Fariborz Sahba

Fariborz Sahba, now a Canadian citizen, was born in Iran in 1948. He received a Master’s degree in architecture in 1972 from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tehran University. In Iran, Mr. Sahba was involved in the design of a wide range of prestigious buildings.

Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, India.In 1976, the international governing body of the Baha'i community selected Mr. Sahba to design the Baha'i House of Worship for the Indian subcontinent in New Delhi, India. The project, on which he worked for 10 years as the architect and project manager, was described by Canadian architect Arthur Erickson as “one of the most remarkable achievements of our time, proving that the drive and vision of spirit can achieve miracles.” With over 3.5 million visitors a year, the building, commonly referred to as the “Lotus of Bahapur,” is the most visited building in the world, according to a CNN report.

In 1987, the Baha'i World Centre assigned Mr. Sahba the task of designing 18 terraces, to serve as a majestic approach to the Shrine of the Báb, one of the most holy places in the Baha'i world. He was also appointed project manager of the Baha'i World Centre building projects on Mount Carmel. The Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb received the 1998 Ephraim Lifshitz Award from the Municipality of Haifa and the 1999 Magshim Award from the Council for a Beautiful Israel.

Mr. Sahba has received many international awards, among them the First Honor Award in 1987 for “Excellence in Architecture” from the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture, an affiliate of the American Institute of Architects. Articles about his work have been published in almost 400 magazines and newspapers throughout the world.