Day 7: The Buildings on the Arc

There is so much going on for pilgrims that it's really hard to keep up with it all! As we've already posted, on Sunday, Day 7 of our pilgrimage, we climbed the terraces on Mount Carmel and also returned to Bahji for the all-night event commemorating the Ascension of Baha'u'llah. And, oh yeah, we also managed to squeeze in a visit to the buildings on the Arc! (While you're waiting for us to get our photos uploaded, you can look at some great ones here.)

We started at the left side as you face the buildings. The first stop was the seat of the International Teaching Center, which also houses the Continental Counselors. Here it is:

Like all the Baha'i buildings here, it's filled with natural light. Here's a beautiful skylight in the reception area. The prism below is inscribed with a quote from the Baha'i Sacred Writings.

From the Teaching Center, it was back to the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. Here's a nice shot as we approached it.

Unlike our last visit, this time we were permitted to take photos. We even were permitted to go right to the doorway leading to the chamber where the beloved House of Justice meets, although we weren't allowed to actually go in. Here is a shot of a beautiful painting of 'Abdu'l-Baha outside the chamber. See the light at the top of the shot? It's only lit when the House is in session. It was turned off when we saw it, which means they weren't meeting right then.

Next up: The Center for the Study of the Texts. But that will have to wait because we have a date to visit the house of 'Abdu'l-Baha here in Haifa. Stay tuned.