The first Baha'i House of Worship was completed in 1908 in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan, home to a large, early Baha'i community. The House of Worship itself was surrounded by gardens, at the corners of which were facilities for social welfare including a school, a hostel, and a small hospital. The House of Worship was confiscated by the Soviet authorities and later demolished after suffering serious damage in an earthquake.