A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by the name of mašriqu-l-'aḏkār , an Arabic phrase meaning Dawning-place of the remembrances of God, is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith. The teachings of the religion envisage Houses of Worship being surrounded by a number of dependencies dedicated to social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific pursuits, although none has yet been built to such an extent.Eleven Bahá'í Houses of Worship have been built around the world , Ten currently stand including eight continental temples and two local temples. In the Ridván Message for 2012, the Universal House of Justice announced new initiatives for future Houses of Worship, calling for the first national and locally based institutions. The first two national Mashriqu'l-Adhkars are to be raised up in two countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Papua New Guinea. With successful growth and cluster development it was also announced that the erection of the first local Houses of Worship would be raised up. Bahá'í communities own many properties where Houses of Worship remain to be constructed as the Bahá'í community grows and develops further. The Houses of Worship are open to the public, and are exclusively reserved for worship, where sermons are prohibited and only scriptural texts may be read. Most Bahá'í meetings occur in local Bahá'í centres, individuals' homes, or rented facilities, though local houses of worship are forthcoming.
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