Stock Photo - The Bahai Shrine and Gardens in Haifa are the international headquarters for the Bahai Faith and a pilgrimage destination of Bahai believers from all over the world. The unique design of the gardens, by Iranian Bahai architect Fariborz Sahba, combine geometrical shapes with the conservation of natural and historic landscape features. A staircase of 19 terraces extend all the way up the northern slope of Mt. Carmel. At the heart of the gardens stands the golden_domed Shrine of the Bab, which is the resting place of the Prophet_Herald of the Bahai Faith. It was designed by William Sutherland Maxwell, a Canadian Bahai architect, and was built between 1949_1953. The Bahai Gardens in Haifa and Acre Akko were inscribed on UNESCO´s World Heritage List in July 2008.