As The Bahá’í Faith believes in the oneness and unity of all religions, the Bahá’í temple is conceived as a universal house of worship of God. Bahá’i temples also known as Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (The Dawning Place of the Mention of God). When Bahá’ís build temples, they dedicate them to the people of the world. Everyone belonging to any religion or background is welcome in the Bahá’í temple. The sacred Writings of all religions are read in Bahá’í temples. The Bahá’í teachings promote the gathering of all peoples in Bahá’í temples as members of one human family under one roof to worship one Almighty God.
The structure of the Bahá’í temples is a symbol of unity itself. They are nine-sided buildings. Each side has a door. All these doors open to a central hall under one beautiful dome. These nine doors and the nine-sided structures express the basic unity of all religions. The Bahá’í temples are not merely houses of worship. Around these nine-sided temples will one day be nine humanitarian institutions, such as a schools, homes for the elderly or hospitals, each connected to one of the nine sides of the temple through pathways.
At present, there are eight Continental Houses of Worship. They are to be found in: Wilmette, near Chicago in the United States of America; Kampala, Uganda; Sydney, Australia; Frankfurt, Germany; New Delhi, India; Panama City, Panama; Apia, Western Samoa; and Santiago, Chile.
