Two and a half years after their unexpected closure, the Bahá’í Gardens in Acre will reopen to the public this Sunday, the Bahá’í World Centre announced Thursday. The sacred site, revered by millions of Bahá’ís around the world, will once again welcome visitors for guided tours and independent visits. As is customary at Bahá’í sites, admission will be free.
The gardens, which once drew around 200,000 visitors annually, were closed to non-Bahá’ís in April 2023 following a dispute with the Acre Municipality. The city had demanded millions of shekels in property taxes, arguing the site should be classified primarily as a tourist attraction rather than a religious site.
In a statement, the Bahá’í leadership said the dispute had been resolved and the site’s sacred status recognized. “We are pleased to announce that the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the surrounding gardens, collectively known as Bahjí, are reopening to the public,” the statement read. “The mischaracterization of Bahjí—Bahá’ídom’s holiest site—as primarily a tourist attraction has been corrected, and its sanctity reaffirmed.”
At the heart of the gardens is the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, the burial site of the Bahá’í faith’s founder, who broke from Shi’a Islam in Iran in 1844. The site is a place of prayer and pilgrimage for the global Bahá’í community and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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The entrance gate to the gardens will reopen to everyone on Sunday
(Photo: Gil Nehushtan)
The 2023 closure shocked local businesses and tourism officials across Acre and the Western Galilee, with many accusing the municipality of harming the local economy. Tour guides, restaurateurs, innkeepers and merchants in the Old City expressed frustration over what they viewed as a self-inflicted wound by the city.
The Bahá’í leadership viewed the move as a deep affront to the site’s religious significance, prompting intervention from Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance. The newly reached agreement now allows Bahjí to resume its role as a religious center that also welcomes visitors from around the world.