Mantiq al-Tayr

E568331

Mantiq al-Tayr is a renowned 12th-century Persian Sufi allegorical poem that narrates a group of birds’ spiritual quest to find their divine king, the Simurgh.

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Persian poem
Sufi poem
allegorical poem
didactic poem
associatedPlace Nishapur NERFINISHED
author Attar of Nishapur NERFINISHED
Farid al-Din Attar NERFINISHED
centralTheme Sufi path
mystical union with the divine
search for God
self-annihilation (fana)
spiritual quest
countryOfOrigin Persia NERFINISHED
dateOfComposition 12th century
ending the birds discover that Simurgh is a reflection of their own transformed selves
genre Sufi literature
mystical poetry
hasEnglishTranslations yes
influence Islamic mysticism
Persian literature
Sufi thought
keyConcept Valley of Bewilderment NERFINISHED
Valley of Detachment NERFINISHED
Valley of Knowledge NERFINISHED
Valley of Love NERFINISHED
Valley of Poverty and Annihilation NERFINISHED
Valley of Unity NERFINISHED
Valley of the Quest NERFINISHED
language Persian
literaryForm masnavi
literarySignificance considered one of the masterpieces of Persian Sufi poetry
mainCharacters Simurgh NERFINISHED
birds
hoopoe NERFINISHED
narrativePerspective didactic narrator through the hoopoe
originalTitle منطق الطیر NERFINISHED
philosophicalOrientation monism
mystical love
plotElement the birds traverse seven valleys representing stages of the spiritual path
plotSummary A group of birds set out to find their king, the Simurgh, guided by the hoopoe.
religiousContext Islam
Sufism NERFINISHED
rhymeScheme rhyming couplets
setting mythical journey through seven valleys
structure frame narrative with embedded tales and anecdotes
symbolism Simurgh symbolizes God or ultimate reality
birds symbolize human souls
hoopoe symbolizes the spiritual guide or Sufi master
translatedTitle The Conference of the Birds NERFINISHED
The Speech of the Birds NERFINISHED

Referenced by (3)

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

Conference of the Birds alsoKnownAs Mantiq al-Tayr
Attar of Nishapur notableWork Mantiq al-Tayr
Farid ud-Din Attar notableWork Mantiq al-Tayr