustling and sweaty Haifa, walking into the gardens is something else. The water creates a tranquil ambience that is very relaxing and the beautiful gardens provide relief from the bright sun and its reflection off the white stone and concrete of the city.

The tour-guide promised us that for both economic and environmental reasons, the gardens have many kinds of recycling systems for all the water they use and use irrigation techniques that maximize efficiency.