Rain is Grace

The words of John Updike set the tone for today: “Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain there would be no life. ” We start the day’s trek at the Bahai Gardens that spill down the side of Mount Carmel towards the Port of Haifa. The Bahai faith is yet another religion that had its prophet to compete with the more famous seers and teachers Jesus and Mohammed. Baha u Allah -AKA The Bab– is the prophet of Bahai who came to Haifa after being labelled an apostate by both the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam.

The Bab’s message was beautiful in its simplicity and common sense. Bahai’s believe in the equality and unity of all people and in the progressive revelation of the divine on earth. This belief in the validity of all religions did not sit well with the “true believers” in numerous exclusionary sects that believed in the “true religion”…ie. their Religion.

The gardens are set to be a manifestation of the beauty that comes from unity and the gardens are alive with well manicured color and texture. The site is laid out in nine concentric circles that support 18 terraces. These terraces are living shrines to the Bab’s first 18 followers . Add the Terrace of the Bab and you have 19 terraces .. mystical number in the Bahai faith.

The rain is a driving one and two streams spill down from Mount Carmel on either side of the garden’s formal layout. I think of The Gulistan of Saadi. This Medieval Persian poem of ideas about wisdom and the problems of mankind. Set in a rose garden, the speculations are all about what it means to be human. The Bahai Gardens are the same suggesting the Bahai values of service, prayer and reflection. If anything, the rain has made the place more beautiful.

We are soon on our bus with Caesaria Maritima in our sights.

Caesarea Maritima , the fabulous construction of Herod the Great that was built to include all the amenities of the time, a deep sea port, arena, hippodrome , temples and a commercial quarter is our next destination. This city served as the administrative center of the province of Judea in the time of Christ. A dedication stone was excavated at one of the temple sites that commemorates the work of its builder, Pontius Pilate.

As we enter the city we pass over a moat and through a sally port that was added between 1101 and 1187. A large Gothic arch encloses an area broken by sharp angles to deter enemy onrushes. Archer portals are carved above the entrance to deter the enemy. In 1251, Louis IX of France ordered the city to be further fortified and his high walls still stand. Artifacts also suggest the influence of Bedouins, Ottomans, Mamluks and the English Empire among others. Roman aqueducts still stand along the coast and the port itself shows the work of many centuries.

On this wet afternoon, Caesaria is a tourist souk (marketplace) where earrings, paintings, magnets, scented candles and fast food are all available.

The storm on the Mediterranean is worsening and huge waves crash in the port area. The rain is no longer benevolent as it comes in cold sheets directly at us. We are brave trekkers but this storm is too much and we are ready to go back to Clio where it’s warm and the cocktails are being mixed.

Today, I feel like paraphrasing an old quip…when the Greeks come, they build a civilization…when the Romans come, build a water closet and when Middle Easterners come, they build a religion. We got a nice mix of all three today.