The Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, Precents, and Urban Planning Implications

The Institution of the Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

2012 06 10

1. What is the Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adhkar?

2. Potential Impact on Human Settlement Design

The Institution of the Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

The Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

Baha’u’llah, Abdu’l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendirefer to the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar as a gathering of Bahá’ís worshiping and praising God through use of sacred scripture, especially at dawn. (Mashriqu’l-Adhkar is Arabic for “The Dawning Place of the Praise of God”.)

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkar includes:• the central House of Worship, or Temple, itself, and, • the complex of buildings surrounding the central House of Worship;

buildings ordained by Bahá’u’lláh to be at the heart of every Bahá’í community,

buildings that include educational and humanitarian service institutions open to people of all religions.

The First Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 1912

In its most developed state, this first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár complex included a travelers’ hospice; a school for boys; a school for girls; two kindergartens;

a medical dispensary; a library; and a public reading room. At its height, the Bahá’í community of Ashgabat reached a degree of community

development that remains unsurpassed to this day.

General View of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 1945

In October 1902, the foundation stone of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár was laid in the presence of the governor-general of the province. In 1948 a major earthquake that devastated large sections of the

city severely damaged the building. After it was further damaged by heavy rains in the early 1960s, it was demolished.

Chicago, USAKampala, Uganda Sydney, Australia

Frankfurt, GermanyBaha’i Houses of Worship

Baha’i Houses of Worship

Panama City, Panama

New Delhi, India Apia, Samoa

Baha’i Houses of Worship

Santiago, Chile (under construction)

The Dependencies

These are the complex of buildings surrounding the central House of Worship. They include:

• hospital • drug dispensary for the poor, • travelers’ hospice, • school for orphans, • home for the infirm and disabled, • university for advanced studies, and • other philanthropic buildings

The dependencies of the Masriqu’l-Adhkar were described by Shoghi Effendi…as "institutions of social service" that relieve suffering, sustain the poor, and provide shelter, solace, and education.

Mashriqu’l-Adhkar and Haziratu'l-Quds on same site

The term Haziratu'l-Quds (Arabic, “sacred fold”) or Baha’i Center refers to national, regional and local Baha’I administrative centers.

…. the Haziratu'l-Quds should include the secretariat, treasury, archives, library, publishing office, assembly hall, council chamber and the pilgrims' hostel. Shoghi Effendi also stated that its functions would be complementary to those of theBaha’i House of Worship, and that it would be desirable if both these buildings would be on the same site.

Bahá'í World Centre (1998-07-02). Functions and Importance of the Haziratu’l-Quds.

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár land allows for expansion, for the addition of its dependencies.

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár complex includes the House of Worship surrounded by its dependencies (an imagened scheme).

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains,

is a "material structure" that has "a spiritual effect" and, indeed,

"a powerful influence on every phase of life." Its purpose is not fulfilled by worship alone; it must inspire the direct actions of those working to regenerate the life of humanity. The dependencies surrounding the Temple link worship to service to humanity; the prayers and praise of God expressed within the Temple are translated into deeds of compassion, care, and education in the world outside.

From the description of the role of the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar and its dependencies, mentioned above, we can derive: the goal of development, and the roles of the individual, the community and the institutions.

1. The goal of development is to “regenerate the (spiritual and material) life of humanity”.

2.The role of the individual is service to humanity through deeds of compassion, care, and education.

3. Society should express itself and be characterized by compassion, care and education.

4. The role of the institutions is to inspire the direct actions of those working to regenerate the life of humanity.

The Role of the Individual“The individual who wishes to exercise self-expression responsibly participates thoughtfully in consultation devoted to the common good and spurns the temptation to insist on personal opinion;

This vision has been unfolding, and its realization slowly emerging. In the 2012 Ridvan Letter from the Universal House of Justice, for example, we learn:

The Role of the Community“the community that is to take charge of its own development recognizes an invaluable asset in the unity afforded through whole-hearted engagement in the plans devised by the institutions.

The Role of the Institutions“A Baha’i institution, appreciating the need for coordinated action channeled toward fruitful ends, aims not to control but to nurture and encourage;

The Goal of Development:"among the results of the manifestation of spiritual forces will be that the human world will adapt itself to a new social form," that "the justice of God will become manifest throughout human affairs"

UHJ Ridvan Message 2012

The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, described by 'Abdu'l- Baha as "one of the most vital institutions of the world", weds two essential, inseparable aspects of Baha'i life: worship and service. The union of these two is also reflected in the coherence that exists among the community-building features of the Plan, particularly the burgeoning of a devotional spirit that finds expression in gatherings for prayer and an educational process that builds capacity for service to humanity. The correlation of worship and service is especially pronounced in those clusters around the world where Baha'i communities have significantly grown in size and vitality, and where engagement in social action is apparent.

In our devotional and educational core activities we can see the temple, the dependencies, and the Haziratu’l-Quds, in embryonic form.

In some parts of the worldthe correlation between work and service has advanced to the point where it is ready to be embodied in the Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in two countries:

the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Papua New Guinea and the first local Houses of Worship in each of the following clusters: • Battambang, Cambodia; • Bihar Sharif, India; • Matunda Soy, Kenya; • Norte del Cauca, Colombia; and• Tanna, Vanuatu.

天

人

合一

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkar concept resonates well with a Chinese philosophical concept “Tian Ren He Yi”,

“Harmony between heaven and earth (or people), between the spiritual and the material”.

1. What is the Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adhkar?

2. Potential Impact on Human Settlement Design

The Institution of the Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adkar

If the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is the material and spiritual nerve-center of the city,

What is its potential impact on human settlement design?

Promote the Development of Cities

“Promote ye the development of the cities of God and His countries, and glorify Him therein in the joyous accents of His well-favoured ones. In truth, the hearts of men are edified through the power of the tongue, even as houses and cities are built up by the hand and other means. We have assigned to every end a means for its accomplishment; avail yourselves thereof, and place your trust and confidence in God,the Omniscient, the All-Wise.”

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 77)

The following images look at a few historical precedents where there has been a conscious, or unconscious, attempt to organize human settlements around institutions ofauthority, worship, and education.

Civic Center in Ancient Athens (Greece), The Agora

Historical Precedents


Civic Center in Ancient Athens (Greece), The Agora

Civic Center in Ancient Rome, The Forum


Gur, Iran. Founded by Ardeshir I ( 224-651 CE), the founder of the Sasanian Dynasty

Gur city is a circle-shaped city with diameter of 2 kilometres. The city is divided into 61 parts by 20 radial walls and 3 concentric circles. The core circle is 450 meters in diameter. Most probably important

buildings such as ceremonial, religious, and governmental departments were in this area, remains of two of which can still be seen in the area. One of them is the famous mihrab (altar) which is located just in the centre of the circle and the other is known as the seat monument which must have been a big Zoroastrian

temple.


City of Al- Mansoor, Baghdad (762)

In 762 AD, construction began on Mansur. The city was designed as a circle about 2.7 km in diameter, leading it to be known as the "Round City". The original design shows as single ring of residential and commercial structures along the inside of the city walls, but the final construction added another ring inside the first. Within the city there were many parks, gardens, villas, and promenades. In the center of the city lay the mosque, as well as headquarters for guards. The purpose or use of the remaining space in the center is unknown.



Institutions of Spiritual and Temporal Authority

Residential

Commercial(assumed)



English Medieval Monastery


English Medieval Monastery

Devotion

Education

Ince Madrassah (1260-65) Historical Precedents

Devotion

Education


The Süleymaniye Mosque was built on the order of Sultan

Suleyman (the Magnificent) and designed by Sina

Pasha. Construction work began in 1550 and

was finished in 1558.

Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey (1558)



Mec

ca


Plan for Sforzinda, an ideal city (c. 1465)


The town center contained three squares – one for the prince’s palace, one for the cathedral, and one for the market.

Designed by Renaissance architect Antonio di Pietro Averlino (c. 1400 - c. 1469),

Market


Attributed to Luciano Laurana (c. 1420 – 1479) or Melozzo da Forlì (c. 1438 – 1494).

The Ideal City

Palmanova, Italy (1593)


Palmanova, Italy (1593) Nine-sided town. Where might they place a House of Worship?



Palmanova, Italy (1593) Nine-sided town. Where might they place dependencies?

Karslruhe, Prince’s Palace (1752-81), center of 32 radiating roads, Germany


Schools are located along the Grand Avenue or in the surrounding countryside.Social and humanitarian institutions are located in the surrounding countryside.


Schools are located along the Grand Avenue.The Culturally-oriented Civic center includes:

Town Hall, Museum-Gallery, Hospital, Library, Theater, and Concert Hall



Senior High School

Elementary School

Junior High School

Plan by Jose Sert

A hierarchy of community centers organized around education


Mandala

The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit, loosely translated to mean "circle“. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for

the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite,

The Mandala pattern was used by astronomer-King Sawai Jai Singh (1700-1743), India. In the center are the Palace Complex and Observatory.



The Emperor (the Representative of Heaven) is located at the center of the city. Old Beijing’s city plan and the Forbidden City are based on this model .

Venice: Institutions of Authority: St. Mark’s Church and the Palace of the Doge

Existing / Potential


Sweden: A hierarchy of community centers organized around education and social centers

Drum Tower

Drum Tower

Drum Tower

Drum TowerDrum Tower

Drum Tower Community Centers in Guizhou, Dong Minority Village


Community Centers in Guizhou, Dong Minority Village


The drum towers provide venues for the whole village to discuss and settle important matters, hold important festivals or entertainments such as singing and playing wind instruments. A leather drum is placed in the drum tower. When there are important things to talk about, the drum is beaten by a respected village leader to summon the villagers. There is a fire on the ground where a fire burns almost all year round.

Temple

Kindergarten

Center for Elderly

A hutment community in Ganeshnagar, Pune, India, where the residents built there own community center which includes a temple, administrative offices, a kindergarten and an activity center for the elderly.

Administrative Wards

Administrative Office



Ganeshnagar Community: Local Residents

Nan Mo Fang residential community, Beijing, 1995. Planning law requires community service buildings, particularly for education.


Kindergarten

Elementary School

Central Green Space

“Civic Buildings should be grouped together…….

‘It has too often been the case, in the history of cities, that their Cultural Institutes have been

postponed until adequate sites for them are no longer obtainable. Modern cities (British and

American especially) are thus discovering their needs when too late adequately to supply them at

great expense, and then in too scattered locations.’

His point is that it was vital to ensure the‘proximity of these institutes, so as to prevent

their mutual forgetfulness, which in time hardens into exclusiveness, and thus to failure

of usefulness all round: and just when duly intelligent and understanding and sympathetic

cooperation are most required. This condition of proximity, and for mutual interaction, is

fundamentally necessary.’

Helen Meller, Patrick Geddes, Social Evolutionist and City Planner, Routledge, 1990, p.280.

PROXIMITY of INSTITUTIONS

On January 7, 1913, Abdu’l-Baha visited the "Outlook Tower”, an educational institution in Edinburgh, Scotland, guided by the learned scholar, Prof Patrick Geddes. Prof. Geddes gave Abdu’l-Baha a rousing reception. The Master praised his energy and patience.

The Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar stimulates a consciousnessand inspires individual action “to regenerate the life of humanity”; The proximity of the institutions should allows for positive synergiesbetween the dependencies.

The following is an example of what could happen: Kotoen, in Tokyo’s Edogawa district combines a home for the elderly and a kindergarten.

PROXIMITY of INSTITUTIONS

A Partial Map of Tokyo, Edogawa District

Many elderly choose to live here; they find a new happiness through their association with the children. The family circle is complete again.

An example of Institutional Synergy:Kotoen, Tokyo, Edogawa district combines a home for the elderly and a kindergarten.

Exercise together


INSTITUTIONAL SYNERGY

“We found that once the two facilities were joined together, the children began learning how to care for others by talking and being with the older co-residents.

We could see that through this experience the children were growing into warm and compassionate human beings.

For the elderly, we realized that through their association with the children,they were becoming more alive and their health was improving.

Seeing these aged people, many of whom I thought had forgotten how to laugh or even express their thoughts,

holding the children and happily talking with them, brought home how important a touching relationship

can be between two caring people”

Maeda Takumi, Kotoen Director

Grandpa talks to the children about the good old days.


The children draw a picture of Grandma.


The children help take care of Grandma


The following are a few images that explore the physical design of villages, towns and cities using the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar and its dependencies as the main organizing principle.

旅馆

Mashriqu’l-Adkar Municipal Level(an imagined scheme for a city of about 300,000 people)

Mashriqu’l-Adkar: Hierarchy of Sizes, at the municipal, district, and community level

Assumption: Cities will have municipal, district, and community-level Mashiqu’l-Adhkars. The size of each type will be in proportion to the population.

Imagined schemes

Mashriqu’l-Adhkar District and Community Levels

Imagined schemes

Community Level Mashriqu’l-Adkar at the center of a “Walking” POD community

Assumption: People will walk every day, usually in the morning, to worship at the temple. An easy 10 minute walk to the center, a distance of about 400 meters, defines a 50 hectare land area. Using a typical Chinese urban residential density of 200 people per hectare, we get a

population of 10,000 people. The Mashriqu’l-Adhkar can be reached by everyone without the use of cars or public transport, inside this Pedestrian-Oriented District (POD).

“Walking” POD Community

Four “Walking” Communities and a District-Level Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

40,000 people

“Walking” PODCommunity

District-Level Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

220,000 people

Five Districts and a Municipal-Level Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

District-Level Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

“Walking” Community

Municipal-Level Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

City of 300,000 people organized around the Masriqu’l-Adhkar

Municipal-level Mashiqu’l-Adhkar

District-level Mashiqu’l-Adhkar Community-level

Mashiqu’l-Adhkar

城市级市民中心

Conceptual plan of a city for 300,000 peopleorganized around the Mashriqi’l-Adhkar (about 5x5km).

Municipal Mashriqu’l-Adkar

PODMashriqu’l-Adhkar

DistrictMashriqu’l-Adhkar

Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

Transportation Plan

Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

Walking-Distance Community with Mashriqu’l-Adkar

TownMashriqu’l-Adkar

Industry

Urban Forest

Existing town surrounded by villages.



Industry

Urban Forest

Add Mashriqu'l-Adhkar to existing towns and

villages



Industry

Urban Forest

Add new POD



Industry

Urban Forest

Clusters of Human Settlements organized around the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar

In the Chinese model of an ideal city, there is a coherence of spiritual and material authority.China did not experience the same early rupture of reason and faith, “church” and state as in the West.

Thank you!谢谢 !

The Baha’i Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, Precents, and Urban Planning Implications

Spiritual

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