The Conference of the Birds
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The Conference of the Birds is an allegorical poem by the Persian Sufi poet Farīd al-Dīn \u02bfA\u1e6d\u1e6d\u0101r (died c. 1220). The poem describes a quest by a flock of birds, representing Sufis, to find their mythical king, the Sīmorgh, who symbolizes God. The birds journey through seven valleys, facing many trials and shedding their individual identities to realize their oneness with the Sīmorgh. This work is considered \u02bfA\u1e6d\u1e6d\u0101r's greatest and influenced later Persian mystical literature. The hoopoe, a bird with a distinctive crest, is mentioned in the context of bird symbolism.123
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Persian literatureReligious poetryThe Conference of the Birds); in it birds search for a king, whom after a perilous journey they find in the mythical bird Sīmurgh. That name, according to a popular etymology, means “Thirty Birds,” a reference to the 30 birds that survive the quest and…
Read MoreThe Conference of the Birds); in it birds search for a king, whom after a perilous journey they find in the mythical bird Sīmurgh. That name, according to a popular etymology, means “Thirty Birds,” a reference to the 30 birds that survive the quest and…
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Islamic artsThe mystical poem…is the Manṭeq al-ṭayr (The Conference of the Birds), modeled after some Arabic allegories. It is the story of 30 birds who, in search of their spiritual king, journey through seven valleys. The poem is full of tales, some of which have been translated even into the most remote…
Read More…is the Manṭeq al-ṭayr (The Conference of the Birds), modeled after some Arabic allegories. It is the story of 30 birds who, in search of their spiritual king, journey through seven valleys. The poem is full of tales, some of which have been translated even into the most remote…
Read More