THE MASHRIQU'L-ADHKÁR IN `ISHQÁBÁD, RUSSIA.
The first Bahá'í House of Worship to be constructed.
THE MASHRIQU'L-ADHKÁR IN `ISHQÁBÁD, RUSSIA.
The first Bahá'í House of Worship to be constructed.
A discription by Charles Mason Remey quoted in this text indicates that the height of the rotunda was "five stories."
Vol. VI Mulk 1, 71 (February 7, 1916) No. 18
The Mashrak-el-Azkar of Ishkabad
By CHARLES MASON REMEY
To the House of Spirituality of Bahais,
Chicago, Ill.
Brothers in the service of Abha:-
As you have arisen for the construction of the first Mashrak-el-Azkar in America, and, as I have recently visited Ishkabad and seen there the great Mashrak-el-Azkar of the east, of which we in the west have heard so much, I take it upon myself to write to you a description of this edifice, hoping to share with you the great blessing of meeting with the friends in those parts and of beholding this Temple which is a testimony of their sacrifice and unity.
As you know, Ishkabad is in Russian Turkestan, just north of the Elbruz mountains, which separate the desert plain of western Turkestan, on the north, from Persia on the south. The city itself lies on the plain a short distance from the mountains, which here are quite rugged and rocky. The town is quite modern in aspect, being laid off with gardens and broad streets, which meet at right angles. Rows of trees along the sidewalks remind one of a western city, while the buildings and the waterways, which flank the streets and are fed with water coming from the nearby mountains, are strikingly oriental.
I could hardly believe that this city had sprung up almost entirely during the past half-century. It was but a huddle of mud huts, when Baha'o'llah first directed some of his followers to settle there. Now this is replaced by a large and prosperous city of buildings of brick and stone.
The Mashrak-el-Azkar stands in the center of the city, surrounded by a large garden, which is bounded by four streets. It rises high above the surrounding buildings and trees, its dome being visible for miles, as the traveler approaches the city over the plain. The building in plan is a regular polygon of nine sides. One large doorway and portico, flanked by turrets, facing the direction of the Holy City (Akka), forms the principal motive of the facade, while the dome dominates the whole composition.
The walls of the Temple are of brick covered with a firm and hard stucco, which in that climate resists quite well the action of the elements, while the floors are concrete supported by iron or steel beams.
Temple at Ishkabad, RussiaIn plan the building is composed of three sections: the central rotunda, the aisle or ambulatory which surrounds it, and the loggia which surrounds the entire building.
The interior of the rotunda is five stories in height. The first or main floor story consists of nine arches, supported by piers, which separate the ambulatory from the rotunda proper. The second story consists of a similar treatment of arches and piers and balustrades, which separate the triforium gallery (which is directly above the ambulatory) from the wall of the rotunda. The third story is decorated with nine flank arcades, between which is a shield upon which is inscribed, in Persian characters, "Ya Baha-el-Abha." The fourth story contains nine large windows, while the wall of the fifth story, which is not as high as the others, is pierced by eighteen bull's-eye windows.
Above, there is the dome which is hemispherical in shape. The rotunda from the floor to the top of the dome is elaborately decorated with fret work and other designs, all in relief. We were told that the ultimate aim was that color and gilding should be added to this interior decoration.
The inner dome is of iron or steel and concrete, while the outer dome or roof is entirely of metal-the intention is that this shall be gilded.
The main portico of the temple is two stories in the clear, while the loggias, which surround the building, are on two floors, the lower being on the main floor level, while the upper one is on the level of the triforium gallery. This upper loggia is reached by two stair-cases, one to the right and one to the left of the main entrance, and the gallery is entered from the loggia.
On the main floor the principal entrance is through the large doorway, but there are also several inner doors, which connect the ambulatory with the loggia. An abundance of light is admitted through the windows in the upper part of the rotunda, as well as through the windows of the upper gallery and ambulatory, which open upon the loggias.
The Persian style of architecture has been used in treating the details and decorations of the buildings.
At present the stucco work is not quite completed. The interior of the rotunda is finished, but the decoration of the loggias and gallery and ambulatory is only done in part. However, the work is continuing and it will not be long before all will be complete.
From what I saw and heard in Ishkabad, I found that those believers who superintended the building of the Temple were competent business men and that, although they had undertaken a large enterprise, every possible economy was made, yet at the same time no expense seemed to be spared when necessary for the beauty and solidity of the building.
The layout of the garden is not yet complete. Nine avenues of approach lead to the Temple. The main avenue of the nine, leading to the entrance portico, will be entered from the street by a monumental gateway. Last July they were completing the plans for this principal gateway of the grounds.
At the four corners of the garden are four buildings. One is a school. One is a house, where traveling Bahais are entertained. One is to be used as a hospital, and the other is for workmen, storage, etc. Much of the property in the immediate vicinity of this enclosure belongs to Bahais, so the Mashrak-el-Azkar is the center of the community materially, as well as spiritually.
That which impressed me more than all else, as I stood before this Mashrak-el-Azkar, was the fact that the Bahai of the east had all worked with one accord and had given freely toward its erection.
The Temple in America can be accomplished only as we give up self and unite in this service. The beloved in the east made their offerings and left them with all personal desires upon the altar of sacrifice. Now we in this country must do likewise. We need something more than money for the Temple. It must be built of the material of sacrifice and cemented together by the spirit of unity.
In the building of the Temple, every one must lay before God his material offering together with his ideas, desires and aspirations - give them to the Lord completely, and then, as we come together to construct the material building, we will find that we have ample means for the work in hand.
Each one of us has sufficient means, both material and spiritual, for the work which God has given us to perform. We need not trouble thinking that we may not have enough means, but we should seek to apply to the best advantage the means which God has given us.Faithfully, your brother in the service of Abdul-Baha,
Charles Mason Remey.
"Bahá'í Year Book" Vol. 1 - 1925-1926 pp. 79-81 THE MASHRIQU'L-ADHKAR OF 'ISHQABAD BY CHARLES MASON REMEY ISHQABÁD, one of the chief cities of Russian Turkistán, is just north of the Elburz mountains, which separate the desert plain of western Turkistán on the north from Persia on the south. The city lies on a plain a short distance from the mountains, which here are quite rugged and rocky. The town is quite modern in aspect, being laid off with gardens and broad streets meeting at right angles. Rows of trees along the sidewalks remind one of a western city, while the low buildings, walled gardens, and waterways, which flank the streets and are fed with water coming from streams from the nearby mountains, are strikingly oriental in character. This city was but a huddle of mud huts when Bahá'u'lláh first directed some of His followers to settle there during the days of the most severe Bahá'í persecutions in Persia. There in 'Ishqábád these friends found a refuge of peace and tranquillity where the Russian government protected them allowing them the free exercise of their faith; thus the city became in reality as well as in name the City of Love*. The Bahá'ís of 'Ishqábád form a strong element in the life of the place, and they are highly thought of and protected by the government. The Bahá'í Cause was first brought to the public notice in 'Ishqábád some thirty-five or forty years ago by a martyrdom. It was the case of a learned man of some prominence, who met his death through receiving wounds at the hands of two assassins. These two individuals had been hired to do the deed by five Moslems, who took this measure to try to stop the spread of the Cause in that city. The Russian authorities took the matter in hand and condemned to death all of the seven men. The Bahá'ís then petitioned the governor to spare their lives. He not having authority to do this, a petition to the same effect was sent to the Czar, who granted it, and thus the prisoners were sent in chains to the mines of Siberia. Here is but another instance of the growth of the Cause through persecution, for from that time on the government not only allowed the Bahá'ís to worship as they chose, but it protected them and showed them special favors. During all of the governmental changes in Russia the Bahá'ís have continued in safety there since it is understood that they are obedient servants of the government and harbor no sedition against the law of the land. At about the close of the first decade of the Ministry of the Master 'Abdu'l- Bahá, some of the friends in the Orient arose fired with spiritual fervor to build the first great Mashriqu'l-Adhkár. Following the guidance of the center of the Covenant, 'Ishqábád was the place chosen for this service, and to direct this vast undertaking Hájí Mírzá Muhammad Taqí Afnán one of the most tried and venerable of the friends of the Cause was chosen by the Master. The Master 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself established the style and the general lines upon which the Temple was built namely, that it should be built upon the plan of a regular nine sided polygon surrounded by loggias and in the midst of a garden at the intersection of nine avenues, with its principal entrance facing the Direction of the Holy Land the composition of the building being similar to that of some of the great temples of Persia and India. The services of an engineer and architect were secured, and the Bahá'ís throughout the Orient arose with fervor to give of their means toward the building and within a very few years the building was completed. The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár stands in the heart of the city; its high dome standing out above the trees and house tops being visible for miles to the travelers as they approach the town. It is in the center of a garden bounded by four streets. In the four corners of this enclosure are four buildings. One is the Bahá'í school; one is the traveler's house, where pilgrims and wayfarers are lodged; one is for the keepers, while the fourth one is to be used as a hospital. Nine radial avenues approach the Temple from the several parts of the grounds, one of which, the principal approach to the building, leads from the main gateway of the grounds to the principal portal of the Temple. In plan the building is composed of three sections; namely, the central rotunda, the aisle or ambulatory which surrounds it, and the loggia which surrounds the entire building. It is built on the plan of a regular polygon of nine sides. One side is occupied by the monumental main entrance, flanked by minarets-a high arched portico extending two stories in height recalling in arrangement the architecture of the world famous Taj Mahal at Agra in India, the delight of the world to travelers many of whom pronounce it to be the most beautiful temple in the world. Thus the principal doorway opens toward the direction of the Holy Land. The entire building is surrounded by two series of loggias-one upper and one lower-which open out upon the garden giving a very beautiful architectural effect in harmony with the luxuriant semi-tropical vegetation which fills the garden. The principal feature of the interior is the rotunda beneath the dome, which latter is the dominant feature of the exterior. On the main floor the principal entrance is through the large doorway, but there are also several minor doors, which connect the ambulatory with the loggia. An abundance of light is admitted through the windows in the upper portion of the rotunda, as well as through the windows of the upper gallery and ambulatory, which open upon the loggias. The interior walls of the rotunda are treated in five distinct stories. First, a series of nine arches and piers which separate the rotunda from the ambulatory. Second, a similar treatment with balustrades which separate the triforium gallery (which is above the ambulatory and is reached by two staircases in the loggias placed one on either side of the main entrance) from the well of the rotunda. Third, a series of nine blank arches filled with fretwork, between which are escutcheons bearing the Greatest Name. Fourth, a series of nine large arched windows. Fifth, a series of eighteen bull's eye windows. Above and resting on a cornice surmounting this last story rises the inner hemispherical shell of the dome. The interior is elaborately decorated in plaster relief work. The writer is under the impression that eventually it is the intention to treat the interior in colors and gold, but when he visited 'Ishqábád an 1901 it was still in the simple white stucco. The exterior is also done in stucco, which in that climate resists quite well the action of the elements. The walls, which are of brick, are massively built, while the floors and dome are of concrete and iron. The whole structure impresses one by its mass and strength. The rearing of this temple in the east has been a great source of strength to the Bahá'í people the world round for through thus expressing their unity through sacrificing to build this temple of God, the Bahá'ís of the Orient have become stronger and more united than ever before. Who can estimate the effect that is produced by this building? It is the cause of great strength and unity among the Bahá'ís of the world, being the House of Unity open to all peoples, it is a haven of rest to many a soul and a beacon to guide those who seek the Kingdom of God. *Ishqabad means City of Love.