 Linda Bishop The Greatest Name within a sunburst adorns the tympanum that is supported by Ionic capitals. |
 The first building on the arc was designed in the Classic style. The crates in the foreground are from construction of the Center for the Study of the Text.
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| Shoghi Effendi said the International Bahá'í Archives building
was, "the first stately Edifice destined to usher in the establishment of the World
Administrative Center of the Faith on Mt. Carmel...(V-36)." The most sacred archives of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, Their Families, and early believers are conserved in this building. Bahá'ís look forward to their opportunity to visit this holy place during their pilgrimage. Excavation for the International Bahá'í Archives Building began at Naw-Rúz, the Bahá'í New Year, in 1955. At the time of Shoghi Effendi's passing, the exterior and roof were completed. Later, his Canadian wife, Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, tastefully arranged its interior. Shoghi Effendi had architect Charles M. Remey model the building after the Parthenon. However, Ionic capitals were used instead of Doric. The 50 columns weigh about two metric tons and are made of three Chiampo Paglierino marble sections. The structure is of Ferro-concrete that is covered in Chiampo stone from Italy. The green tiles of the roof were made in the United States (W-2). It is 32 meters long, 14 meters wide, and 12 meters high (V-37). The Center for the Study of the Text is now being built just above and east on the Arc from the International Archives Building.
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