BAHA'I WORLD CENTRE — On 22 May 1844, 175 years ago, an eager scholar and seeker of truth approached the gates of Shiraz. Standing outside this historic city known for its roses, its cypress trees, and its long tradition of poetry, he was searching for a new messenger of God.

Podcast: In this bicentenary year, remembering the birth of a new Faith

The latest episode of the Baha’i World News Service podcast focuses on the historic declaration of the Bab.

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His arrival would lead him to a profound discovery. It was in Shiraz on that evening that he first met the Bab. In the conversation that followed, the Bab made known that He was the Founder of a new religion that was to prepare the world for the coming of Baha’u’llah and presaged the latest stage in humanity’s social evolution.

The events of this night are the origins of the global Baha’i community’s endeavors for the betterment of the world. From community building activities, to projects of social action, to involvement in public discourse, those seeking to put into practice Baha’u’llah’s teachings find the origin of their efforts in that first conversation.

This October marks the bicentenary of the Bab’s birth. In this year, the Baha’i World News Service is examining some of the most salient moments in the life of the Bab. The latest podcast episode focuses on the night of His declaration. This year, it is being celebrated around the world from sundown Thursday to sundown Friday.

The podcast episode explores how the heroism and sacrifice set in motion by the Bab’s declaration relates to the world today: “Though separated from our own time by two centuries, the society in which the Báb appeared resembles the present day world for the sense of oppression and for the longing of so many to find answers to slake the soul's thirst to know,” the Universal House of Justice wrote in its Ridvan 2018 message.