The Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa and the nearby Acre area brings together sacred sites, gardens and international administrative institutions. Bahá’í volunteers from around the world serve for specified periods, helping care for the holy places and support the community’s internal administration. Its presence in Haifa grew from Bahá’u’lláh’s exile to Acre and his designation of Mount Carmel as the faith’s centre.
What volunteers do
Volunteers serve in practical roles connected to the World Centre, including care of the holy places and internal administration. The Bahá’í community describes service as time-limited and international in origin. A Bahá’í World News Service account reported more than 800 volunteers at the time it was published; that historical figure should not be read as a current headcount.
The World Centre history describes volunteers’ work and the funding of the Mount Carmel projects through contributions from Bahá’ís. Current information about visits and access is published by the Bahá’í Holy Places and Gardens site.
How the centre fits into Haifa
The site includes the Shrine of the Báb and its terraces on Mount Carmel, along with the administrative buildings of the Arc. Across the bay and north of Haifa, the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh near Acre anchors the other major sacred location. The community’s institutions operate from the World Centre, while the gardens and shrines also receive pilgrims and visitors.
UNESCO’s listing of the Bahá’í Holy Places describes the protected heritage property as a group of sites at seven locations in Haifa and the Western Galilee. Its focus is the sites’ religious meaning and pilgrimage tradition, not claims about municipal policy or a supposed political alliance.
The centre’s location follows the history of exile and the faith’s own instructions. Read why the World Centre is in Haifa and Acre, or see what the Universal House of Justice and Arc do.