Page 74 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

72 Panama City Bahá’í house of Worship • arriVaL aND DeparTure
1 buildings, including to the east the Cabildo (City Hall) and the cathedral – La Catedral
de la Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. The stone edifice that replaced the original wooden
structure was completed between 1619 and 1629. The magnificently restored belfry now
has a modern staircase, which is worth climbing for the views. Sporadic free guided
tours are conducted in English and Spanish but depend on numbers, available staff and
the weather. Enquire at the entry kiosk near the tower, or at the museum.
Leaving the cathedral by the vestibule, you can just make out the remains of the Casa
Alarcón; formerly the domicile of the bishop, this nobleman’s home dating back to the
1640s is the largest known and best-preserved private house on the site. Beyond lies the
crumbling Dominican Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo.

The northern remains
A few hundred metres north along the Cincuentenario, little remains of the Iglesia de
San José, which survived the fire of 1671 and contained the splendid golden altar that
now sits in the church of the same name in Casco Viejo (see p.60). At the old northern
city limit, a couple of hundred metres beyond, Panamá Viejo’s famous Puente del Rey
(King’s Bridge) still spans the Río Gallinero, where it marked the gateway to the
Camino Real, the conquistadors’ mule trail across the isthmus. If you explore that far,
exercise caution, since the surrounding Río Abajo neighbourhood is an impoverished
barrio and tourist muggings are not unknown.

Bahá’í House of Worship

Apartado 143, Zona 15 • Daily 9am–6pm; Sun service 10am (30min) • Free • T231 1191 • MSan Isidro, at the end of the line; follow the
signs to the main exit, where a courtesy shuttle can take you up to the temple (9am–5pm; Mon 4 buses, Tues–Sat 7 buses, Sun 14 buses) –
keep alert as you exit San Isidro metro, as muggings have been reported
In the foothills of the Cordillera Central, the Bahá’í House of Worship – the hilltop
dome that resembles an alien spaceship – offers splendid vistas across the eastern
suburbs to the Pacific. It’s the focus of attention for an estimated sixty thousand Bahá’í
followers in Panama and following the opening of a nearby metro station in 2015, it’s
attracting increasing numbers of tourists.
The Bahá’í faith, which developed in nineteenth-century Persia, is one of the world’s
youngest religions, and emphasizes equality and respect among religions and people.
Panama was singled out for Latin America’s first Bahá’í house of worship on account
of a Bahá’í prophecy made in the early twentieth century that recognized the country’s
strategic location as a bridge between the Americas, and anticipated that the Canal would
enhance its importance as a mean of accessing countries in other parts of the world.
Interested visitors can attend the Sunday service or simply wander through the
delightful flower-filled gardens.
aRRiVaL anD DEPaRtURE Panama City
Panama City is the country’s transport hub for both international and national traffic, with two international airports, one
domestic airport, a port, a cruise ship terminal and a gigantic bus terminal. When it comes to moving on, most people use
the country’s efficient and extensive bus system, though internal flights are plentiful, reasonably priced and simple to
arrange – and particularly useful for reaching the islands of Guna Yala and Bocas del Toro. Car rental is also easy, though
fairly pricey (see p.28), but worth it if you’re heading off the beaten track.
BY PLANE Facilities The airport has a couple of (often unstaffed)
tOCUmEn intERnatiOnaL aiRPORt tourist information desks, a bank, ATMs, a left luggage
Most visitors enter Panama through Tocumen International office and nine car-rental desks.
Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen; T238 Phone and internet A Cable & Wireless office upstairs
2703), about 24km northeast of Panama City. provides internet and international phone facilities.

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