The Terraces of the Bahá’í Faith, are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. It is also known as the Hanging Gardens of Haifa and rests in the neighborhoods of Wadi Nisnas and Hadar HaCarmel. This is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel, along with the Baha’i Holy Places in Western Galilee. In July 2008, the Bahá’í Gardens in Haifa and ‘Akko were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, in recognition of their “outstanding universal value” as holy places and places of pilgrimage for the followers of the Bahá’í Faith.
The architect was Fariborz Sahba of Iran and the structural engineers were Karban and Co. of Haifa. Fariborz started work in 1987 designing the gardens and oversaw construction; initially, the gardens extend almost one kilometer up the side of Mount Carmel, covering some 200,000 square meters of land. The different parts of the gardens offer a variety of experiences, the graveled paths, hedges and flower beds groomed and nurtured by dedicated gardeners frame panoramic views of the city, the Galilee Hills, and the Mediterranean Sea.
The terraces represent the first 18 disciples of the Báb, who were designated “Letters of the Living”, though no individual terraces are associated with individual Letters. Moreover, 9 concentric circles provide the main geometry of the 18 terraces, as the identification of a circle pre-supposes a center, so the terraces have been conceived as generated from the Shrine of the Báb. The 18 terraces plus the one terrace of the Shrine of the Báb make 19 terraces total.
However, 19 is a significant number within both the Bahá’í and Bábí religions. The terraces were opened to the public in June 2001. The gardens are linked by a set of stairs flanked by twin streams of running water cascading down the mountainside through the steps and terrace bridges. As the Bahá’í religion and temples all around the world are open to every single person, no matter the religion and skin color that person has, this attractive site is one of the most peaceful ones in the world.
In addition, the irrigation system is based on a computer which meteorologic data receives controls hundreds of valves to allocate water throughout the gardens by sprinkling and dripping. Hence, this process is completed at night and in the early morning, to avoid wasting water by evaporation.
The water that flows alongside the stairs is flowing in a closed system within each terrace; to avoid little water being wasted. Furthermore, the gardens have elements of the Persian paradise gardens, separating the site from the noise of the surroundings and linking the different Bahá’í buildings on Mount Carmel together.
