House of Riḍá Big
(pronounced 'Reza Beg')
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Further down, find a description of the inside of this House.
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Further down, find a description of the inside of this House.
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(Excerpts from God Passes By, by Shoghi Effendi, pages 167-8)
Source: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/gpb-11.htmlWishing to allay the fierce animosity that blazed in the bosom of His enemies, and to assure to each one of the exiles a complete freedom to choose between Him and them, Bahá’u’lláh withdrew with His family to the house of Riḍá Big (Shavval 22, 1282 A.H.), which was rented by His order, and refused, for two months, to associate with either friend or stranger, including His own companions. ...
“That day,” Áqáy-i-Kalím is reported to have informed Nabíl, “witnessed a most great commotion. All the companions lamented in their separation from the Blessed Beauty.” “Those days,” is the written testimony of one of those companions, “were marked by tumult and confusion. We were sore-perplexed, and greatly feared lest we be permanently deprived of the bounty of His presence.”....
After a stay of about one year in the house of Riḍá Big Bahá’u’lláh returned to the house He had occupied before His withdrawal from His companions, and thence, after three months, He transferred His residence to the house of Izzat Áqá, in which He continued to live until His departure from Adrianople.
More detailed information can be found here:
http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/bhpapers/vol6/waless/chap4.htm
(Note: It is forbidden to take photos inside the house, hence this description, for the benefit of those who are unable to make this pilgrimage.)
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On the basement floor is found the reception room, with historical photographs on the wall and a cabinet with a number of prayer books and writings. The photographs include one of the 1933 visit of Martha Root and Marion Jack to Edirne, at the direction of the beloved Guardian, standing together with 6-8 Turkish government officials (all men). They had approached them with regard to the purchase of the property of Baha'u'llah's House, and evidently succeeded. Other photographs include a mid-19th century drawing/rendering of Edirne, two photos of the present House of Reza Beg in its original, unrenovated state, when purchased, and a picture of the location/foundation of a demolished house where Baha'u'llah had lived for a while, in Edirne (possibly the House of Izzat Pasha?).
The stairs leading to the main floor of this single storey house are decorated with photos of the Baha'i Houses of Worship in chronological order, from Ishqabad to the Mother Temple of the West, up to and including the one for South America (in Chile). Upstairs you enter a large central entrance hall (although its doors aren't in use) flanked by two rooms on one side and a hallway leading to three other rooms on the other side. The hall contains large photographs of 'Abdu'l-Baha and the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, facing each other. All the rooms contain a single wall-to-wall bench at the end of the room which is cordoned off to prevent visitors from using them. The floors are covered completely with luxurious Persian carpetry.
The two rooms flanking the central hall are dedicated to Baha'u'llah on the one hand and 'Abdu'l-Baha and The Purest Branch on the other. Sacred relics of Baha'u'llah are displayed in His room in a cabinet, which is opened for three minutes (to minimize their exposure to light) by the caretaker for viewing, which are an ornate crimson Taj of His and a small clip/bunch of His blessed hair, 6-8 centimeters long. A large calligraphic rendering of the Greatest Name faces the cabinet. On the fourth wall are built-in yellow cabinets/shelves with a small framed photograph (from the Archives building) of three of His abas (coats), a small illumined Tablet in Arabic/Persian, and a small written Tablet, in freehand, probably in His own handwriting (but if so, it is clearly written before He was poisoned because there is no shaking of the hand).
In the other flanked room the cabinet, which is also opened briefly for viewing, holds a small adorned yet simple and worn wooden pencase kept by 'Abdu'l-Baha in His pocket for, reportedly, 40 years. It is faced by a large photograph, an aerial view of the Shrine of the Bab with a few of the terraces in view. The built-in yellow cabinets/shelves on the fourth wall contain small framed photos of 'Abdu'l-Baha together with His brother the Purest Branch, one full-face photo of 'Abdu'l-Baha, and one of His bedroom, with a white taj on the pillow and a desk with two stacks of three books on each side of a low central mirror.
The other three rooms are each dedicated to either a pair/group of prominent figures in the Faith, or to a theme. The first room is dedicated to the beloved Guardian and Ruhiyyih Khanum, their portraits facing each other, as are pictures of each of their graves, placed next to their portraits.
The second room contains a medium-sized full-body portrait of the Greatest Holy Leaf as a young woman, with three smaller photos of each of the four Monument Garden monuments, including Munirih Khanum's monument.
The last room contains picture-portraits of the Kings and rulers addressed by Baha'u'llah on one wall, faced by some brief exerpts of the Tablet to the Kings (Surih ye Muluuk) in Persian, English and Turkish respectively.The hallway contains two framed calligraphic pieces in English, one of the Hidden Word (P11), "O SON OF DUST! Blind thine eyes, that thou mayest behold My beauty; stop thine ears..."; and one with four exerpts of Baha'u'llah's statements regarding the vastness of the outpouring of His Revelation during His sojourn there.
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The House if Izzat Áqá
The property to this house was purchased at the direction of the Universal House of Justice, and is located barely 100 meters down the road from the house of Rida Big. The House of Justice directed to unearth the foundation, which was all that remained of it, except for a spiral-grooved stone and a number of floor tiles.
The property was shown to me as part of the pilgrimage-guiding (by the custodian(s)), so lovingly extended to Baha'i pilgrims visiting Edirne (more on that here - http://hp.bahaitr.org/index.php/en/ - remember to contact the custodians advance, and await their directions!)
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Photos by this blogger (Alex B.) - feel free to use.**
Searchwords: House of Reza Beg, Pilgrimage to Edirne, House of Izzat Aqa (pronounced /ezzat aqa/
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