Conference of the Birds

E363024

Conference of the Birds is a seminal Sufi poetic allegory, originally by Farid ud-Din Attar and later adapted in various artistic forms, that follows a group of birds on a spiritual quest for divine truth.

All labels observed (6)

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Persian literature work
Sufi allegory
poem
alsoKnownAs Mantiq al-Tayr
The Conference of the Birds
approximateCentury 12th century
author Farid ud-Din Attar
centralFigure hoopoe
contains dialogues between hoopoe and other birds
parable-like stories
countryOfOrigin Persia
didacticFunction instruction in Sufi path
ending birds realize Simurgh is their own transformed reality
genre allegorical poem
mystical poetry
hasAdaptation Conference of the Birds (Peter Brook stage adaptation)
Conference of the Birds (contemporary dance and theatre)
Conference of the Birds (musical compositions)
Conference of the Birds (visual art works)
influenced Persian mystical poetry
Sufi literature
modern spiritual literature
influencedBy Quranic themes
earlier Sufi thought
keyConcept Simurgh
seven valleys
literaryForm masnavi
literarySignificance major classic of Sufi literature
one of Attar's most famous works
mainCharacters birds
narrativeStructure frame narrative with embedded tales
numberOfBirds thirty
originalLanguage Persian
period medieval Persian literature
philosophicalConcept baqā (subsistence in God)
fanā (annihilation in God)
religiousContext Islamic mysticism
religiousTradition Sufism
setting mythical landscape of seven valleys
subjectMatter mystical journey toward God
symbolism Simurgh represents the Divine
linked to: Simurgh

birds represent human seekers
journey represents spiritual path
theme annihilation of the self
mystical love
search for divine truth
spiritual quest
unity of being
titleEtymology title refers to gathering of birds for spiritual journey

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

OM notableWork Conference of the Birds
Persian literature hasNotableWork Conference of the Birds
Farid ud-Din Attar notableWork The Conference of the Birds
linked to: Conference of the Birds
Attar of Nishapur notableWork The Conference of the Birds
linked to: Conference of the Birds
Attar of Nishapur knownFor The Conference of the Birds
linked to: Conference of the Birds
Al Cisneros notableWork Conference of the Birds
Conference of the Birds hasAdaptation Conference of the Birds (Peter Brook stage adaptation)
linked to: Conference of the Birds
Conference of the Birds hasAdaptation Conference of the Birds (visual art works)
linked to: Conference of the Birds
Conference of the Birds hasAdaptation Conference of the Birds (contemporary dance and theatre)
linked to: Conference of the Birds
Conference of the Birds alsoKnownAs The Conference of the Birds
linked to: Conference of the Birds
Neurot Recordings notableRelease Om – Conference of the Birds
linked to: Conference of the Birds