You are warmly invited

The funeral will be held on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Rose Hills Memorial Park, 100 Mill Street, Putnam Valley, New York. The funeral will also be streamed for those who cannot be with us.

His life

Mashiyat Ashraf lived a life of service to humanity rooted in his upbringing and steadfast belief in the Bahá’í Faith.

He was born on October 12, 1948, in Iran, to Ali Ashraf and Jalaliyeh Akhtari, both of whom were descended from early believers of the Bahá’í Faith. His father, Ali Ashraf, traveled as a youth from his village of Saisan, to the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, where he served for over eleven years. Upon his return to Iran, he married Jalaliyeh Akhtari, and together, they served the Faith and raised six children: Faezeh, Rezvan, Roshan, Mashiyat, Farshid, and Faegheh. Mashiyat and his siblings have remained close throughout their lives, even as circumstances have scattered them across the globe.

After completing his schooling, Mashiyat entered the University of Tehran, where he earned a Masters degree in Architecture.

From there, his first major project was to work on the planning and construction of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Delhi, India, which was completed in 1986. He was also intimately involved in the building of the House of Worship in Santiago, Chile, completed in 2016. His professional career spanned six decades, during which time he designed and managed the construction of many buildings across the public and private sectors. His last position was as President, Chief Architect, and Partner at Velocity Architecture and Engineering Group.

Throughout his life, Mashiyat was a keen promoter of education for all. In his professional capacity, one area of particular focus was the designing and construction of many public schools in New York City. But beyond this, he was also a long-standing and dedicated educator, not least of all, as an instructor and consultant with the Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education (BIHE), a grassroots university in Iran created in response to the Iranian government’s continuing campaign to deny Iranian Bahá’ís access to higher education. He educated and taught generations of Iranian Bahá’í architecture students.

Mashiyat met his wife Taraneh in 1977 in Cambridge, England, and they married in April 1979. With absolute devotion to one another, they created and sustained a loving household, even as they moved across four countries and three continents, to serve the Bahá’í Faith, and to raise three sons, Assef, Samir, and Nima. Mashiyat took great pride in his children, all of whom have become accomplished in their respective professions, and who are now married and raising their own young children. Nothing gave Mashiyat more joy than to spend time with his family, and especially with his six beautiful grandchildren.

Mashiyat’s mild manner, his gentle, humble, and wise presence, and his genuine and faithful affection will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.

The fleeting hours of man’s life on earth pass swiftly by and the little that still remaineth shall come to an end, but that which endureth and lasteth for evermore is the fruit that man reapeth from his servitude at the Divine Threshold. Behold the truth of this saying, how abundant and glorious are the proofs thereof in the world of being! ʿAbdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ʿAbdu’l-Bahá

Memories and photographs

If you knew Mashiyat, his family would be grateful for anything you would like to share — a story, a few lines, a photograph.

In lieu of flowers

The family asks that you please consider contributing to a charitable cause of your own choosing.