This piece is The Simurgh. It represents my imagination of a mythical Persian beast bird as represented in twelfth century Sufi poem The Conference of the Birds, by Farid Ud-Din Attar. The simurgh is a bird if creation having survived the destruction of the world many times.

The book uses poetic allegory to explore themes of self-discovery, divine love, and the quest for enlightenment. It follows the journey of many birds who are led by a hoopoe. On the journey they must overcome the perils of seven valleys:

1. The Valley of the Quest – Searching for the truth and purging of selfishness.
2. The Valley of Love – Consumed by a longing for the divine.
3. The Valley of Knowledge – Gaining deeper understanding and wisdom.
4. The Valley of Detachment– Letting go of worldly attachments and desires.
5. The Valley of Unity – Realizing the inherent oneness of everything.
6. The Valley of Astonishment – Being overwhelmed by the divine mysteries.
7. The Valley of Poverty and Annihilation – The self is completely lost, and only the presence of God remains.

Only thirty birds complete the journey and to see in their reflection that they are the simurgh.

This depiction is gouache on paper. The simurgh takes a number of forms in the ancient texts and is thought to be large enough to lift a man into flight. It can have the features of a bird of prey and a peacock – as I have depicted it here, with each of the 30 tail feathers representing a bird. Simurgh translates as thirty birds.