CHAPTER 2: THE BAB:( 3) THE FORERUNNER Verily the oppressor hath slain the Beloved of the worlds that he might thereby quench the Light of God amidst His creatures and withhold mankind from the Stream of Celestial Life in the days of his Lord, the Gracious, the Bountiful .-- BAHA'U'LLAH, Tablet to Ra'is.
Birthplace of the New Revelation Persia, the birthplace of the Baha'i Revelation, has occupied a unique place in the history of the world.

In the days of her early greatness she was a veritable queen among nations, unrivaled in civilization, in power and in splendor.

She gave to the world great kings and statesmen, prophets and poets, philosophers and artists.

Zoroaster, Cyrus and Darius, Hafiz and Firdawsi, Sa'di and 'Umar _Kh_ayyam are but a few of her many famous sons.

Her craftsmen were unsurpassed in skill; her carpets were matchless, her steel blades unequaled, her pottery world famous.