HOW1

About Bahá'í Temples:
Bahá'í Houses of Worship are located in every continent, except Antarctica. The building style for these temples can differ, but one characteristic of each temple is that the building must be 9-sided having 9 doors or entrances, should have a dome, and be surrounded by gardens and walks. This is to show that everyone is welcome to enter them. The Temples are not just for Bahá'ís, but are open to all.

For examples of some of the Bahá'í Writings about Houses of Worship, click here

The Bahá'í Temple in Bahapur, India
The Mother Temple of the Sub-continent of India is the House of Worship that has been most recently dedicated. Located in Bahapur, just south of New Delhi, India, the foundation stone was laid in October 1977, and the dedication was on 24 December 1986. For more on this Temple, visit their web site at http://www.bahaindia.org/temple/index.htm

The Bahá'í Temple in Wilmette, U.S.A.
The Mother Temple of the West. Situated in Wilmette, just north of Chicago, U.S.A, its foundation stone was laid by `Abdu'l-Bahá on 1 May 1912, and was dedicated on 1 May 1953. For more on this Temple, visit their website at http://www.us.bahai.org/how/index.html

The Bahá'í Temple in Frankfurt, Germany
The Mother Temple of Europe. Located in Langenhain, near Frankfurt an Main, Germany, its foundation stone was laid in November 1960, and it was dedicated on 4 July 1964. For more on this Temple, visit their web site (in German) at http://www.bahai.de/site/deutsche_gemeinde/hda/index.html

The Bahá'í Temple in Sydney, Australia
The Mother Temple of the Antipodes. Situated in Mona Vale, just outside Sydney, Australia, its foundation stone was laid in March 1958, and was dedicated on 15 September 1961.

The Bahá'í Temple in Uganda, Africa
The Mother Temple of Africa. Situated on Kikaya Hill on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda, its foundation stone was laid in January 1958, and was dedicated on 13 January 1961.

The Bahá'í Temple in Western Samoa
The Bahá'í Temple of the Pacific Ocean. Located in Apia, Western Samoa, the foundation stone was laid January 1979, and the dedication was on 1 September 1984.

The Bahá'í Temple in Panama City, Panama
The Mother Temple of Latin America. It is situated at Cerro Sonsonati, near Panama City, Panama. Its foundation stone was laid in October 1967, and it was dedicated on 29 April 1972.

The Bahá'í Temple in Ishqabad, Turkmenistan
The first Bahá'í Temple was built in 1902, but in 1928 was expropriated by the authorities as a result of a law expropriating all religious edifices and in 1938 was converted into an art gallery. In 1948 a violent earthquake caused major structural damage, which led to its demolition by government order in 1963.