Original Scientific Article
Systems Approach in the World Heritage Site
Bahá’í Gardens
Tadeja Jere Jakulin
University of Primorska, Slovenia
tadeja.jerejakulin@fts.upr.si
The Bahá’í religion is the world’s youngest religion, founded in 1863 by the Persian
sage Baha’u’llah. Its followers, including its founder, were persecuted for more than
a century until they found peace in the 21st century when its two centres in Haifa,
Israel, became unesco World Heritage Sites in 2008. The research aims to put the
principles of systems thinking into practice in the case of the conservation of the
Bahá’í Gardens, a World Heritage Site. The data for the causal-loop model (cld)
within the system dynamics framework, which we present in this paper, was ob-
tained through a field survey of leaders of the Bahá’í religion. The theoretical model
is followed by a practical demonstration of the functioning and management of the
Bahá’í Gardens in harmony with the social environment, the natural surroundings,
pilgrims, and tourists, which illustrates the interplay between theory and the prac-
tical application of systems thinking for the highest good of world heritage and
tourism. The research goes further by presenting, through the literature, the pos-
sibility of integrating religion and science, which as independent systems, are linked
by a systems approach. The essence of Bahá’í thought is compassion, equality of races,
interdependence, harmony, and living aesthetics and symmetry. All these elements
fit into the modern systems’ principles, where systems cannot work until all their
interdependent elements are balanced. The feedback loop and one’s awareness of it
bring balance to the system, which presents the systems approach as a valuable tool
in modern science.
Keywords: Bahá’í Gardens, systems approach, cld modelling, unesco, world
heritage site, pilgrimage tourism
https://doi.org/10.26493/2335-4194.16.63-71
Introduction
The Bahá’í faith began as a local religious movement
in late 19th century Persia and is the youngest of the
independent world religions. Today, the Bahá’í reli-
gion has more than 8.5 million followers, and is one
of the world’s fastest-growing religions and probably
the most diverse. The religion has only eight cen-
tres worldwide, one on each continent and the two
main centres in Israel. Many Bahá’ís converted from
other faiths, and its members come from different re-
ligions, races, ethnic backgrounds, and nationalities
(Hartz, 2009). As their faith forbids prejudice of any
kind, they work together to break down prejudices
and build a harmonious, balanced global society. Bal-
ance is also an essential feature of every living and
non-living system: soft systems such as an individual
being, global or local community, and complex tech-
nical systems. Modern society, which promotes sus-
tainability, underlines corporate social responsibility,
but this cannot exist if one does not include an indi-
vidual’s responsibility. The Bahá’í religion emphasizes
individual responsibility and personal development
Academica Turistica, Year 16, No. 1, April 2023 | 63
Tadeja Jere Jakulin Systems Approach in the World Heritage Site Bahá’í Gardens
in a physical and a spiritual sense. People must not
only satisfy their basic physical needs, but must also
recognize that to be truly happy is to develop their
spiritual (non-visible) side (Hartz, 2009). The nature
of Bahá’í faith and thought is systems thinking. Bahá’í
texts intertwine with systems principles in the natural
environment and sustainable soft systems such as suc-
cessful companies, organizations, and societies. Some
basic Bahá’í principles of physical and spiritual devel-
opment go well with basic systems thinking since the
religion considers all living systems, including flora,
fauna, and human races, as parts of nature. This paper
uses the term systems thinking, which is nothingmore
than sustainability thinking. All living systems strive
for equilibrium or homeostasis, so systems thinking is
about the stability of a system’s elements. In the same
way, sustainability thinking is thinking in terms of bal-
ance and equal use of the resources that are part of a
system (nature or an organizational system). For this
paper, we have chosen to use systems terminology for
the most part.
Systems Methodology
Systemsmethodology includes methods of expert sys-
tems, causal loopmodelling and simulations, thinking
and system dynamics. Jay Forrester initially developed
System dynamics (Forrester, 1961) and Wolstenholme
(1996) describes it as a five-phase systems thinking and
modelling process inwhich phases are interrelated and
followed by a causal loop model (diagram). The steps
go as follows:
1. problem structuring,
2. causal loop modelling (causal loop diagrams,
cld),
3. dynamic modelling,
4. scenario planning and modelling, and
5. implementation and organizational learning.
In our research, we set the analogy of Bahá’ís’ way of
thinking, living, acting, and systems thinking as a first
step. The data we received helped us to go to the sec-
ond step; we built a causal loopmodel (cld), wherewe
identified the main variables and developed a causal
loop model to illustrate the relationships among the
variables and discuss their behaviour. As we have fo-
cused on building a qualitative model to represent
Bahá’í systems thinking, we have omitted the third
step, i.e. making a simulation model, which is unnec-
essary for our research. Instead, as the fourth and fifth
steps, we have presented the world cultural heritage of
the Bahá’ís and its regulation in the context of tourism,
which fully follows the modelling process and systems
thinking principles (Anderson & Johnson, 1997).
Method of Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is a framework based on the belief
that we can understand a system’s parts in the con-
text of a relationship with each other and other sys-
tems rather than in isolation (Capra, 1997). Systems
thinking principles (below, in italics) complement
the five-step modelling process described in systems
methodology: (1) Problem structuring (The Big Pic-
ture or from the point of view of a whole, long term),
(2) Causal Loop Modelling (complexity, interdepen-
dency, qualitative – non-measurable data) (3) Dynamic
modelling (dynamics –measurable data) (4) Scenario
planning and modelling (short and long-term scenar-
ios), and (5) Implementation and organizational learn-
ing (we are a part of the system). Systems thinking is,
at its core, a natural way of thinking. Our planet is a
large systemmade up of nature with its living systems,
technology with its technical systems, and conscious-
ness as an evolutionary system. Aristotle spoke of sys-
tems and the systemic whole (when both contained
and container are parts of the same whole, the whole
may be said to be, since we can also say of the whole
what is true of the parts) when he discussed the parts
and the whole, and observed nature and things (Wa-
terfield & Bostock, 1996). But throughout the planet’s
evolution, only people closely connected to nature,
who have observed its cycles and learned from nature
have thought systemically. The thought of Eastern civ-
ilization is based on nature as a system within which
humans are also a part. Western civilization thought
has gone its own way. It began to divide and to see
the parts as the ones to focus on. As a result, systems
thinking did not emerge as a leadingway of thinking in
Western society until the 19th century, when philoso-
phers and mathematicians came to discuss systems,
64 | Academica Turistica, Year 16, No. 1, April 2023
Tadeja Jere Jakulin Systems Approach in the World Heritage Site Bahá’í Gardens
the relationship between the whole and its parts, and
the human as a system (Hegel, 2008; Chardin, 1955;
Peirce, 1998).However, it was not until theAustrian bi-
ologist Bertalanffy expressed systems thinking in his
manifesto General System Theory (Bertalanffy, 1951)
that the systems way of thinking came to wider so-
cial acceptance. From then on, systems thinking began
to take hold in the Western world, and several works
dedicated to the different models and methodologies,
systems, and systemdynamics arose. These include In-
dustrial Dynamics (Forrester, 1961), System Thinking
(Senge, 2006), Systems Theory (Kljajić, 1994), Systems
Thinking, Systems Practice (Checkland, 2005), Think-
ing in Systems (Meadows & Wright, 2015), The Tree
of Knowledge (Maturana & Varela, 1992), Living Sys-
tems (Miller, 1978), ‘The Viable System Model’ (Beer,
1984), and Anticipatory Systems (Rosen, 1985), as well
as others. In practice, systems thinking is an upgrade
of linear-analytical or conventional thinking, where
one thinks about parts and what one sees. On the
other hand, systems thinking achieves its upgrading
in a feedback loop or the awareness that there are also
elements that are not visible but are crucial for the
harmonious development of society and the individ-
ual. These elements are thought patterns that are not
visible but are part of human evolution. In modern
times, many old thought patterns no longer serve a
purpose. It is good for humanity to recognize them
because they are becoming unnecessary and harmful.
This recognition is a point where one can start talk-
ing about systems consciousness. An individual’s, and
later the society’s, systems awareness, which leads to
co-creativity, rather than competitivity, and must take
into consideration the principles of living systems as
brought out in Haines (2006): system clarity first; the
whole is primary; understand systems holistically in
their environment; each system functions uniquely;
system purposes first; the role of parts – to support the
whole; all parts are interdependent; small changes pro-
duce big results; maximizing parts sub-optimizes the
whole; causes and effects are not closely related; faster
is ultimately slower; feedback loop; multiple goals;
flexibility; natural hierarchy; entropy; and tendency to
run down. A system cannot be understood by analysis
but by synthesis, looking at it within its environment.
With systems consciousness (not just knowledge) as
a guiding mindset, social dynamics begin to circulate
in a way that achieves synergy, connectedness, and in-
terdependence with each other and nature. Through
the example of the Bahá’í Gardens of Haifa, we will
present the systemic consciousness of the members of
the religion, who have achieved environmental sym-
metry through their thinking and work, and who rep-
resent an example of a systemically (sustainably) ori-
ented tourism that, despite the increasing numbers of
tourists, maintains the unesco World Heritage Site
in balance with its social surroundings and physical
environment.
Bahá’í Gardens and its Sinergy with Social
Surroundings and Physical Environment
The International Bahá’í Community has been regis-
tered with the United Nations as a non-governmental
organization since 1948. The Bahá’í Faith offers an ad-
vanced set of social teachings that teach how to think
in systems. The individual’s responsibility implies a
commitment to the whole, in this case, Bahá’í society,
whose approach to tourism reflects the system’s qual-
ities. These qualities – awareness of interdependency,
connectedness, dynamics, big picture point of view,
and feedback effect – lead the Bahá’ís to behaviour
such as generosity, honesty, truthfulness, humility, and
selfless service to others and nature. They are aware of
their essential role in society, the economy, the envi-
ronment, and tourism.
The terraced gardens of Haifa represent the syn-
ergy and symmetry of beauty and spirituality. They
have a rich history linked to the founder of the Bahá’í
Faith. When Baha’ullah came from Acre to Haifa, he
pitched his tent and camped on a mountain whose
name means God’s vineyard – Mount Carmel (Wor-
thington, 2011). Today, a tourist might say that these
gardens are beautiful for their symmetry and spiri-
tual peace and tranquillity that can be felt when walk-
ing on the terraces. The Bahá’í community has built
them with love and care. The idea began in the early
20th century with the construction of the first shrine.
The structure of the gardens was completed in 1999
and opened to tourists the same year. The photo below
shows the terraced gardens in the evening light angled
Academica Turistica, Year 16, No. 1, April 2023 | 65
Tadeja Jere Jakulin Systems Approach in the World Heritage Site Bahá’í Gardens
from German Colony Plaza up to Mount Carmel. The
Bahá’í Gardens show the symmetry and the aesthetic
of the whs, which evokes in the modern tourist a de-
sire to participate emotionally, intellectually, and psy-
chologically in this experience of beauty (Sedmak &
Brezovec, 2017). There are 450 plant species in the gar-
dens, and the vertical rise of the terraced gardens in
Haifa is 225 metres long. Altogether, the gardens have
1,206 steps, and annually about 1 million tourists and
visitors. In themiddle of the hill, one can see the Shrine
of Báb, a prayer site for pilgrims. The Shrine is open to
tourists and visitors only in the morning and not ev-
ery day. Image 2 shows the Universal House of justice,
a seat of the Bahá’í administration, and image 3 shows
the terraced gardens from the German Colony Plaza,
the bottom of Mount Carmel, up, in the evening with
the distinctive aesthetic of the light.
Bahá’í Gardens in Systems Theory andModelling
Bahá’í principles of physical and spiritual development
represent the basic systems thinking model, which
discusses understanding a feedback loop as their sys-
tems awareness. Bahá’ís, aware that they are building
a religious and administrative centre for themselves
according to their principles, which support nature,
symmetry, aesthetics, and harmony with the environ-
ment, have made sure to consider the feedback loop
as one of the important elements of modern systemic
principles. They anticipated that their gardens inHaifa
would be visited by pilgrims and tourists who have
a different relationship to their sacred yet attractive
tourist space, which is open to all. With a basic system
model, we can demonstrate the awareness of a feed-
back loop that implies a sustainable solution and the
regulation of tourist arrivals.
Figure 1 presents a basic system model, also called
a causal loop diagramor cld. Despite different names
of models and practices, the term ‘sustainability’ ap-
pears in the context of connected or equal evaluations
that are re-established by post-modern society with its
mainly liberal rules (Zabukovec Baruca & Brezovec,
2014). The basic system model is a regulation circle,
represented by two arrows showing the interaction be-
tween the attractiveness of gardens and tourists. The
bottom arrow represents the feedback loop that com-
Attrac-
tiveness
of the Bahá’í
gardens
Tourists
+
–
Figure 1 Basic cld (Causal Loop Diagram) of the Bahá’í
Gardens’ Attractiveness and Tourists
pletes the process. The interpretation of a model is the
following: the Bahá’ís are aware that the greater the
attractiveness of their gardens, the more tourists they
will attract, which is indicated in the model by the +
sign, representing the magnifying effect and growth.
However, by being aware of the feedback loop, in-
dicated by the – sign in the figure, they have shown
that they are aware that the attractiveness of their gar-
dens decreases as the number of tourists increases.
This basic demonstration of systems thinking goes be-
yond linear thinking in considering the feedback loop.
Without the awareness of the feedback loop, linear
thinking shows only one interest: the goal of contin-
uous growth, sometimes dramatically. Constant rise
is a cause of levelling off or falls depending on the
strength of the limiting structure, which we name a
systems archetype of ‘limits to success’ (Kim&Ander-
son, 2011). With their level of consciousness, Bahá’ís
have avoided the pitfalls of linear thinking. They be-
lieve that the challenges facing humanity today call
for spiritual transformation in the hearts and minds
of individuals and the systems of structures of society
(Fisher, 2017), representing their shift of consciousness
from linear to systems. The Bahá’ís say that human his-
tory is a spiritually dynamic process (Hatcher, 2017),
representing consciousness’s evolution.
Humanity has emerged from its former degrees
of limitation and preliminary training. Man
must now become imbuedwith new virtues and
powers, new moralities, new capacities. New
bounties, bestowals and perfections are await-
ing and already descending upon him. The gifts
and graces of the period of youth, although
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Tadeja Jere Jakulin Systems Approach in the World Heritage Site Bahá’í Gardens
timely and sufficient during the adolescence
of the world of mankind, are now incapable of
meeting the requirements of its maturity. The
playthings of childhood and infancy no longer
satisfy or interest the adult mind. [Bahá, 1979,
p. 9]
This stage of maturation, the adulthood of our
species, can only come about with a new conscious-
ness of the oneness of humanity (Langness, 2020).
With this information and the systems orientation, we
could build a larger cld model of interdependency
among stakeholders who play essential roles in the
sustainable growth of Bahá’í Gardens’ tourism.We se-
lected the following stakeholders.
• Bahá’í whs in Haifa
• Investments in the Heritage
• Infrastructure
• Bahá’í Pilgrimage Events
• Programmes and Products for Tourists
• Attractivity of the Bahá’í Gardens
• Number of Tourists
• Local Community
• Environment and Water Preservation
Figure 2 shows the causal loop model as a com-
plex whs tourism system with all its interdependent
elements (Jere Jakulin et al., 2020) that influence each
other. The ‘pluses’ represent reinforcing cycles, where
elements positively influence each other, and their val-
ues increase. The ‘minuses’ maintain systems stability,
or ‘harmony’ in the language of Bahá’í.
The system presents the interdependency and dy-
namics among the elements. This whole cannot prop-
erly function without the strength of each of the stake-
holders. In systems methodology and philosophy, one
must always think of feedback loops. The system will
decline if it contains too many plus signs, ‘+,’ which
denote growth. The minuses, ‘–,’ are essential as they
represent a sustainable or balancing factor. The in-
terpretation of picture 2 would be as follows: Bahá’í
whs in Haifa increases and positively (+) influences
the infrastructure in the gardens. The infrastructure
Bahá’í WHS
in Haifa
Investments
in the
heritage
Local
community
Infrastructure
Number
of tourists
Baha’i
Gardens
visits
Environ-
ment/water
preservation
Bahá’í
Gardens
attractivity
Tourism
programmes
+
+
+
+
–
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
–
Figure 2 cld Model Diagram of Dependency
among Tourism System Elements
increases and positively (+) influences tourism pro-
grammes, which positively (+) influences the attrac-
tivity of Bahá’í Gardens. The attractiveness of the gar-
dens increases (+) the number of tourists, and the
number of tourists increases positively (+) in the lo-
cal community. The local community ultimately (+)
influences the whs in Haifa. The description of a re-
inforcing circle shows upbeat (+) influences among
the elements of the system. To maintain sustainabil-
ity, one must anticipate and seek balancing elements
to maintain sustainable (systems) growth. We can see
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Tadeja Jere Jakulin Systems Approach in the World Heritage Site Bahá’í Gardens
from the model that infrastructure causes a decrease
(–) in environmental preservation, but the preserved
environment positively (+) influences the attractivity
of the gardens. The gardens positively (+) influence
the number of tourists, which causes growth (+) of
crowds in the local community, and a crowded local
community is a cause for the decrease (–) of the Bahá’í
Gardens’ attractivity.
Bahá’í practically operates on this systems level.
They believe in harmony with nature and all living be-
ings; they take proper care of the terraced gardens to
conserve water in an arid climate and practise water-
saving measures, energy conservation, and recycling.
Bahá’í whs administration increases (+) investments
in the heritage, which influences (+) balanced visits
to the gardens, and these positively (+) impact the at-
tractivity of the gardens. Bahá’í Holy Places are asso-
ciated with the green pilgrimage network. The Green
Pilgrimage Network members teach visitors (tourists
and pilgrims) about systems or sustainable thinking
by ‘walking the talk’ rules.
Systems Approach in the Practice of Bahá’í
Gardens Management
Managing Pilgrims and Tourists
The Bahá’í visitor management manages the flow of
tourists with walk-in tours and tours for organized
groups. There are many different tours and program-
mes available. The gardens offer a Lower Terraces
tour (for less than 20 people), extensive group tours
(for more than 20 people), and self-guided visits from
Wednesday to Sunday in the forenoon and afternoon.
The visitor management opened two entrances, one
for the tourists, and a guided tour through the gar-
dens (groups or individuals) from the entrance to
Mount Carmel. The visitors climb down to the mid-
dle of the gardens. The pilgrims climb up Mount
Carmel. This climbing up includes the Hakramin (134
steps) and Shifra (236 steps) stairs, which lead to the
Pilgrim Reception Centre, where pilgrims register.
There are 1,625 steps all over the terraces. Entrances
are separated so that tourists and pilgrims do not
meet. Both motivations are different, but the envi-
ronment induces serene admiration of the symmet-
rical, floristic-rich garden terraces. Differentiation be-
tween pilgrims and tourists is essential when explor-
ing the socio-spatial dynamics of tourism and pil-
grimage landscapes (Gatrell & Collins-Kreiner, 2006).
The Bahá’í visitor management created distinct spa-
tial practices to preserve the integrity of pilgrims and
tourists and their activities. In 2013, 917,031 tourists
and 8,000 Bahá’í pilgrims visited the gardens (Collins
Kreiner et al., 2015). In 2019 more than 1.6 million vis-
ited (Bahá’í World News Service, 2019). Noteworthy
is that all tours are free of charge, representing the
essence of this heartful and hospitable religion, which
wants to share the beauty of their belief and think-
ing with society and those who wish to experience the
symmetry of nature.
The entrance for the smaller group of tourists is
located at the western edge of the Bahá’í Gardens at
Hatzionut – up from the bridge. The tour takes ap-
proximately one hour and includes 600 steps. This
tour is of medium difficulty and is not suitable for
people with walking difficulties. The tour ends at the
German Colony Plaza on Ben Gurion Avenue. The
entrance for groups of more than twenty people is at
the Bahá’í Gardens balcony and includes 750 stairs.
The tours are unique experiences, offering views of
the upper and lower terraces and the Haifa Temple.
They include informal and formal gardens with a mix
of native and adapted trees, plants, and flowers. As
at most other places of this type, visitors are advised
to wear modest clothing that covers the shoulders and
reaches to the knees withoutmodern rips, to help keep
the place clean and beautiful, and to be considerate of
the sensitivities of others.
Environment: Recycling, Water Conservation
and Saving Measures
The Bahá’í Gardens inHaifa andAkko have beenman-
aged in an environmentally conscious way from the
beginning, with a particular focus on water conser-
vation. The recycling of green waste into mulch and
compost, for example, dates to the 1950s, as does the
practice of treating large areas of lawn in early sum-
mer and leaving them to lie fallow until the winter
rains arrive, when they are re-seeded.During the plan-
ning of the construction of the terraced gardens on
Mount Carmel in the 1980s, Bahá’ís carried out exten-
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Tadeja Jere Jakulin Systems Approach in the World Heritage Site Bahá’í Gardens
sive research and discussions with theWater Commis-
sion, the water companyMekorot, and some of Israel’s
top consultants and academics in the fields of horti-
culture, irrigation, and water management. The con-
clusions were fully considered in the detailed design
of the garden planting and infrastructure systems so
that the project was based on sound ecological prin-
ciples and incorporated the most advanced technol-
ogy. The irrigation systems installed in the Bahá’í Gar-
dens are among themost advanced in theworld. At the
heart of the system is a computer that controls hun-
dreds of valves to direct water through a complex net-
work of polyethylene pipes so that each type of plant
gets the amount it needs at the right time according
to atmospheric conditions. Evapotranspiration (et) is
the transfer of water in the form of water vapor from
the earth’s surface and through the leaf slits of plants
into the atmosphere. It is the leading indicator of the
amount of water the vegetation will need. The irriga-
tion planner uses meteorological data from a detailed
weather forecast to predict the evapotranspiration rate
(Bahá’í International Community, 2020).
To reduce the strain on drinking water, the Bahá’í
Gardens extensively use saline and contaminated wa-
ter, which is drawn from licensed wells on the prop-
erty and then treated to meet the Gardens’ require-
ments. Most of the water is delivered directly to the
roots of the plants at night by drips and sprinklers.
At the same time, the occasional overhead irrigation,
which must be carried out during the day to ensure
the absorption of fertilizers and other agrochemicals,
is planned for early in the morning when evapora-
tion is at its lowest. The computer detects any leaks
or other anomalies, and the irrigation team checks the
equipment frequently to ensure any problems are de-
tected and corrected immediately. In addition, there is
an ongoing review of irrigation programming and wa-
ter delivery systems, including the study and testing of
new technologies, new types of equipment, and new
approaches to improve system performance. The cen-
tral design feature of the terraced gardens on Mount
Carmel is the flowingwater, which seems to always fol-
low the visitor, pleasing both the eye and the ear. These
effects are achieved without wastage, as the fountains
and streams flowing along the steps are fed from a sin-
gle closed system that circulates in each terrace unit.
The amount of water added to the evaporation system
each day for the whole area is less than the daily con-
sumption of an average person (Bahá’í International
Community, 2020). The Baha’i Gardens are members
of the Green Pilgrimage network.
Infrastructure and Cooperation with Local Community
The magnificent infrastructure, reflecting the beauty,
symmetry, and light of the Bahá’í Faith, has become a
magnet for visitors, a source of strength for pilgrims,
and a world attraction for tourists. The Golden Dome
Shrine is the first thing one sees when entering the
Bahá’í Gardens. The Golden Dome Shrine, located
in the northern part of Mount Carmel, was built at
the beginning of the twentieth century to bury the re-
mains of the founder of the Bahá’í religion, the martyr
and prophet of Shiraz, the Báb. The site was shown to
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1891 by his father Bahá’u’lláh, a Persian
noblemanwhowas persecuted for following the teach-
ings of the Báb and had to flee Persia in 1853. ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá built a modest mausoleum on the present site
in 1909 and buried the Báb’s remains. The subsequent
systematic, gradual, and strategic development of the
surrounding gardens reflected the growth of the Bahá’í
community. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s successor, Shoghi Effendi,
expanded the Bahá’í faith and formed the world com-
munity. The construction of the Golden Dome Shrine
was finished in 1953 (https://www.bahai.org/the-bab
/shrine). The building of the Universal House of Jus-
tice is on the northern slope ofMount Carmel together
with the Shrine of the Báb and other administrative
buildings. It is the international governing council of
the Bahá’í Faith. Bahá’u’lláh ordained its creation. He
also conferred authority upon the Universal House
of Justice to positively influence humankind’s wel-
fare, promote education, peace, and global prosperity,
and safeguard human honour and the position of re-
ligion. It is charged with applying the Bahá’í teachings
to the requirements of an ever-evolving society and
is thus empowered to legislate on matters not explic-
itly covered in the Faith’s Sacred Texts. The guidance
provided by the Universal House of Justice ensures
unity of thought and action in the Bahá’í community
as it learns to translate into reality Bahá’u’lláh’s vision
Academica Turistica, Year 16, No. 1, April 2023 | 69
Tadeja Jere Jakulin Systems Approach in the World Heritage Site Bahá’í Gardens
for a spiritually and materially prosperous global civi-
lization (see https://universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org
/unique-institution).
Local Community and Cooperation
The Bahá’í religion encourages cooperation, helping,
learning, and thinking about systems where every-
thing is connected and interdependent. The work of
volunteers, many among the Bahá’ís, plays a signifi-
cant role. They maintain the gardens themselves, keep
them tidy and run programmes and tours of the gar-
dens. The many tours and the millions of annual vis-
itors to the gardens help the local tourist board and
the city of Haifa, which in 1909 became the most im-
portant city for the Bahá’ís and, for decades, a centre
for Bahá’í pilgrims. Haifa became one of the most vis-
ited tourist attractions in Israel after listing the Bahá’í
Shrines and Gardens as a unesco World Heritage
Site in 2008.
Conclusions
The knowledge that World Heritage Sites are magnets
that attract tourists and visitors from all over the world
is attractive, but it is also the responsibility of all site
managers. The Bahá’ís, through their work, voluntary
contributions, love, and trust, have built the terraced
gardens of Haifa and the buildings that have become
part of unesco’s cultural heritage. The harmony of
scientific and spiritual truth functions as one of the
central tenets of the Bahá’í Faith. Science and religion
both contribute to a profound synergism. Both reveal
themselves progressively. The great Faiths build upon
and reinforce each other over time, just as the scien-
tific method advances knowledge with each discovery
(Langness, 2021). As wisdom is rarely explained in the
language of science (Jere Jakulin, 2019), so is religion.
Nevertheless, religion and science have systems
qualities: balance, common goals, dynamics, inter-
dependency, and feedback loops. Consequently, it is
necessary to consider the feedback loop that balances
an overloaded system. In our field research, we have
experienced that the Bahá’í religion’s representatives
are true systems thinkers. They follows systems think-
ing principles: the first principle is The Big Picture,
which is visible in their tourism and pilgrimage orga-
nization for the benefit of the environment and future.
Their respect shows the second principle of interde-
pendency, dedication to the feedback, and symmetry
of the surrounding. The third principle is visible in
their measuring water supplies, numbers of visitors
and pilgrims, which influences the fourth principle of
short and long-term – they are aware of all the poten-
tial impacts of whatever strategy they choose. The fifth
system’s principle is the Bahá’í awareness that they are
part of the environment in which they live. They care
for it ecologically, sociologically and economically and
preserve it for future generations. They anticipate the
feedback loop and ensure that all activities are planned
with clear rules and respect for balance of nature and
fellow human beings. We have illustrated their sys-
tems or sustainable attitude in a qualitative causal loop
model, which presents the first step in systems mod-
elling, a basis for a quantitative model. At the same
time, we have presented the parameters captured in
themodel through field observation and photographs.
The future of preserving the world’s cultural her-
itage for the planet’s and humanity’s benefit lies in un-
derstanding the systems approach of those who make
decisions about the future development of tourism.
Understanding systems thinking and systems dynam-
ics brings sustainability to tourism development in
a natural way. The example set by the Bahá’í reli-
gion, with its systems practice of managing tourism
to maintain a balance in the environment, is one that
tourism operators, regardless of the type of tourism,
must follow in the present and the future.
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