Farid ud-Din Attar (c. 1145-1221) was a Persian poet and Sufi mystic who wrote The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq ut-Tayr), one of the most celebrated allegorical poems in world literature. He was also a pharmacist, which is how he got his name (attar means herbalist).

What Is The Conference of the Birds?

Thousands of birds gather to seek the Simorgh, a mythical king-bird. Led by the hoopoe, they cross seven valleys: seeking, love, knowledge, detachment, unity, bewilderment, and annihilation. Only thirty birds (si morgh in Persian) complete the journey. They discover that the Simorgh is themselves.

What Are the Seven Valleys?

Each valley represents a stage of the spiritual journey, from initial commitment through the dissolution of desire, certainty, and finally the self itself.

What Else Did He Write?

Attar composed over 30,000 couplets. Rumi reportedly said Attar traversed the seven cities of love while he was still at the corner of one street.

Why Does He Matter?

Attar demonstrated that the search for God ends in the discovery that God was never separate from the seeker.

Attar is on HoloDream. He speaks in parables that arrive as stories and leave as mirrors.