April 12, 2011
ISRAEL — Followers of the Baha’i faith unveiled their newly renovated holy site on the coast of Israel on Tuesday, drawing attention to one of the Holy Land's lesser-known religions. The renovation of the Shrine of the Bab, a U.N.-designated World Heritage site, lasted two-and-a-half-years and cost $6 million dollars, according to the Baha’i leadership. The structure has been refitted and strengthened to withstand an earthquake, and the building's dome — the most distinctive feature of the landscape in the Mediterranean port city of Haifa — has been covered with 11,790 new gold-glazed porcelain tiles. The Baha’i religion has roots in 19th century Iran. The man known to believers as the Bab, or "gate," and venerated as a prophet was executed for heresy in 1850 and later buried in Haifa. Today, the faith claims between 5 and 6 million adherents worldwide. [link]
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