A Bahá'í Glossary - Bahá'í House of Worship - 'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia

First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth

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The first Bahá'í House of Worship was constructed in the city of 'Ishqábád, then ruled by Russia, then by the Soviet Union and now the capital of Turkmenistan. [Construction] of the first Bahá'í House of Worship was started on Istiqlál 6 Qawl 59 B.E (Friday 28 November A.D. 1902), and was completed in 64 B.E. (A.D. 1908). The design was prepared by Ostad Alí-Akbar Banna, and the construction was supervised by Vakílu'd-Dawlih, who was later named as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh.

'Ishqábád is located in the desert plain of western Turkmenistan near the foothills of the Alborz Mountains. Under the protection and freedom given by the Russian authorities, the number of Bahá'ís there rose to over 1,000 and for the first time anywhere in the world a true Bahá'í community was established, with its own schools, medical facilities, cemetery, etc. Eventually the Bahá'ís in 'Ishqábád decided to build the institution of the spiritual and social heart of the Bahá'í community: the Mas̲h̲riqu'l-Ad̲h̲kár.

The House of Worship itself was surrounded by gardens. At the four corners of the garden were four buildings: a school, a hostel where travelling Bahá'ís were entertained, a small hospital, and a building for groundskeepers. The Bahá'ís lived as much as possible in proximity to the House of Worship. It was the centre of the community materially, as well as spiritually. The House of Worship in 'Ishqábád has been the only house of worship thus far to have the humanitarian subsidiaries associated with the institution built along side it.

After serving the community for two decades, the House of Worship was expropriated by the Soviet authorities in 85 B.E. (A.D. 1928) and leased back to the Bahá'ís. This lasted until Jalál 18 Sulṭán 94 B.E. (Saturday 5 February A.D. 1938), when it was fully secularized by the communist government and turned into an art gallery. A 1948 earthquake seriously damaged the building and rendered it unsafe; the heavy rains of the following years weakened the structure, and it was demolished in on Jamál 6 Asmá' 120 B.E. (Sunday 25 August A.D. 1963) and the site converted into a public park.

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Photographs of the First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth

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#9	#10	#11	#12	#13	#14	#15	#16

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #1

Construction of the Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), 1900s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #2

Ishkabad, The first Bahá'í House of Worship

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #3

?Ishq?b?d, Turkmenistan. The first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár was constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century in the city of ‘Ishqábád, which is today the capital of Turkmenistan. The structure was confiscated by Soviet authorities in 1938 and later demolished after being irreparably damaged in an earthquake.

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #4

Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), early 1930s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #5

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #6

Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), early 1900s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #7

Interior of the Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), early 1930s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #8

Interior of the Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), early 1930s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #9

Interior of the Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), early 1900s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #10

Interior of the Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), early 1900s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #11

Interior of the Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), early 1900s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #12

View of the interior dome of the Continental Bahá’í House of Worship of Central Asia (Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan), early 1900s

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #13

Google Maps close view of Turkmen-Turkish Friendship Park from an image captured on 29 March 2023.
Found on a search for Bahá'í House of Worship, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #14

Google Maps close view of Turkmen-Turkish Friendship Park from an image captured on 31 January 2024.
Found on a search for Turkmen-Turkish Friendship Park

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #15

Google Maps medium view of Turkmen-Turkish Friendship Park from an image captured on 31 January 2024.
Found on a search for Turkmen-Turkish Friendship Park

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First Bahá'í House of Worship - Continental
'Ishqábád, Turkistan, Russia, Asia (Now Turkmenistan)
Mother Temple of Asia & the Earth - Photograph #16

Google Maps wide view of Turkmen-Turkish Friendship Park from an image captured on 29 March 2023.

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