Baha'is Open Terraces on Mt. Carmel

NEW YORK, May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the Baha'i Faith from the United States and more than 180 other countries, along with their guests, celebrated the inauguration of a majestic series of garden terraces on the face of Mt. Carmel, Israel. Following an emotionally powerful concert, culminating in the spectacular lighting of the terraces at dusk, more than 3,000 Baha'is ascended the mountain.

For Baha'is and others around the world who watched via satellite and internet webcast, it was a momentous event, marking the completion of a complex of buildings and gardens on what throughout history has been called "the Mountain of the Lord".

For one of the United States representatives, Dr. Jean Scales, the experience was profound. "The construction of these gardens is a reason for humanity to have hope. So many people don't see any hope in the world today, between wars and rumors of wars. But this shows that humankind can come together." In this strife-torn region, these terraces and gardens -- open to the public -- provide a haven of calm and spirituality.

The Universal House of Justice, the Baha'i Faith's international governing body, presented a statement during the dedication. Proclaiming that the human race can live harmoniously, in all its diversity, the Universal House of Justice offered this vision of the future: "That our earth is contracted into a neighborhood, no one can seriously deny. The world is being made new. Death pangs are yielding to birth pangs. The pain shall pass when members of the human race act upon the common recognition of their essential oneness."

The statement concluded with this prediction, "... the unity and peace of the world are not only possible but inevitable. Their time has come."

    B-roll   *  Baha'i terraces, fountains, and formal gardens
             *  Open-air concert on Mt. Carmel
             *  3,500 Baha'is on Mt. Carmel

     Video Provided By: Baha'is of the United States

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