Baha'is Commemorate the Martyrdom of the Bab

Baha'is around the world commemorate the Martyrdom of the Bab this July 9. The Bab, a merchant who was born Siyyid 'Ali Muhammad, had declared in 1844 that He was a Messenger of God sent to initiate a new age for humankind. His turbulent ministry lasted a brief six years until, at the age of thirty one, He was martyred in 1850 at the citadel in Tabriz, Persia (now Iran). His title, the Bab, means the "Gate."

The Bab had also foretold the coming of another Messenger of God who would fulfill the prophetic expectations of all the world's religions and Whose teachings would lead to world civilization and world peace. Baha'is believe this Promised One of all humankind is Baha'u'llah. The events surrounding the lives of the Bab and Baha'u'llah and the development of the Baha'i Faith are the most thoroughly documented and corroborated accounts by eyewitnesses in the history of religion.