The Shrine of Baha'u'llah at Bahji occupies a position in Baha'i devotional practice comparable in structural, though not theological, terms to Mecca in Islam: Baha'is worldwide are instructed to face in its direction, the qiblih, when reciting the obligatory daily prayers Baha'u'llah's writings prescribe, making the exact geographic location of his burial a matter of continuing practical significance for Baha'i religious life globally, not only a historical memorial.
Baha'u'llah's extensive body of writings, composed over the four decades of his exile and imprisonment, forms the core scripture of the Baha'i Faith, and his death did not end the ongoing significance of that body of work: interpretation and application of his teaching continued under Abdu'l-Baha and, after him, under Abdu'l-Baha's own appointed successor, Shoghi Effendi, before authority eventually passed to the elected Universal House of Justice in the following century.
The Bahji shrine and gardens, along with the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel, form part of the Baha'i holy places in and around Haifa and Akka recognized on the UNESCO World Heritage List, reflecting their significance not only to the Baha'i community itself but to the wider historical and architectural heritage of the region.