Attar Farid ud-Din of Nishapur

Abu Hamid bin Abu Bakr Ibrahim is better known by his pen-names Farid ud-Din and ‘Attar ("the perfumer"). Attar was from Nishapur in what is now Iran. He was a mystic, a poet, and a master of narrative who travelled widely to Baghdad, Basra, Kufa, Mecca, Medina, Damascus, Khwarizm, Turkistan, and India, meeting with Sufi Shaykhs - and returned promoting Sufi ideas. Attar reached an age of over 70, but died a violent death in the massacre which the Mongols inflicted on Nishapur in April 1221. And all Attar’s poems involve Divine Love in one context or another.
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CREDITS

PAINTINGS

Jacob van Toorenvliet – The Alchemist
A large number of Jennifer’s paintings are used to illustrate the last poem – Jennifer Lommers
The Concourse of the Birds', Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-tair (Language of the Birds) MET DT22773n

PARLIAMENT OF THE BIRDS
Parliament of the Birds is full of symbolism and allegory and the best way to understand it is to use the links we have given to each of our explanatory videos . The videos can all be found in our three youtube channels:
• The playlist for Divine Love has the video of the children reading the poem
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYYIvlHThrXFOcFZohgLb-cyZcz3pDfur
• Mystic symbolism explained https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdArO6VC6CrY41WEimW2cAw/videos and
• How to get a spiritual experience https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZbvzbsWzq7a2j2hPRRWRdw/videos

A Spiritual path
The story is an allegory of the Spiritual Path, we have an introductory video on what is meant by the spiritual path
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzK2ZCzRdYA&t=5s
but Attar’s allegory specifically concentrates on those who undertake The Three Degrees as opposed to the Four Seasons and the Hours

B The Birds
Birds are used in this allegory because they represent spiritual travellers. Higher spirits on their way to meet their maker
An Introduction to Bird symbolism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0usjiDkXx8
Attar uses birds local to the area, but we have examples of some bird symbolism so that you get a flavour of why birds were use
• The Symbolism of the Pheasant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHKh6J3sfHo&t=46s
• The symbolism of the Falcon [or Hawk]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoRXoq6pnx4
• The symbolism of the Swan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBJh2RguhbI
• The Symbolism of the Goose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noLHkjXwzlk&t=107s
Each of the birds represents a type of Personality
• The Symbolism of Personality and the Mask
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q082cfhFBqw&t=1s
Another way of looking at it is that each of them is an archetype
• The Concept of the Archetype
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYwcGFN3u5s&t=376s

C The Seven valleys
Figuratively speaking the birds are ascending and we know this from the symbolism of ascension
• The Symbols of Ascension including ladders, steps and wings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CmSr3FG0uk
But they are also traversing seven valleys. This video provides the symbolism of the valley
• The Symbolism of the Valley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpxUxMYUyqw
We now proceed on the journey itself

D The Three Degrees
The first stage is the first of the three degrees - Judgement

1. The Three Degrees – Judgement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmkgmfrnrVE&t=7s
Other symbols used at this early stage include
• The Symbolism of the Desert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM6o8Iqo7Gg

2 The Three degrees –rebirth
The Valley with flames is intended to be Rebirth and this video describes rebirth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4P0Wed1z58&t=6s
Other videos that deal with concepts mentioned in this part of the poem include
• The symbolism of Flames, Fire and Purgatory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U591gxHCQRA
• The Symbolism of the Cosmic Egg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u8XVAfRsug&t=17s
• The Symbolism of the Colour Pink and Dawn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoYuMLVqryg&t=8s

3 The three degrees – Purification
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ileYLEskNGI&t=4s
The final stages describe various forms of Purification. And here the activities used to figuratively wash oneself clean are provided in the youtube channel How to get a spiritual experience, for example
• Reducing desires
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG8sbtCA6eo

VIDEO EFFECTS AND FOOTAGE

Birds HD Stock Video | Free stock footage | Free HD Videos - No Copyright | Channel PMI
CHANNEL PMI - FREE STOCK VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HMFZQfqocfI

Wild Birds No Copyright Videos - Birds Copyright Free Stock Videos
PexBell - Free Stock Video Footage
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=r5uLp5D-vkk

MUSIC

00:00 Swinging With The Sultan - Doug Maxwell
00:49 Solo Cello Passion - Doug Maxwell_Media Right Productions
02:41 Arabian Nightfall - Doug Maxwell_Media Right Productions
06:01 Desert Caravan - Aaron Kenny
07:56 Bansure Raga - Doug Maxwell

10:08 Desert City by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100564
Artist: http://incompetech.com/