OPENING OF SACRED TERRACES TO BRING THOUSANDS TO ISRAEL IN MAY

PRESS RELEASE

HAIFA, Israel - (28 February 2001) - In a celebration expected to draw more than 3,500 people from almost every country, on 22 May 2001 the Bah�'�s of the world will open a series of majestic garden terraces on Mount Carmel, demonstrating their commitment to building world peace.

The celebration at dusk will feature an open-air world premiere concert at the base of the mountain, to be broadcast live by satellite. Original music by contemporary composers from Norway and Tajikistan will be performed by a full symphony, choir and well-known soloists, climaxing with the spectacular lighting of the kilometer-long terraces.

On the morning of 23 May following the opening, indigenous musicians will perform and thousands of celebrants, many in colorful national dress, will walk up the terraces for the first time. The week's festivities will end with a public opening, after which visitors and tourists of all faiths will be able to enjoy the gardens, every day, free of charge.

At the heart of the terraces is the gold-domed Shrine of the B�b, one of the most important holy places for Bah�'�s. The Shrine, a well-known symbol of the city of Haifa, contains the remains of one of the two founders of the Bah�'� Faith, known as the B�b. The terraces are designed to surround the building like the setting of a precious gem.

The architect, Fariborz Sahba, also designed the famous "Lotus Temple" in New Delhi, which now attracts more visitors than the Taj Mahal.

"It has not been our aim just to build beautiful architecture, or merely beautiful, landscaped gardens," said Mr. Sahba. "There are so many beautiful gardens in the world. The whole aim was to create beautiful, spiritual gardens; gardens that touch the spirit, so that a visitor may pause and think, 'This place is different, there is something special about it.'"

The arrival of thousands of representatives from nearly every ethnic group and nationality to consecrate this holy place stands in sharp contrast to the turmoil and uncertainty in the region. Bah�'� spokesman Douglas Samimi-Moore said, "Bah�'�s have built these structures because we are confident in the peaceful future of humanity. The power to unite is one that the world desperately needs."

The terraces and gleaming white marble administrative buildings nearby have transformed the face of the mountain. The project was completed over a 10-year period at a cost of $250 million, funded by voluntary contributions from members of the worldwide Bah�'� community who now number over five million. The Bah�'� Faith is one of four world religions with significant holy places in Israel.

With the completion of the terraces, the number of tourists to Haifa is expected to triple to 1.2 million annually. The city has made the project a key element in its urban renewal campaign, incorporating the restored German Templar colony and the Louis Promenade along the crest of Mount Carmel. Together with the terraces, they create a 3-kilometer long pedestrian walkway-one of the most attractive urban developments in the Mediterranean region. Israel's Postal Authority has designed a special nine-centimeter stamp to mark the completion of the terraces.

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Points of Interest for Official Opening of Bah�'� Terraces on Mount Carmel, 22 May 2001, Haifa, Israel

• The opening ceremonies on 22 May 2001 will be a showcase of the principle of world citizenship, since they will draw some 3,500 Bah�'�s from virtually every country in the world, many in brilliant native costume. For many it will be the first time away from home, the first time in an airplane, the first visit to the world center of their Faith.
  
  
• For Bah�'�s, the completion of the terraces is concurrent with the Faith's full emergence as a world community and the realization of a century-long dream to create a spiritual and administrative center, which will befittingly represent the religion, long-persecuted in the land of its birth, Iran.
  
  
• The terraces and gardens, while designed to promote a feeling of peace, calm, and serenity in visitors, are also highly advanced in their design, featuring the latest in water management, pest control, and ecological sensitivity. The irrigation systems were developed in consultation with Israeli experts in the field. Recycled water flowing down the mountain drowns out the noise of the city, and attracts birds and animals native to the area.
  
  
• The terraces and two newest of the administrative buildings were completed over a period of 10 years, at a cost of US$250 million in voluntary contributions from Bah�'�s worldwide, the vast majority of whom live in the developing world. The Bah�'� Faith only accepts contributions of funds from its own declared members. All 19 terraces will be open to the public for their enjoyment, free of charge.
  
  
• The terraces are connected to a series of classically designed buildings that make up the international administrative and spiritual heart of the Bah�'� world community. Through the efforts of Bah�'�s in every country, this historic mountain, held sacred in many traditions, has been transformed into a paradise of gardens, terraces, fountains and running streams -- a metaphor of the Bah�'� Faith's central message of unity in diversity.
  
  
• The concept and design of the terraces originate in the writings of the founder of the Bah�'� Faith, Bah�'u'll�h, who was exiled to the Holy Land in 1868 and visited Mount Carmel in the 1890's. On one such occasion He pointed out the spot on which the Shrine of the B�b now stands. On another he revealed the poetic "Tablet of Carmel," a moving dialogue with the "mountain of the Lord" on which the music for the celebration will be based.
  
  
• Many attempts were made by clergy and rulers throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to stamp out the spread of this new movement. The opening of the terraces on Mount Carmel and the arrival of thousands of Bah�'�s representing a cross-section of the world's diverse peoples, symbolize a remarkable story that no one imagined possible: the very existence of a human community capable of unifying groups previously divided by religion, race, class or education: a community where people cooperate rather than compete; where men and women function in equal partnership; where leaders are elected on merit rather than through power-struggles and campaigns; and where decisions are made and carried out with the full participation of those affected by them - proof that peace and justice are not only possible, but practical realities.
  
  

About the Bah�'� Faith

In just over 100 years, the Bah�'� Faith has grown from an obscure movement in the Middle East to the second-most widespread independent world religion after Christianity, with over five million members in 235 countries and dependent territories. Embracing people from more than 2,100 ethnic, racial, and tribal groups, it is probably the most diverse organized body of people on the planet today. Its Founder, Bah�'u'll�h, teaches that there is only one God, that there is only one human race, and that all the world's religions have been stages in the revelation of God's purpose for humankind. As Bah�'u'll�h wrote: "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens." The Bah�'� International Community is a non-governmental organization with consultative status at the United Nations working at the grassroots in the areas of peace-building, human rights, the advancement of women, education, health and sustainable development.