The main floor of the Shrine of the Bab is made of nine rooms, six of which were created at the time of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and three during the early years of the Guardian’s ministry between 1928 and 1930. Beneath the central room of these nine rooms are precious remains of the Bab and in an adjacent room those of ‘Abdu’l-Baha.
The exterior doors to the eight rooms surrounding the central room were named by both ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi after certain eminent believers:
1. By ‘Abdu’l-Baha:
• Bab [door]-i-Amin: named after Hand of the Cause Haji Amin
• Bab-i-Fadl: named after Mirza Abu’l-Fadl
• Bab-i-Bala: named after Ustad Aqa Bala (a Baha’i mason who contributed to the Shrine’s construction)
• Bab-i-Ashraf: named after Ustad Aqa Ali-Ashraf (a Baha’i mason who contributed to the Shrine’s construction)
• Bab-i-Karim: named after Ustad ‘Abdu’-Karim (a Baha’i mason who contributed to the Shrine’s construction)
2. By Shoghi Effendi:
• Bab-i-Qassabchi: named after Haji Mahmud Qassabchi who provided the funding for the construction of the three additional rooms.
• Bab-i-Maxwell: named after Hand of the Cause Sutherland Maxwell, the architect of the superstructure of the Shrine
• Bab-i-Giachery: named after Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery who acted as liaison with the various Italian companies involved
• Bab-i-Ioas: the door to the second floor octagon: named after Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas who oversaw much of the final work.
(Adapted from: A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha’i Faith by Peter Smith; and The Baha’i Faith 1844-1963 Information and Comparative, compiled by the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land)
