Book Review - AlArab Online - London,UK
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
A classic tale by a Sufi master·
Illustrated with 16 original colour plates of Persian ceramic tile designs·
A modern take on an ancient tale with a message as resonant today as in the twelfth century.
It was one night while soaring in the Chinese sky,
I heard people talk of a great bird that flew by,
Called Simurgh, the greatest bird alive,
Who dwells on Mount Qaf, where he is said to thrive,
Upon a giant mountain unlike any other seen, covered with trees,
Beyond Samarkand, across seven valleys and seven seas
Based on the masterful twelfth-century Sufi poem, The Conference of the Birds [by Farid ud-Din Attar, d. 1220], this enchanting poem is accompanied by illustrations painted on ceramic tiles, typical of the medieval Persian style.
When the birds of the world assemble and decide that they are in need of a king, the wise hoopoe bird steps forward and offers to lead them to Mount Qaf, where the Simurgh, the king of all birds dwells.
The birds are excited by his proposal, but upon realizing how long the journey will take, how uncertain the path, and how distant the destination, they begin, one by one, to make their excuses. Only thirty birds have the courage to set out on the quest.
The king they find may not be what they had expected, but the journey must be taken to discover the truth.
The Birds’ Journey to Mount Qaf
by Hooda Shawa Qaddumi and
Vanessa Hodgkinson (illustrations)
Saqi Books, London,UK
by Hooda Shawa Qaddumi and
Vanessa Hodgkinson (illustrations)
Saqi Books, London,UK
Hooda Shawa Qaddumi teaches English as a Second Language at Kuwait University.
Vanessa Hodgkinson (illustrations) is the Levy-Plumb Artist in Residence at Christ's College, Cambridge.
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