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Bayt-i-'Aẓam

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A view of Baghdad in 1855

The House of Baháʼu'lláh in Baghdad, also known as the "Most Great House" (Bayt-i-Aʻzam) and the "House of God," is where Baháʼu'lláh lived from 1853 to 1863 (except for two years when he left to the mountains of Kurdistan, northeast of Baghdad, near the city of Sulaymaniyah).

Description

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It was located in the Kadhimiya district of Baghdad, near the western bank of the Tigris river.[1] It is designated in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas as a place of pilgrimage and is considered a holy place by Baháʼís.[2]

In 1922[3] the house was confiscated by Shia authorities, who were hostile to the Baháʼí Faith. The Council of the League of Nations upheld the Baháʼí's claim to the house, but it has not yet been returned to the Baháʼí community.[2][4]

The house was destroyed in June 2013, under circumstances that are currently unclear.[5] The Universal House of Justice sent a letter to all the National Spiritual Assemblies on 27 June informing them of the house's destruction.

References

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  1. ^ The House of Baha'u'llah
  2. ^ a b Smith, Peter (2000). "Baghdad: the House of Baháʼu'lláh". A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 66–67. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
  3. ^ Baháʼí International Community. House of Baha'u'llah seized.
  4. ^ Toynbee, Arnold J. (1935). Survey of International Affairs 1934. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 120–122.
  5. ^ "Sacred site in Baghdad destroyed". Baháʼí World News Service. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.