page_title: Baháʼí House of Worship
section_title: Battambang, Cambodia
hierarchical_section_title: Baháʼí House of Worship / Local and National Houses of Worship / Battambang, Cambodia
caption_attribution_description: evening shot of house of worhsip with lights on
context_page_description: A Baháʼí House of Worship, also referred to by the name Mashriqu-l-Adhkár, an Arabic phrase meaning "Dawning-place of the remembrance of God",
  is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Baháʼí Faith. The teachings of the religion envisage Houses of Worship being surrounded by a number of dependencies dedicated to social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific pursuits, although none has yet been built to such an extent.
  Eleven Baháʼí Houses of Worship have been built around the world, Ten currently stand including eight continental temples and two local temples. In the Ridván Message for 2012, the Universal House of Justice announced new initiatives for future Houses of Worship, calling for the first national and locally based institutions. The first two "national Mashriqu'l-Adhkars" are to be raised up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Papua New Guinea. With successful growth and cluster development it was also announced that the first local Houses of Worship would be erected. Baháʼí communities own many properties where Houses of Worship remain to be constructed as the Baháʼí community grows and develops further.
context_section_description: The Battambang, Cambodia temple is the first local House of Worship to be completed. Plans for the constructions of the House of Worship were announced on April 21, 2012 by the Universal House of Justice along with plans for two national Temples and four other local temples. The House of Justice characterized the Baháʼí communities chosen to host these new temples as unique in the world:
  The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, described by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as “one of the most vital institutions of the world”, weds two essential, inseparable aspects of Baháʼí life: worship and service. The union of these two is also reflected in the coherence that exists among the community-building features of the Plan, particularly the burgeoning of a devotional spirit that finds expression in gatherings for prayer and an educational process that builds capacity for service to humanity. The correlation of worship and service is especially pronounced in those clusters around the world where Baháʼí communities have significantly grown in size and vitality, and where engagement in social action is apparent. [...] It is within these clusters that, in the coming years, the emergence of a local Mashriqu'l-Adhkár can be contemplated.
  The temple was designed by Cambodian architect Sochet Vitou Tang, who is a practicing Buddhist, and integrates distinctive Cambodian architectural principles. A dedication ceremony and official opening conference took place on September 1–2, 2017, attended by Cambodian dignitaries, locals, and representatives of Baháʼí communities throughout southeast Asia.
caption: The local House of Worship in Agua Azul, Colombia
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