Our new friend Sara recently returned from a trip "down under", and was kind enough to share these beautiful photos she took of the Bahá'í House of Worship in Sydney, Australia.

There are at this time seven Baha'i Houses of Worship around the world, and several in the planning stage. They are places of prayer and meditation for all: a gift from the Baha'is that demonstrates their faith in the oneness of God, the oneness of His Prophets and the oneness of humanity.

Although their architectural styles differ widely, the nine sides and central dome common to all of them symbolize at once the diversity of the human race and its essential oneness. Devotional programs are simple, consisting of prayers, meditations, and the reading of selections from the sacred scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith and other world religions. Music is provided by unaccompanied choirs.

As conceived by Bahá'u'lláh, the House of Worship is intended as the spiritual center for various dependent institutions dedicated to scientific, humanitarian, educational and administrative service.