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Within the confines of the Holy Land, "the Heart of the world and the Qiblih of all nations," the erection of the first base stones of the ornamental crown of the Dome of the Bab's Sepulcher which had commenced with Naw-Ruz of the Holy Year, was followed successively by the laying, during the Ridvan period, of the first of the twelve thousand gilded tiles destined to cover the two-hundred and fifty square meter area of the Dome and the placing of the stone lantern which marked the consummation of the three quarters of a million dollar enterprise, and coincided with the closing period of the Year associated with the hundredth anniversary of the birth of the Mission of Baha'u'llah. The site for the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of the Holy Land has been selected - an area of approximately twenty thousand square meters - situated at the head of the Mountain of God, in close proximity to the Spot hallowed by the footsteps of Baha'u'llah, near the time-honored Cave of Elijah, and associated with the revelation of the Tablet of Carmel, the Charter of the World Spiritual and Administrative Centers of the Faith on that mountain. Funds totaling one hundred thousand dollars have, moreover, been contributed by one of the Hands of the Cause, residing in the Holy Land, and negotiations have been initiated with the Israeli authorities for the purpose of effecting the immediate purchase of the selected site. Measures have been undertaken and Baha'i Continental Funds inaugurated in anticipation of the forth-coming appointment by the fifteen Hands residing outside the Holy Land of five Auxiliary Boards, one in each of the continents of the globe, the members of which will act as deputies of the Hands in their respective continents, and will aid and advise them in the effective prosecution of the Ten-Year Plan, and will assist them, at a later period, in the discharge of their dual and sacred task of safeguarding the Faith and of promoting its teaching activities. The international Baha'i endowments, situated in the heart of Mt. Carmel, and in the plain of `Akka, already extending over an area of over three hundred and fifty thousand square meters, have been enlarged through the acquisition of properties overlooking the Resting Places of the Most Exalted Leaf and of the Purest Branch, which, when added to the plots situated on the ridge of Mt. Carmel, on its western extremity and in the close neighborhood of the Shrine built within its heart - for the acquisition of which negotiations have been set afoot - will constitute an addition of over thirty thousand square meters to the vast area of Baha'i holdings permanently dedicated to the Shrines of the Founder of the Faith and of its Herald. The embellishment of the Haram-i-Aqdas, the outer Sanctuary of Baha'u'llah's Sepulcher, already accomplished in the course of the Holy Year commemorating the centenary of the birth of His prophetic Mission, has been greatly enhanced through the laying out, on both its northern and southern sides, of formal gardens, extending over an area of ten thousand square meters, providing a befitting approach to His Mansion and considerably widening the area stretching in front of His holy Sepulcher. The design of the international Baha'i Archives, the first stately Edifice destined to usher in the establishment of the World Administrative Center of the Faith on Mt. Carmel--the Ark referred to by Baha'u'llah in the closing passages of His Tablet of Carmel - has been completed, and plans and drawings forwarded to Italy for the purpose of securing bids for its construction immediately after the conclusion of the necessary preliminary steps taken in the Holy Land for its forthcoming erection. Israel Branches of the British, the Persian, the Canadian and the Australian Baha'i National Spiritual Assemblies have been legally established, recognized formally as Religious Societies by the Israeli Civil Authorities, and empowered to hold without restriction title to immovable property in any part of the country on behalf of their parent Assemblies. Contact has moreover been established with the President of Israel, its Prime Minister and five other Cabinet Ministers, as well as with the President of the Knesset, culminating in the establishment of a special Baha'i Department in the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and in an official statement by the Head of this Ministry to Parliament emphasizing the international scope of the Faith and the importance of its World Center - a series of events that have paved the way for the forthcoming official visit, during the early days of the Ridvan period, of the President of Israel, himself, to the Bab's Sepulcher on Mt. Carmel.
(63:1)
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