In May 1844, the young merchant Sayyid Ali Muhammad declared himself the Báb — the "Gate" of a new religious dispensation — at a house in central Shiraz. The Bahá'í faith dates its founding from that moment. The house became the most important pilgrimage site for early Bahá'ís and was visited by believers from around the world.
The house was demolished by the Iranian authorities in 1979 after the Revolution, and a roundabout now occupies the site. There is little for the visitor to see physically, but for those interested in the religious history of Shiraz the location is worth knowing about — it sits in the alleys north of the Pink Mosque.