Written in the twelfth century by the Persian poet and mystic Farid ud-Din Attar, The Conference of the Birds tells how the birds of the world have gathered to search for a mythological king. Each of the birds represents a different human type - a coward, a lover - and much of the poem consists of stories told by their leader in answer to their objections to the journey or their questions about it. The journey taken by the birds is an allegory for the different stages on the Sufi path to enlightenment and the soul''s search for unity with the Divine. For this exquisite book, Farah K. Behbehani relates the tales of the ten birds and their leader, illustrating the Arabic name of each bird in Jali Diwani calligraphy. A line from the Arabic version of the poem that captures each bird''s essence is also illustrated and explained.
