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Aerial view of Mount Carmel and Haifa
Haifa
Israel
Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel , and ranks among the top three most populous metropolitan areas . It houses the Baha ’ i Faith ’ s Baha ’ i World Centre , a destination for pilgrimage for those of the faith and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
Haifa is built on the slopes of Mount Carmel . The city has a history of over 3000 years . The earliest known settlement related to Haifa was established in the Late Bronze Age . Both Mount Carmel and Kishon River are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible . Historical mention of Haifa occurs since the Persian and Hellenistic periods .
GERMAN COLONY German messianics including several Templers arrived in Haifa and settled in what is now called the German Colony in 1868 . This was the beginning of Haifa ’ s introduction to industrialization . The Templers were the one who built a steampowered station and opened factories . They also inaugurated carriage services to the nearby settlements of Tiberias , Nazareth and Acre . All of this played a key role in jumpstarting Haifa ’ s modernization .
BAHA ’ I WORLD CENTRE The buildings hosting the spiritual as well as administrative headquarters of the Baha ’ i Faith are on Mount Carmel in Haifa . Designed by a Canadian landscape architect , they coordinate and govern the Baha ’ i Faith . The global teaching plans , the study and the translation of the Baha ’ i holy writings are all done here . It is where the Universal House of Justice is located , which is the Baha ’ i Faith ’ s supreme governing body . This is also a site of pilgrimage , attracting 1 million pilgrims of the faith every year .