Arc (Bahá'í)

The Arc is a number of Bahá'í administrative buildings at the Bahá'í World Centre on Mount Carmel located at Haifa, Israel. They include the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, the Seat of the International Teaching Centre, the International Archives, and the Centre for the Study of the Sacred Texts. A fifth building, the International Bahá'í Library, has yet to be built.

Symbolism

Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, in his Tablet of Carmel, wrote that God would "sail His Ark" on Mount Carmel and saying, the mountain will be "the seat of His throne." This statement was interpreted by Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith during the first half of the 20th century, as referring to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Bahá'ís; connected with this establishment, the prophecy was linked to a number of administrative institutions which would be established on Mount Carmel. Shoghi Effendi decided that the buildings housing the institutions would be designed on an arc and surrounded by gardens. The fulcrum of arc would be Monument Gardens, which hold the graves of some of the members of the Bahá'í holy family.