54. The Lord hath ordained that those of you who are able shall make pilgrimage to the sacred House # 32Two sacred Houses are covered by this ordinance, the House of the Bab in Shiraz and the House of Baha'u'llah in Baghdad. Baha'u'llah has specified that pilgrimage to either of these two Houses fulfils the requirement of this passage (Q and A 25, 29). In two separate Tablets, known as Suriy-i-Hajj (Q and A 10), Baha'u'llah has prescribed specific rites for each of these pilgrimages. In this sense, the performance of a pilgrimage is more than simply visiting these two Houses.
After the passing of Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l-Baha designated the Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji as a place of pilgrimage. In a Tablet, He indicates that the "Most Holy Shrine, the Blessed House in Baghdad and the venerated House of the Bab in Shiraz" are "consecrated to pilgrimage", and that it is "obligatory" to visit these places "if one can afford it and is able to do so, and if no obstacle stands in one's way". No rites have been prescribed for pilgrimage to the Most Holy Shrine.
55. and from this He hath exempted women as a mercy on His part # 32In the Bayan, the Bab enjoined the ordinance of pilgrimage once in a lifetime upon those of His followers who were financially able to undertake the journey. He stated that the obligation was not binding on women in order to spare them the rigours of travel. Baha'u'llah likewise exempts women from His pilgrimage requirements. The Universal House of Justice has clarified that this exemption is not a prohibition, and that women are free to perform the pilgrimage.