Mantiq al-Tayr (The Language of the Birds), ca. 1600; Safavid period (1501-1722) Farid al-Din`Attar (ca. 1142-1220), Author; Habib Allah, Painter Attributed to Isfahan, Iran Ink, colors, gold, and silver on paper; 10 x 4 1/2in. (25.4 x 11.4cm) of painting: 10 x 4 1/2in. (25.4 x 11.4cm) Fletcher Fund, 1963 (63.210.11) Metropolitan Museum of New York "This painting from the manuscript illustrates the beginning of Attar's mystic allegory where the birds begin their pilgrimage in search of the Simurgh (representing ultimate spiritual unity). Under the leadership of the hoopoe (perched on a rock at center right), who exhorts them to be steadfast and unwavering in their joint quest, the birds ultimately learn that they are identical to the Simurgh (which means 'thirty birds'). This illustration depicts a scene from the mystical poem "Mantiq al-tair" (The Language of the Birds), composed by the twelfth-century Iranian Farid al-din `Attar. The birds symbolize individ...