Sunday Trip to Haifa

On Sundays the leaders organize field trips to visit local dig sites. The first weekend, still not in the mood to be around the same people, I took the bus to Haifa – which is just over an hour-long bus ride through Akko and beyond. The ride was uneventful. It dropped me off at the main bus station. I asked the driver which bus to take to get to the Baha’i Garden, and he showed me where to go. Easy peasy.

Haifa is hilly. 

Well, that’s an understatement. 

So glad I did not attempt to walk it as it is all uphill. After talking to the guard from Victoria, Canada (Baha’i members are encouraged to move to Israel for five years to volunteer), I donned my modest attire of a mid-calf skirt and entered the gardens.  The day before I found the gardens at Akko to be very spiritual, the one in Haifa I found to be too overwhelming! There are 700 steps from the top to the bottom and 19 terraces.

I took bus 115 to the gardens. The overall trip from the Kibbutz was about an hour and 45 minutes. I made it in time to both see the burial place of the Bap, and to walk a kilometer up (and I mean up) the mountain in time for the noon tour.

The noon tour group was large, so large they split us into two groups of 30. There were a couple of small children in the group, and people who spoke a wide variety of languages. We took the short cut to get from the top to the bottom -- the 700 steps.

Along the way we paused at some of the gardens.

The gardens are located on Mount Carmel -- a place that has been sacred for hundreds of years. The Prophet Elijah spent time here. 

I wrote about the Bahai's faith in my post about their holiest site in Akko. HERE is a link to their official website. They believe messengers came before, including Muhammad and Jesus. After Muhammad came the Bap, whose ashes are stored in Haifa at the Baha'i Gardens. This is their second most holy site.

Our guide walked us through the gardens pausing at times for us to catch up and to tell us a bit more about the gardens and the Baha'i faith. The gardens were built in the beginning of the 20th century with a one-story building. Four years later they began to build the shrine. My notes jump to construction happening in the 1990's, and being completed in 2001.

There are 19 terraces. Something about 18 representing the first 18 followers and one more. The gardens look amazing lush for being located in such an arid climate. The lawns are emerald green. The flowers are meticulously maintained by both volunteers (30% of the staff) and paid locals (the other 70%). The guide said plants were carefully chosen because they have deep roots and are resistant to droughts. They recycle their water and only use about the same amount as a family uses on a daily basis. Looking at the fountains and greenery, it is hard to believe, but why would they lie about that?

Items such as peacock and eagle statues are chosen because they are beautiful, not because of any Baha'i symbolism.

She pointed to the two buildings on the side. The one with columns was built in 1957 by Baha'i architects for Baha'i pilgrims. It includes personal items from the Bap and other Baha'i members, including their holy book which has been translated into 800 languages. I did not go inside.

The other building is the shrine. On the first level of the shrine is the eastern sky, on the second level is the western sky. This is to represent global diversity and universality. Everyone is the same.

Baha'i are encouraged to pray three times a day -- two short prayers and one longer one. They are also encouraged to donate money. Lastly they are encouraged (if able) to visit the gardens in Akko and Haifa to pray for 9 days.

Every 1,000 years a new prophet will emerge. Pretty amazing to say that since their faith is less than 200 years old and there were only a couple of decades between the founder and the first prophet.

Baha'i are elected to five-year terms. These men and women come from all corners of the world to Haifa to run the house of justice. There is some Baha'i rule that states Baha'i houses of worship do not exist in Israel, even though that is where their holiest sites exist. I did not follow the logic.

The Baha'i are accepting of all religions. Children of Baha'i parents are not born into the faith. They must wait until they are 15 before they can decide for themselves if they, too, want to be Baha'i. Globally there are about 500,000 Baha's members. Many live in the United States and India, and other places in the world.

I did stay for the 17-minute video, mostly because it was housed in an air-conditioned building and I did not have any other plans.

Walking back to the bus station I paused for lunch in the German Colony. I was craving some bratwurst, unfortunately it is called the German Colony because that is where the Germans settled in 1868 by the Templers (who are credited with improving the area's transportation). To this day there are scriptures, written in German, above many of the doorways. Unfortunately for my taste buds, most restaurants served Mediterranean food. I settled on a hamburger and a salad, both would have been better with cheese. 


 


The German Colony is below the Baha'i Gardens. Looking uphill from the colony is the most amazing view -- like perpetually looking at a postcard. I could hardly take my eyes off of it.

Later I learned I should have visited the Haifa Museum which houses finds from past digs. Not sure which Haifa Museum, but in any case it did not happen.