Azar Aryanpour

Simurgh: A Journey in Search of the Truth Azar Aryanpour

Simurgh is a free adaptation of The Conference of the Birds, a Persian classic written in late 12th century by a¿ mystic poet named Attar. All the birds of the world gather before Hoopoe to seek her advice in finding their divine king. Hoopoe informs them that they could unite with the King (Simurgh) on a very distant mountain, but the journey would be extremely hazardous. Only through love, faith, and self-denial the pilgrims could achieve their goal. Thousands of birds give up their familiar world to search for Simurgh with Hoopoe. After traveling seven treacherous continents, only thirty birds reach the promised mountain and realize that Simurgh is none other than themselves! While maintaining the spirit ofthe original work, Simurgh presents a more informative and enticing story for contemporary readers. Ten primary birds have been revised and twenty more carefully studied and added to the characters for the purpose of diversity. The seven Spiritual Valleys of the original narrative have been replaced with the seven continents of the world for simplification. Simurgh is a philosophical adventure tale that combines fantasy with fact, humor with wisdom, and novelty with spirituality.¿ The story's universal appeal goes beyond all ages.