Sunday - Bahji Mansion, Abdullah Pasha house, Ridvan Garden

(Sorry for the delay on finishing these posts - fatigue and lack of time took over!)

This was our second long day on the bus, going from place to place in the Akka area. We began with another visit to Bahji, this time to tour the Mansion there where Baha'u'llah lived after being released from the Akka prison. The first thing to strike me as we enter is the beautiful colored stencilling all around the rooms and windows, both inside and out. Simple but striking. The upstairs living area we were able to see was very large, spacious, and beautifully furnished. I especially loved the covered balconies that looked out over the gardens.

Next, we had a quick visit to the old Pilgrim House next door, which is also near to the Shrine of Baha'u'llah. Small and just enough room for visitors of those days to refresh themselves. This was followed by a short amount of time in the Shrine, then lunch.

The next stop was the House of 'Abdullah Pasha in Akka, just outside the prison fortress. Although it's called a "house", at that time, it actually housed several families in the various wings, merchants on the lower floor as well as a school room. It's a huge complex that was originally the governor's residence. The garden in the courtyard has only recently been re-created to match what existed when 'Abdu'l-Baha and his family lived here. Shoghi Effendi was born here and used to run up and down the stone staircases, which had no railing at that time.

Finally, we stopped to visit the Ridvan Garden where Baha'u'llah was, in later years, able to spend some time away from the prison city and enjoy nature. It used to be an island between 2 rivers, but the rivers have since been diverted and dried up. "Ridvan" means "Paradise" and it surely was a paradise to those who visited it in the middle of the desert.

After a long day, we returned to Haifa where many of us got off on Ben Gurion street for some final shopping opportunities. I ate at a wonderful Kabob restaurant (though not quite as good as Grandma's!) then headed back to the PRC for a short rest before our evening talk. This final talk of our trip was given by UHJ Member Dr. Javahari who spoke on the purpose of Pilgrimage and what we should do with our experiences once we return home.