There
are seven Bahá’í Houses of Worship worldwide, and
plans are underway to construct an eighth. Their
purpose is to promote unity. All Bahá’í Temples
have nine entrances, welcoming all humanity from
every direction. They are all crowned with a central
dome and surrounded by lush gardens. Followers of
all religions are invited to gather there to worship
in harmony. Sacred writings from all the world’s
Holy Books are read, chanted, or sung within their
walls.
Each Bahá’í House of Worship is the central feature
of a larger institution known as the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár,
an Arabic term meaning “the Dawning-place of the
praise of God.” In the future, each House of Worship
will be surrounded by dependencies devoted to social,
humanitarian, educational, and scientific activities.
The Bahá’í Writings explain that these facilities
will “afford relief to the suffering, sustenance
to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to
the bereaved, and education to the ignorant, . .
.” The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár integrates the Bahá’í principles
of worship and service.
