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On the twenty- second of the month of Rabi'u'th- Thani 1285 A.H. (August 12, 1868) Baha'u'llah and His family, escorted by a Turkish captain, Hasan Effendi by name, and other soldiers appointed by the local government, set out on their four- day journey to Gallipoli, riding in carriages and stopping on their way at Uzun- Kupru and Kashanih, at which latter place the Suriy- i- Ra'is was revealed. "The inhabitants of the quarter in which Baha'u'llah had been living, and the neighbors who had gathered to bid Him farewell, came one after the other," writes an eye- witness, "with the utmost sadness and regret to kiss His hands and the hem of His robe, expressing meanwhile their sorrow at His departure. That day, too, was a strange day. Methinks the city, its walls and its gates bemoaned their imminent separation from Him." "On that day," writes another eye- witness, "there was a wonderful concourse of Muslims and Christians at the door of our Master's house. The hour of departure was a memorable one. Most of those present were weeping and wailing, especially the Christians." "Say," Baha'u'llah Himself declares in the Suriy- i- Ra'is, "this Youth hath departed out of this country and deposited beneath every tree and every stone a trust, which God will erelong bring forth through the power of truth."
(180:2)
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