Attar of Nishapur
The apothecary-poet of Nishapur whose Conference of the Birds maps the soul's journey through seven valleys to its own king.
Core ideas
- The journey's end is a mirror: what the birds sought was themselves
- Suffering is the price of the valleys — and their medicine
- Stories are ladders; climb and discard
Historical context
Died in the Mongol sack of Nishapur (1221), leaving the Sufi allegory perfected for Rumi to inherit.
Key works
Conference of the Birds · Ilahi-Nama
Questions they speak to
Minds in conversation
- RumiBalkh → Konya
- Shams of TabrizTabriz → Konya
- Al-GhazaliTus, Persia
Sources
- Encyclopædia Iranica — ʿAṭṭār