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A Mountain of Roses: The Ridvan Festival
The second exile of Bahá’u’lláh by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, this time from Baghdad to Constantinople, is not remembered as a time of sorrow. It is remembered as a time of joy. For this time, in April 1863, marks the time when Bahá’u’lláh declared his mission to his closest friends and followers. For nearly 10 years, Bahá’u’lláh had restored the remnant followers of the Bab in Baghdad. He was a figure to which the community had naturally turned. As his fame grew, an increasing stream of visitors had come to his door, some travelling from Persia, including some high-ranking members of the Persian court. Writings such as the Hidden Words, the…