Holy Day Marks 116th Anniversary of the Passing of Bahá’u’lláh

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28 May 2008, ACRE, Israel – Four hundred Bahá’í pilgrims will be among the thousand followers of Bahá’u’lláh from around the world who gather at His burial site on 29 May at 3 a.m. to commemorate the 116th anniversary of His passing.

Around the globe, tens of thousands more will turn their faces in the direction of the same shrine – for Bahá’ís, the holiest spot on earth – in remembrance of the night in 1892 that Bahá’u’lláh passed away at His home near Acre in the Holy Land.

His remains were entombed on the same property, now a site of pilgrimage for members of the Baha’i Faith the world over.

Many of those who attend the program at the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh will also be able to visit His home, the Mansion of Bahji, for a few minutes of private prayer in the very room where He spent His final hours.

The room is maintained exactly as it was during the time of Bahá’u’lláh – even a pair of His shoes is there for the pilgrims to see.

Bahá’u’lláh was born in Tehran, Iran, but He and a large group of His followers were banished from their native land in 1853 and forced to go first to Baghdad, then on to what was the Ottoman Empire and the remote prison city of Acre.

Pilgrims also are able to visit His prison cell in the old walled city and three houses, including the one at Bahji, where He eventually was able to stay when authorities eased the stricter confinement of the prison barracks.

Baha’is believe that Bahá’u’lláh is the Messenger of God for this age, the most recent in a line of divine educators that includes Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Mohammed, Moses, and Zoroaster, among others.

The anniversary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh is one of nine holy days on which Baha’is suspend work.