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{{Short description|Sufi poet (c. 1145 – c. 1221)}}
{{Infobox saint
| name            = Attar of Nishapur
| image           = Miniature of Attar by Hossein Behzad.jpg
| caption         = Illustration of Attar by [[Hossein Behzad]], dated 1960
| titles          = Mystic Poet
| birth_date      = {{c.|1145}}<ref>Encyclopedia Iranica</ref>
| birth_place     = [[Nishapur]], [[Seljuk Empire]]
| death_date      = c. {{death year and age|1221|1145}}
| death_place     = [[Nishapur]], [[Khwarezmian Empire]]
| resting_place   = [[Mausoleum of Attar of Nishapur|Mausoleum of Attar]], [[Nishapur]], Iran
| venerated_in    = [[Islam]], and especially by [[Sufi]]s<ref>Daadbeh, Asghar and Melvin-Koushki, Matthew, “ʿAṭṭār Nīsābūrī”, in: ''Encyclopaedia Islamica'', Editors-in-Chief: Wilferd Madelung and, Farhad Daftary</ref>
| beatified_date  =
| beatified_place =
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| canonized_date  =
| canonized_place =
| canonized_by    =
| major_shrine    =
| feast_day       =
| attributes      =
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| issues          =
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| suppressed_by   =
| influences      =[[Ferdowsi]], [[Sanai]], [[Khwaja Abdullah Ansari]], [[Mansur Al-Hallaj]], [[Abu-Sa'id Abul-Khayr]], [[Bayazid Bastami]]
| influenced      = [[Rumi]], [[Hafez]], [[Jami]], [[Ali-Shir Nava'i]] and many other later Sufi Poets
| tradition       =[[Mysticism|Mystic]] [[poetry]]
| major_works     =''[[Tazkirat al-Awliya|Memorial of the Saints]]''<br />''[[The Conference of the Birds]]''
}}
{{Sufism|Notable early}}
'''Faridoddin Abu Hamed Mohammad Attar Nishapuri''' ({{c.|1145}} – c. 1221; {{langx|fa|ابوحامد محمد عطار نیشابوری}}), better known by his pen-names '''Faridoddin''' ({{lang|fa|فریدالدین}}) and '''ʿAttar of Nishapur''' ({{lang|fa|عطار نیشاپوری}}, Attar means [[apothecary]]), was a [[Persian people|Persian]] [[poet]], theoretician of [[Sufism]], and [[hagiographer]] from [[Nishapur]] who had an immense and lasting influence on [[Persian literature|Persian poetry]] and [[Sufism]]. He wrote a collection of lyrical poems and number of long poems in the philosophical tradition of [[Sufism|Islamic mysticism]], as well as a prose work with biographies and sayings of famous Muslim mystics.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Oxford illustrated encyclopedia|date=1985–1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|others=Judge, Harry George., Toyne, Anthony.|isbn=0-19-869129-7|location=Oxford [England]|pages=25|oclc=11814265}}</ref> ''[[The Conference of the Birds]]'', ''[[Ilāhī-Nāma|Book of the Divine]]'', and'' [[Tazkirat al-Awliya|Memorial of the Saints]]'' are among his best known works.

==Biography==
Information about Attar's life is scarce and has been mythologised over the centuries. However, Attar was born to a [[Persian people|Persian]]<ref name="Iranica" /><ref name="EI">Ritter, H. (1986), “Attar”, Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Ed., vol. 1: 751-755.  Excerpt: "ATTAR, FARID AL-DIN MUHAMMAD B. IBRAHIM.Persian mystical poet.{{Citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQ2iamlxLhIC&pg=PA48|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Rumi Meditations|author=Yahiya Emerick|page=48|publisher=Alpha|others="The three most influential Persian poets of all time, Fariduddin 'Attar, Hakim Sana'i, and Jalaluddin Rumi, were all Muslims, while Persia (Iran) today is over 90 percent Shi'a Muslim"|date=5 February 2008|isbn=9781440636448}}</ref><ref name="Britannica">Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār, in Encyclopædia Britannica, online edition - accessed December 2012.  [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/42112/Farid-al-Din-Attar]</ref> family and he practised the profession of pharmacist and personally attended to a very large number of customers.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Attar and The Conference of the Birds|url=https://www.conferenceofbirds.info/about|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816090932/https://www.conferenceofbirds.info/about|archive-date=2021-08-16|access-date=|website=}}</ref> He is mentioned by only two of his contemporaries, `[[Awfi]] and [[Nasir al-Din al-Tusi|Tusi]]. However, all sources confirm that he was from [[Nishapur]], a major city of medieval [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] (now located in the northeast of [[Iran]]), and according to `Awfi, he was a poet of the [[Great Seljuq Empire|Seljuq period]].

According to Reinert: ''It seems that he was not well known as a poet in his own lifetime, except at his home town,'' and ''his greatness as a mystic, a poet, and a master of narrative was not discovered until the 15th century.''<ref name="Iranica">B. Reinert, [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/attar-farid-al-din-poet "`Attar"], in ''[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]'', Online Edition</ref>  At the same time, the mystic Persian poet [[Rumi]] has mentioned: "Attar was the spirit, [[Sanai]] his eyes twain, And in time thereafter, Came we in their train"<ref>"A. J. Arberry, "Sufism: An Account of the Mystics ", Courier Dover Publications, Nov 9, 2001. p. 141</ref> and mentions in another poem:

''Attar travelled through all the seven cities of love''

''                  While I am only at the bend of the first alley.''.<ref>Sholeh Wolpé, "The Conference of the Birds" W. W. Norton & Co, 2017, First edition p. 5</ref>

Attar was probably the son of a prosperous chemist, receiving an excellent education in various fields. While his works say little else about his life, they tell us that he practised the profession of pharmacy and personally attended to a very large number of customers.<ref name="Iranica" /> The people he helped in the pharmacy used to confide their troubles in Attar and this affected him deeply. Eventually, he abandoned his pharmacy store and travelled widely - to [[Baghdad]], [[Basra]], [[Kufa]], [[Mecca]], [[Medina]], [[Damascus]], [[Khwarizm]], [[Turkestan|Turkistan]], and [[India]], meeting with Sufi [[Shaykh]]s - and returned promoting Sufi ideas.<ref name="Bashiri">Iraj Bashiri, "[https://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Poets/Attar.html Farid al-Din `Attar]"</ref> Attar was a [[Sunni]] Muslim.<ref name="sn">[[Edward G. Browne]], ''A Literary History of Persia from the Earliest Times Until Firdawsi'', 543 pp., Adamant Media Corporation, 2002, {{ISBN|1-4021-6045-3}}, {{ISBN|978-1-4021-6045-5}} (see p.437)</ref>

From childhood onward Attar, encouraged by his father, was interested in the Sufis and their sayings and way of life, and regarded their saints as his spiritual guides.<ref>''Taḏkerat al-Awliyā''; pp. 1,55,23 ff</ref>  At the age of 78, Attar died a violent death in the massacre which the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]] inflicted on Nishapur in April 1221.<ref name="Iranica" /> Today, his [[mausoleum]] is located in [[Nishapur]]. It was built by [[Ali-Shir Nava'i]] in the 16th century and later underwent a total renovation during the rule of [[Reza Shah]] in 1940.

==Teachings==
[[File:Mahmoud and Ayaz.jpg|thumb|262px|Ayaz kneeling before [[Mahmud of Ghazni|Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni]]. A miniature painting made in the year 1472, is used to illustrate the six poems by Attar of Nishapur.]]

The thoughts depicted in Attar's works reflect the whole evolution of the Sufi movement. The starting point is the idea that the body-bound soul's awaited release and return to its source in the other world can be experienced during the present life in mystic union attainable through inward purification.<ref>F. Meier, "Der Geistmensch bei dem persischen Dichter `Attar", Eranos-Jahrbuch  13, 1945, pp. 286 ff</ref> In explaining his thoughts, Attar uses material not only from specifically Sufi sources but also from older ascetic legacies. Although his heroes are for the most part Sufis and ascetics, he also introduces stories from historical chronicles, collections of anecdotes, and all types of high-esteemed literature.<ref name="Iranica" /> His talent for perception of deeper meanings behind outward appearances enables him to turn details of everyday life into illustrations of his thoughts. The [[idiosyncrasy]] of Attar's presentations invalidates his works as sources for study of the historical persons whom he introduces. As sources on the [[hagiology]] and [[Phenomenology (philosophy)|phenomenology]] of Sufism, however, his works have immense value.

Judging from Attar's writings, he approached the available [[Aristotle|Aristotelian heritage]] with scepticism and dislike.<ref>''Muṣībat-Nāma'', p. 54 ff</ref><ref>''Asrār-Nāma'', pp. 50, 794 ff</ref> He did not seem to want to reveal the secrets of nature. This is particularly remarkable in the case of [[medicine]], which fell well within the scope of his professional expertise as pharmacist. He obviously had no motive for sharing his expert knowledge in the manner customary among court [[panegyrist]]s, whose type of poetry he despised and never practised. Such knowledge is only brought into his works in contexts where the theme of a story touches on a branch of the natural sciences.

According to [[Edward G. Browne]], [[Farid al-Din Attar|Attar]] as well as [[Rumi]] and [[Sana'i]], were [[Sunni]] as evident from the fact that their poetry abounds with praise for the first two caliphs [[Abu Bakr]] and [[Umar ibn al-Khattāb]] - who are detested by [[Shia]] mysticism.<ref name="sn" /> According to [[Annemarie Schimmel]], the tendency among [[Shia]] authors to include leading mystical poets such as Rumi and Attar among their own ranks, became stronger after the introduction of [[Twelver Shia]] as the state religion in the [[Safavid Empire]] in 1501.<ref>[[Annemarie Schimmel]], ''Deciphering the Signs of God'', 302 pp., SUNY Press, 1994, {{ISBN|0-7914-1982-7}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7914-1982-3}} (see p.210)</ref>

==Poetry==
Attar's most famous poem by far is his [[The Conference of the Birds|Conference of the Birds]] (''Mantiq al-tayr''). Like many of his other poems, it is in the mathnawi genre of rhyming couplets. While the mathnawi genre of poetry may use a variety of different metres, Attar adopted a particular meter, that was later imitated by Rumi in his famous Mathnawi-yi Ma’nawi, which then became the mathnawi metre par excellence. The first recorded use of this metre for a mathnawi poem took place at the Nizari Ismaili fortress of Girdkuh between 1131 and 1139. It likely set the stage for later poetry in this style by mystics such as Attar and Rumi.<ref>“Persian Poetry, Sufism and Ismailism: The Testimony of Khwajah Qasim Tushtari's Recognizing God.” ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Series 3 29, no. 1'' (2019): 17–49. [https://www.academia.edu/40141803/Persian_Poetry_Sufism_and_Ismailism_The_Testimony_of_Khwajah_Qasim_Tushtaris_Recognizing_God https://www.academia.edu/40141803/]</ref>

In the introductions of ''Mukhtār-Nāma'' ({{lang|fa|مختارنامه|italic=yes}}) and ''Khusraw-Nāma'' ({{lang|fa|خسرونامه|italic=yes}}), Attar lists the titles of further products of his pen:
[[File:The Mantiq al-tair.jpg|thumb|262px|''Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr'']]
* ''Dīwān'' ({{lang|fa|دیوان|italic=yes}})
* ''Asrār-Nāma'' ({{lang|fa|اسرارنامه|italic=yes}})
* ''[[The Conference of the Birds|Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr]]'' ({{lang|fa|منطق‌الطیر|italic=yes}}), also known as ''Maqāmāt-uṭ-Ṭuyūr'' ({{lang|fa|مقامات‌الطیور|italic=yes}})
* ''Muṣībat-Nāma'' ({{lang|fa|مصیبت‌نامه|italic=yes}})
* ''[[Ilāhī-Nāma]]'' ({{lang|fa|الهی‌نامه|italic=yes}})
* ''Jawāhir-Nāma'' ({{lang|fa|جواهرنامه|italic=yes}})
* ''Šarḥ al-Qalb''<ref>quoted in H. Ritter, "Philologika X," pp. 147-53</ref> ({{lang|fa|شرح‌القلب|italic=yes}})

He also states, in the introduction of the ''Mukhtār-Nāma'', that he destroyed the ''Jawāhir-Nāma'' and the ''Šarḥ al-Qalb'' with his own hand.

Although the contemporary sources confirm only Attar's authorship of the ''Dīwān'' and the ''[[The Conference of the Birds|Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr]]'', there are no grounds for doubting the authenticity of the ''Mukhtār-Nāma'' and ''Khusraw-Nāma'' and their prefaces.<ref name="Iranica" /> One work is missing from these lists, namely the ''[[Tazkirat al-Awliya|Tadhkirat-ul-Awliyā]]'', which was probably omitted because it is a prose work; its attribution to Attar is scarcely open to question. In its introduction Attar mentions three other works of his, including one entitled ''Šarḥ al-Qalb'', presumably the same that he destroyed. The nature of the other two, entitled ''Kašf al-Asrār'' ({{lang|fa|کشف‌الاسرار|italic=yes}}) and ''Maʿrifat al-Nafs'' ({{lang|fa|معرفت‌النفس|italic=yes}}), remains unknown.<ref>Ritter, "Philologika XIV," p. 63</ref>

===''Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr''===
{{Main|The Conference of the Birds}}
In the poem, the birds of the world gather to decide who is to be their sovereign, as they have none. The [[hoopoe]], the wisest of them all, suggests that they should find the legendary [[Simorgh]]. The hoopoe leads the birds, each of whom represents a human fault which prevents human kind from attaining enlightenment.

The hoopoe tells the birds that they have to cross seven valleys in order to reach the abode of Simorgh. These valleys are as follows:<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=The conference of the birds |last=ʻAṭṭār, Farīd al-Dīn |year=2017 |translator=Wolpé, Sholeh |isbn=9780393292183 |edition=First |location=New York |publisher=W. W. Norton |oclc=951070853}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">''The Conference of the Birds'' by Attar, edited and translated by [[Sholeh Wolpé]], W. W. Norton & Co 2017 {{ISBN|978-0-393-29218-3}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/905200863 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/900664260 cite #1 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref>

: ''1.	Valley of the Quest, where the Wayfarer begins by casting aside all dogma, belief, and unbelief.''
: ''2.	Valley of Love, where reason is abandoned for the sake of love.''
: ''3.	Valley of Knowledge, where worldly knowledge becomes utterly useless.''
: ''4.	Valley of Detachment, where all desires and attachments to the world are given up. Here, what is assumed to be “reality” vanishes.''
: ''5.	Valley of Unity, where the Wayfarer realises that everything is connected and that the Beloved is beyond everything, including harmony, multiplicity, and eternity.''
: ''6.	Valley of Wonderment, where, entranced by the beauty of the Beloved, the Wayfarer becomes perplexed and, steeped in awe, finds that he or she has never known or understood anything.''
: ''7.	Valley of Poverty and Annihilation, where the self disappears into the universe and the Wayfarer becomes timeless, existing in both the past and the future.''

[[Sholeh Wolpé]] writes, "When the birds hear the description of these valleys, they bow their heads in distress; some even die of fright right then and there. But despite their trepidations, they begin the great journey. On the way, many perish of thirst, heat or illness, while others fall prey to wild beasts, panic, and violence. Finally, only thirty birds make it to the abode of Simorgh. In the end, the birds learn that they themselves are the Simorgh; the name “Simorgh” in Persian means thirty (si) birds (morgh). They eventually come to understand that the majesty of that Beloved is like the sun that can be seen reflected in a mirror. Yet, whoever looks into that mirror will also behold his or her own image.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="ReferenceA"/>{{Rp|pages=17–18}}

: ''If Simorgh unveils its face to you, you will find'' 
: ''that all the birds, be they thirty or forty or more,''
: ''are but the shadows cast by that unveiling.''
: ''What shadow is ever separated from its maker?'' 
: ''Do you see?''
: ''The shadow and its maker are one and the same,'' 
: ''so get over surfaces and delve into mysteries.''<ref name=":0" />''<ref name="ReferenceA"/>''

Attar's masterful use of symbolism is a key, driving component of the poem. This adroit handling of symbolisms and allusions can be seen reflected in these lines:

{{blockquote|It was in China, late one moonless night, The Simorgh first appeared to mortal sight}} Beside the symbolic use of the Simorgh, the allusion to China is also very significant. According to [[Idries Shah]], China as used here, is not the geographical China, but the symbol of mystic experience, as inferred from the Hadith (declared weak by Ibn Adee, but still used symbolically by some Sufis): "Seek knowledge; even as far as China".[5] There are many more examples of such subtle symbols and allusions throughout the Mantiq. Within the larger context of the story of the journey of the birds, Attar masterfully tells the reader many didactic short, sweet stories in captivating poetic style.

==== Gallery of ''The Conference of the Birds''====
Collection at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], New York. Folio from an illustrated manuscript dated c.1600. Paintings by Habiballah of Sava (active ca. 1590–1610), in ink, opaque watercolour, gold, and silver on paper, dimensions 25,4 x 11,4&nbsp;cm.<ref>[http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451725 "The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-tair (Language of the Birds), The Met]</ref>
<gallery class="center" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-tair (Language of the Birds) MET DT227734.jpg
File:"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-tair (Language of the Birds) MET DT227735.jpg
File:"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-tair (Language of the Birds) MET DT227736.jpg
File:"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-tair (Language of the Birds) MET DT227737.jpg
</gallery>

===Tadhkirat-ul-Awliyā===
{{Main|Tadhkirat al-Awliya}}
The '''Tadhkirat-ul-Awliyā''', a [[Hagiography|hagiographic]] [[List of biographical dictionaries|collection]]  of Muslim saints and mystics, is Attar's only known prose work. Written and compiled throughout much of his life and published before his death, the compelling account of the execution of the mystic [[Mansur al-Hallaj]], who had uttered the words "I am the Truth" in a state of ecstatic contemplation, is perhaps the most well known extract from the book.

===''Ilāhī-Nāma''===
{{Main|Ilāhī-Nāma}}
The ''Ilāhī-Nāma'' ({{langx|fa|الهی‌نامه|italic=yes}}) or ''Elāhī-Nāme(h)'' is another famous poetic work of Attar, consisting of 6500 verses.  In terms of form and content, it has some similarities with Bird Parliament.  The story is about a king who is confronted with the materialistic and worldly demands of his six sons.  The King tries to show the temporary and senseless desires of his six sons by retelling them a large number of spiritual stories.  The first son asks for the daughter of the king of the fairies, the second for the mastery of magic, the third for the cup of Jamshid, which has the property of displaying the whole world, the fourth for the water of life, the fifth for the ring of Solomon, which has control over fairies and demons, and the sixth for mastering alchemy. Each of these desires is discussed first literally, and shown to be absurd, and then it is explained how there is an esoteric interpretation of each one.<ref>{{cite book |author= Farīd al-Dīn ʻAṭṭār |authorlink= Attar of Nishapur |title= [[Ilāhī-Nāma|The 'Ilāhī-nāma]] |trans-title= Book of God |translator= John Andrew Boyle |translator-link= John Andrew Boyle |date= 1976 |publisher= [[Manchester University Press]] |location= [[Manchester]], [[England]] |series= [[UNESCO]] collection of representative works: Persian heritage series; [no. 29] |isbn= 0719006635}} Foreword by [[Annemarie Schimmel]]. The 'Ilāhī-nāma is a 12th century Persian poem. [https://sufipathoflove.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ilahi-nama.pdf An incompletely edited version is publicly accessible]</ref>

===''Mukhtār-Nāma''===
''Mukhtār-Nāma'' ({{langx|fa|مختارنامه|italic=yes}}), a wide-ranging collection of quatrains (2088 in number).  In the Mokhtar-nama, a coherent group of mystical and religious subjects is outlined (search for union, sense of uniqueness, distancing from the world, annihilation, amazement, pain, awareness of death, etc.), and an equally rich group of themes typical of lyrical poetry of erotic inspiration adopted by mystical literature (the torment of love, impossible union, beauty of the loved one, stereotypes of the love story as weakness, crying, separation).<ref>[http://www.iranica.com/newsite/index.isc?Article=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/ot_grp12/ot_mokhtarnama_20080407.html Daniela Meneghini, "MOḴTĀR-NĀMA"]{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref>

===Divan===
[[File:Bihhzad 004.jpg|thumb|262px|A miniature painting by [[Bihzad]] illustrating the funeral of the elderly Attar of Nishapur after he was held captive and killed by a [[Mongol]] invader.]]

The [[Diwan (poetry)|Diwan]] of Attar ({{langx|fa|دیوان عطار|italic=yes}}) consists almost entirely of poems in the [[Ghazal]] ("lyric") form, as he collected his [[Ruba'i]] ("quatrains") in a separate work called the Mokhtar-nama. There are also some [[Qasida]] ("Odes"), but they amount to less than one-seventh of the Divan.  His Qasidas expound upon mystical and ethical themes and moral precepts.  They are sometimes modelled after [[Sanai]].  The [[Ghazals]] often seem from their outward vocabulary just to be love and wine songs with a predilection for libertine imagery, but generally imply spiritual experiences in the familiar [[Symbolic language (literature)|symbolic language]] of classical Islamic [[Sufism]].<ref name="Iranica"/>  Attar's lyrics express the same ideas that are elaborated in his epics.  His lyric poetry does not significantly differ from that of his narrative poetry, and the same may be said of the rhetoric and imagery.

==Legacy==
===Influence on Rumi===
Attar is one of the most famous [[mysticism|mystic]] poets of Iran. His works were the inspiration of [[Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi|Rumi]] and many other mystic poets. Attar, along with [[Sanai]] were two of the greatest influences on Rumi in his [[Sufi]] views. Rumi has mentioned both of them with the highest esteem several times in his poetry. Rumi praises Attar as follows:

{{blockquote|text=''Attar has roamed through the seven cities of love while we have barely turned down the first street.''<ref>''Fodor's Iran'' (1979) by Richard Moore and Peter Sheldon, p. 277</ref>}}

===As a pharmacist===
Attar was a [[pseudonym|pen-name]] which he took for his occupation. Attar means [[herbalist]], [[medication|druggist]], [[perfume|perfumist]] or [[alchemist]], and during his lifetime in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], much of [[medicine]] and drugs were based on [[herb]]s. Therefore, by profession he was similar to a modern-day town [[physician|doctor]] and [[pharmacist]]. Further, '''Attar'' also refers to [[rose oil]].

===In popular culture===
Argentine writer [[Jorge Luis Borges]] used a summary reference to [[The Conference of the Birds]] in his short story, [[The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim]] (1936).<ref name="Borges">{{cite book |last=Alazraki |first=Jaime |url=https://archive.org/details/criticalessayson00alaz/page/43 |title=Critical Essays on Jorge Luis Borges |publisher=G. K. Hall & Co. |year=1987 |isbn=0-8161-8829-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/criticalessayson00alaz/page/43 43]}}</ref> The Ubuntu Theater Project in Berkeley California premiered an adaptation of Attar's ''The Conference of the Birds'' by [[Sholeh Wolpe]], in Oakland, California.

In an 1822 entry, the French writer [[François-René de Chateaubriand]] quoted a line, "Palaces are not built on the sea," in ''Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, 1768-1800''.  Chateaubriand probably encountered "Farid ud-Din" through the 1819 translation of [[Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy|Silvestre de Sacy]], ''Le Livre des Conseils.''<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chateaubriand |first1=François-René de |title=Memoires from beyond the grave. Vol. 1: Memoires from beyond the grave: 1768 - 1800 / François-René de Chateaubriand. Introduction by Anka Muhlstein; Translated from the French by Alex Andriesse |last2=Muhlstein |first2=Anka |last3=Andriesse |first3=Alex |publisher=New York Review of Books |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-68137-129-0 |volume=1 |location=New York |pages=340; endnote 10, 540}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Iran|Poetry}}
*[[Sufism]]
*[[The Seven Valleys]]
*[[Sheikh San'Aan]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*[[Sholeh Wolpé]]. ''The Conference of the Birds''. 2017 {{ISBN|978-0-393-29218-3}}
*[[Edward Granville Browne|E.G. Browne]]. ''Literary History of Persia''.  1998. {{ISBN|0-7007-0406-X}}.
*Jan Rypka, ''History of Iranian Literature''. Reidel Publishing Company. 1968 {{OCLC|460598}}. {{ISBN|90-277-0143-1}}
*R. M. Chopra, 2014, " Great Poets of Classical Persian ", Sparrow Publication, Kolkata ({{ISBN|978-81-89140-75-5}})
* {{cite encyclopedia | title = Nishapur i. Historical Geography and History to the Beginning of the 20th Century | last = Bosworth | first = C. Edmund | authorlink = Clifford Edmund Bosworth | url = https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nishapur-i | editor-last = | editor-first =  | editor-link = | encyclopedia  = Encyclopaedia Iranica | pages = | location = | publisher = | year = 2010 | isbn = }}
* {{cite book |last=Browne |first=Edward Granville|author-link=Edward Granville Browne|title=A Literary History of Persia: Volume 1, From the Earliest Times until Firdawsi |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1920|isbn=978-0521043441}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Islamica|last=Daadbeh|first=Asghar |year=2015|title=ʿAṭṭār Nīsābūrī|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-islamica/attar-nisaburi-COM_0315}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica | volume=3 | fascicle=1 | title = ʿAṭṭār, Farīd-al-dīn | last = Reinert | first = B.  | url = https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/attar-farid-al-din-poet | pages = 20–25}}
* {{EI3|last=Safi|first=Omid|year=2016|title=ʿAṭṭār, Farīd al-Dīn|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-3/attar-farid-al-din-COM_23976|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_30552}}
* {{cite book |last=Schimmel |first=Annemarie|author-link=Annemarie Schimmel|title=Deciphering the Signs of God: A Phenomenological Approach to Islam |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-7914-1982-3}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Attar}}<br />{{Wikiquote|Attar_of_Nishapur}}
*[https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/blog/cultural-cross-sections/attar-sufi-poet-and-master-rumi-sholeh-wolpe Attar, the Sufi, the poet], [[World Literature Today]]
*[https://wwnorton.com/books/The-Conference-of-the-Birds/ The Conference of the Birds], translated by [[Sholeh Wolpe]] 
*[[iarchive:conference of the birds-faridudin attar|Bird Parliament]] [[Edward FitzGerald (poet)|Fitzgerald]] translation [[The Conference of the Birds|Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr]], at archive.org.
*[https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/dispatches/article/can-literature-save-the-world-on-translating-attars-the-conference-of-the-b Can Literature Save the World? On translating Attar], [[Words Without Borders]]
* [[q:Attar|A few wikiquotes]]
* [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/attar-farid-al-din-poet Attar in Encyclopedia Iranica by B. Reinert]
* [https://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Poets/Attar.html#Farid Attar, Farid ad-Din]. A biography by Professor [[Iraj Bashiri]], [[University of Minnesota]].
* [http://ganjoor.net/ Attar's works in original Persian] at Ganjoor Persian Library
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160105031106/http://www.scribd.com/doc/29159138/Attar-Complete  Deewan-e-Attar in original Persian single pdf file uploaded by javed Hussen]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131224104536/http://551.ir/en/neyshabur/tourism/panoramic-images-of-attar-and-kamalalmolk-tombs  Panoramic Images of Attar Tombs] Neyshabur Day
* {{Librivox author |id=12844}}

{{Persian literature}}
{{People of Khorasan}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Attar of Nishapur}}
[[Category:Attar of Nishapur| ]]
[[Category:1140s births]]
[[Category:1220s deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Year of death uncertain]]
[[Category:12th-century Persian-language writers]]
[[Category:Iranian Sufis]]
[[Category:Iranian pharmacists]]
[[Category:Sufi poets]]
[[Category:Poets from Nishapur]]
[[Category:Sufis from Nishapur]]
[[Category:Medieval Iranian pharmacologists]]
[[Category:12th-century Persian-language poets]]
[[Category:13th-century Persian-language poets]]
[[Category:12th-century Iranian writers]]
[[Category:13th-century Persian-language writers]]
[[Category:Poets from the Seljuk Empire]]
[[Category:Iranian biographers]]
[[Category:Iranian Muslim mystics]]