by ʻAbdu'llah Pasha, and in 1831 when Ibrahim Pasha besieged Acre he used the property as his headquarters. The property was well known for its beautiful gardens and pond fed by an aqueduct. The property then fell into the possession of a Christian family, the Jamals. In 1870 ʻUdi Khammar, a wealthy merchant from Acre who also originally owned the House of ʻAbbúd, bought some of the land from the Jamals close to the mansion of ʻAbdu'llah Pasha and built the Mansion of Bahji, over an earlier and smaller building, which Abdu'llah Pasha had built for his mother. Udi Khammar placed an Arabic inscription over the door in 1870 which reads: "Greetings and salutation rest upon this Mansion which increaseth in splendour through the passage of time. Manifold wonders and marvels are found therein, and pens are baffled in attempting to describe them." ʻUdi Khammar had built the house for his family, and when he died was buried in a tomb in the south-east corner of the wall directly around the building. In 1879 an epidemic caused the inhabitants to flee and the building became vacant. The shrine, after ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's death, was occupied by Mírzá Muhammad ʻAlí and his supporters, who forcibly took the keys to the shrine in January 1922. The governor of Acre ordered the keys to be returned to the authorities and a guard was posted at the shrine. In early 1923 the keys were returned to Shoghi Effendi. In the 1950s, Shoghi Effendi had made plans for a future superstructure, which would surround the whole area and would include a platform with 95 marble columns, each 6 meters high. Shoghi Effendi has called the shrine the Daryá-yi-Núr (Ocean of Light), which has taken the Kúh-i-Núr (Mountain of Light, the Shrine of the Báb) under its shadow. At the entrance to these gardens stands a wrought iron decorative gate called "Collins Gate" named after Amelia Collins. Image gallery See also Burial places of founders of world religions Baháʼí gardens Baháʼí pilgrimage Baháʼí World Centre Religious significance of the Syrian region Notes References External links The Baháʼí Gardens - official website Baháʼí Pilgrimage - Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh The Baháʼí Gardens in Bahjí - photo gallery Bahá'í pilgrimages Bahá'í shrines in Israel Gardens in Israel Baháʼu'lláh Bahá'í gardens Buildings and structures in Northern District (Israel) Tourist attractions in Northern District (Israel)