Grave of Mirza Muhammad-Quli, Baha’u'llah’s half-brother, in the Golan

Originally uploaded by John Barnabas.

It was a treat during my Haifa trip to visit the remote and bare Baha’i cemetery on the steep lower slopes of the Golan Heights, above Kibbutz Ein Gev, which is on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The grave is of Baha’u'llah’s faithful half-brother, Mirza Muhammad-Quli, who lived in this area when there were Baha’i farmers around the Galilee who grew the grain that ‘Abdu’l-Baha was eventually able to release to prevent famine during and after the First World War.

Other graves in the cemetery are of Mirza Muhammad-Quli’s family.

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Moon over Haifa and necklace of lights around Haifa bay

Originally uploaded by John Barnabas.

This is a wonderful scene from a distance (the 11th floor of the Dan Panorama Hotel in this case), but the reality along the road between Haifa and Akka (Akko) is rather less beautiful!

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Thunder cloud over Akka, taken from the Dan Panorama

Originally uploaded by John Barnabas.

This cloud had hung over Akka (Akko) for most of the afternoon. We could see the lightning and hear the thunder as it went on into the evening, but I couldn’t get a shot of a lightning bolt.

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Yefe Nof and Baha’i buildings on Mt Carmel from Dan Panorama Hotel

Originally uploaded by John Barnabas.

I’ve just returned from a visit to the Baha’i World Centre. I got this great view of Mt Carmel and the Baha’i buildings from my bedroom on the 11th floor of the Dan Panorama Hotel.

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