От: Nancy Ackerman [nack@bwc.org]
Отправлено: воскресенье 1 июля 2001 0:13
Кому: Anita Moody (E-mail); Ann Banani (E-mail); Ariana Salvo (E-mail);
Arkady Burkhanov (E-mail); Augusto Lopez-Claros (E-mail); Bahiyyih
Nakhjavani (E-mail); Brad Pokorny (E-mail); Brian Kirsch (home)
(E-mail); Elena Gruzkova (E-mail); Fred Ward (E-mail); Galya Tumurova
(E-mail); George and Diane Starcher (E-mail); Gerald Filson (E-mail);
Ginny Rochester-Orr (E-mail); Gyuzel Hakimova (E-mail); Irina Kouklina
(E-mail); Ivan Kirillov (E-mail); Jason Sheper (E-mail); Jessica Dacey
(E-mail); Julia Poroshina (E-mail); Julian Lebensold (E-mail); Karen
McKye (E-mail); Kevin McLoughlin (E-mail); Kostya Yakubenko (E-mail);
Larissa Tsutskova (E-mail); Lena Lazareva (E-mail); Liudmila
Grashchenkova (E-mail); Lynn Weir (E-mail); Marge Clarke (E-mail); Maury
Miloff (E-mail); May Sanaee (E-mail); Mina Sanaee (E-mail); Nadezhda
Kalygina (E-mail); Nina Tinnion (E-mail); Oleg Kisilev (E-mail 2); Olga
Brodskaya (E-mail 2); Olga Dainovskaya (E-mail); Olga Kononova (E-mail);
Olga Vinnik (E-mail); Olga/Pavel Frolov (E-mail); Olya Reusche (E-mail);
Partow Izadi (E-mail); Renee Poselskaya (E-mail); Riaz Rafat (E-mail);
Selena Andreeva (E-mail); Sergei (home) Poselski (E-mail); Sergei
Mosgovoi (E-mail); Igor Ivanovich Gultiai (E-mail); Shamil Fattakhov
(E-mail); Tanya Strashnenko (E-mail); Vadim Nomokonov (E-mail); Victor
Greenspoon (E-mail); Vladimir Chupin (E-mail); Volker Grossmann
(E-mail); William Hatcher (E-mail)
Тема: Visit to the Archives

Dear Friends: 
	As I leave the World Centre to take up a new post (at Landegg University - see new address below), I could not resist sharing with you what I wrote today, after my visit to the Baha'i Archives. As you know, the staff at the World Centre are permitted to visit one Holy Place during every six month period and this was what I chose.

Visit to the Archives:  22 June 2001

	Today, I was given the inestimable privilege of visiting the Baha'i Archives - the magnificent "Parthenon-like" building which was the first to be constructed on the Arc, in only two years (1955-57), the fruit of the genius and vision of the beloved Guardian. The detailed history is to be found in Ruhiyyih Khanum's article in Vol.XIII of Baha'i World, where there are even to be found photographs of the interior and descriptions of many of the objects inside the building. So much for our fabled secrecy!
	It was a moment that will stay with me all the rest of my days.
	For the first 15 of the ever-so-brief 50 minutes our small staff group of six were permitted to be inside were spent, of course, gazing prayerfully at the photograph and drawings of Baha'u'llah and the Bab. How serious and troubled His expression, almost affronted, as well He might have been. Such an indignity, a passport photograph of a Manifestation of God!  And, since my first pilgrimage in 1986, I had forgotten about the triptych of Baha'u'llah, drawn by the Christian artist in Baghdad, of which Bahiyyih Khanum said that they were excellent likenesses of the Blessed Beauty; they are actually one work of art, but framed as if separate. The first depicts Baha'u'llah in the bath, the second as a saint and the third as a mystic - all three clearly the same exquisite, restful face, surrounded by flowing black hair. And the drawing of the Bab - so exquisite, so fine, so peaceful, so utterly candid and natural He looked.
	And to think that the dear friends who gathered in 1992, at the time of the Centenary of the Ascension of Baha'u'llah, never went into the Archives and never saw those magnificent drawings and photograph. Because they were so numerous, it was arranged that they would view - and for only 30 seconds - a projected image of that same photograph of Baha'u'llah, proceeding in groups of 50 into the Concourse of the Seat. Such are the "restrictions" that increasingly characterize the growth of the Faith.
	Of all the many objects I saw in the collection, I would have loved to pour over the illuminated tablets much longer. They are the ones at the very back, near the photographs and drawings and were done by Lotfullah Mohebat, given the title "Mozaheb", ("the illuminator").  Amazingly, he was the son of one of the Covenant-Breakers in Teheran, and was brought to the Holy Land by the beloved Guardian in order to work, under his direct supervision, on the beautification of many of the original Tablets of Baha'u'llah. Out of the several hundred of these exquisite works of art, only about two dozen are on display. And even these are too gorgeous to take in in such a short time. What gave me so much joy and fascination was the idiosyncratic nature of the work and their utter originality. The Guardian had instructed him not to interfere in any way with the original text on the simple sheet of paper. But the result is something unbelievable. One must look very closely, through the luscious textures, colours and shapes that he added, to actually make out the original handwriting of Baha'u'llah. And just as the original handwriting meander all over the page, and at every conceivable angle, in the inimitable fashion of Persian literary style, so each illumination is entirely fanciful and unique, a splendid example of individual initiative - all the more wondrous in that they are applied directly to the original writings of the Manifestation. What courage it must have taken for the artist to do such a thing!  Not only are there gorgeous wide borders of every hue and colour, threaded with glistening gold and silver, but he has placed little tiny splashes of matching colour here and there throughout the text, in the interstices between lines and words, even between individual letters, giving each framed piece the feeling more of fabric than of text decoration. One could gaze for hours and hours and never get enough of the fascinating detail.   
	The Archives were first opened to the pilgrims in 1961, well after the passing of the Guardian, who had spent years collecting, along with his beloved Ruhiyyih Khanum, the magnificent array of fabulous carved and inlaid cabinets, luxurious carpets, ceramic vases, bronzes and light fixtures that were intended to provide the proper setting for the priceless collection of holy artifacts - the jewels within. Apparently, he and Khanum had given special attention to varying the cultures reflected in these beautiful objects. Then Khanum, over the succeeding three years arranged the whole display, either in strict accordance with Shoghi Effendi's explicit instructions, or as she, after long reflection, felt he would have wished things to be done. To this day, nothing has been changed, except perhaps when the Universal House of Justice deems something of sufficient value and importance to add to the collection, such as the photograph of the Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa. Perhaps the House of Justice will place another King there. What a responsibility to maintain it in the same immaculate condition. 
	Speaking of cultures, our wonderful guide this morning, Soheil Farhad (who actually works in the Labour Relations Office, because he speaks Arabic and is a lawyer), told us a fasinating story about the unusual response of one African believer when he saw the hair of Baha'u'llah. As you know, there are cases upon cases of original artifacts associated with Baha'u'llah, the Bab, Abdu'l-Baha and the Guardian - items of clothing, writing implements, the seals, amulets, utensils they used for eating or bathing, watches, jewellery and the like. One may see in the Archives dust from the place of martyrdom of the Bab in Tabriz, pieces of plaster from His cell in Mahku, even a bloodstained remnant from the remains of the Bab, before His body was enclosed in the sarcophagus. Apparently, when this believer saw the hair of Baha'u'llah, lovingly collected by Bahiyyih Khanum and then arranged by length and put under glass, he began to weep uncontrollably. When he had recovered himself sufficiently to explain his distress, he said that in his culture, if a person dies away from his homeland, a lock of his hair is taken back to his place of birth and buried there. He was weeping at the thought that it wasn't even possible for Baha'u'llah's locks to be sent back to Iran - to their place of rest. 
	I hope and pray that each of you has a chance to visit this wonderful place at some point in the future.

Much love
 Nancy
	
New address and contact information for Nancy Ackerman as of 3 July:
Landegg International University
CH-9405 Wienacht/AR, Switzerland
Tel: +41-71-898 0505 
Fax: +41-71-898 0500
Email: ackerman@landegg.edu 
Private telephone to be communicated later. 
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Landegg International University
CH-9405 Wienacht/AR, Switzerland
Tel: +41-71-898 0505 
Fax: +41-71-898 0500
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ackerman@landegg.edu <mailto:ackerman@landegg.edu> 
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