Simurgh vs Phoenix

The Simurgh comes from Persian narrations, whereas the Phoenix is referenced in ancient Greek sources. The Simurgh is depicted as being extremely large, colorful and strong, while the Phoenix has fiery features and is portrayed as being smaller and more delicate.

What is the ultimate meaning of the Simurgh?

Simurgh is related to the phoenix in Persian culture.

It is known as Anka or Zumrudu Anka in those cultures that are being affected by Islam.

It is a massive creature with the feather of peacock, Lion claw, head of a dog, and wings.

Sometimes it is also described with the face of a human.

The Simurgh (also spelled Simoorg, Simorq, Simourv, Simorgh, or Simorg) means thirty birds in the Persian language (‘si’ representing thirty and ‘murgh’ meaning birds).

This bird is so old that it has all the information of all ages and has seen the destruction of the Earth three times.

Simurgh was able to think and speak like a human and was very wise.

He was giving consultancy to kings.

According to legends, he was living on the top of the Qaf mountain. Mount Qaf is a legendary mountain in the popular mythology of the Middle East.

In Islamic tradition, Mount Qaf is the homeland of the jinn and was made out of shining emerald by God.

He lived in a mansion-like nest with poles made of ebony, sandalwood, and gall.

It was so big that the sky was getting dark when he was flying, and it looked like a vast cloud.

The Simurgh was purifying the land and waters and hence bestowed fertility.

The creature represented the union between the Earth and the sky, serving as a mediator and messenger.

Who wrote the story of Simurgh?

Sufi poem Ferîdüddîn-i Attâr’s wrote the story of Simurgh in Mantiq-al-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds).

Simorgh also plays a vital role in the verse epic Shahnameh, which contains the stories of Iranian kings and heroes.

What is the story behind the Phoenix Simurgh in the verse epic Shahnameh?

When Zal was born with white hair, his father was afraid, thinking it would bring bad luck.

So he left the baby alone outside.

Simurgh saved the kid and took care of him.

When he grew, he became a hero, and Simorgh brought him back to his father to unite.

When he was leaving, Simorgh gave one of his feathers to Zal, saying that he just needed to burn it when he needed help so that Simorgh would come back.

Years later, when Zal needed help for his wife, he burned the feather, and Simurgh came and helped his wife give birth.

It symbolized abstinent.

What is the conference of the birds about?

Conference of birds is a Persian Simurgh poem by Sufi poet Faridud-Din Attar, commonly known as Attar of Nishapur.

The title is taken directly from the Qur’an, 27:16, where Sulayman (Solomon) and Dāwūd (David) are said to have been taught the language, or speech, of the birds (manṭiq al-ṭayr).

The conference of the birds summary: 

What happens in the conference of the birds?

Simurgh, which was reborn from its ashes by burning in its fire, lived in the branches of the Tree of Knowledge and knew everything.

Birds believe in Simurgh and think that he will save them.

They believe that Simurghwill finds a solution to everything that goes wrong.

However, as long as Simurghdid not appear, the birds stopped waiting and finally gave up hope.

One day, a flock of birds found a feather from Simurgh’s wing and called to other birds.

All the birds in the world who heard the call and believed that Simurgh existed gathered together.

Together, they decided to go before him and ask for help in the guidance of the bird Hudhud (hoopoe), the king of the birds.

Hudhud was, according to the Quran, the messenger, and envoy of the Prophet Sulayman.

The birds set out to seek Simurg under Hudhud’s guidance.

But over time, they got tired and started to make excuses for Hudhud. Hudhud gave correct and convincing answers to all of them and explained the extraordinary features and beauties of Simurgh.

However, Simurgh’s home was on top of Mount Qaf.

Moreover, to get there, it was necessary to cross seven different valleys, each more difficult than the other, with a different emotion hidden in each.

The birds started their journey by flying towards the sky together.

Those with little will and determination poured out on the road one by one.

Some got tired, fell, and gave up while passing through the valleys.

First, nightingale remembered rose’s love for him and said, “ , “If she gets sad, I will die,” and he returned from her longing.

However, his longing for the rose would never end.

The parrot said, “I have gorgeous feathers. Flying this much makes them old; I can’t help my feathers,” and stopped flying.

And because of their beautiful feathers, they were always kept in cages and spent their lives in cells.

The eagle could not leave his kingdom on high.

The owl missed its ruins.

The heron bird missed its swamp.

In each valley, a trap of emotion discouraged some birds from the journey, and they returned.

As they flew over the valleys, the number of birds gradually decreased. Finally, when they reached Mount Qaf, thirty birds remained.

They looked; neither the Tree of Knowledge nor Simurgh were there.

They understood that the real journey was a journey to oneself.

The savior wise bird was the bird that crossed these seven valleys, and they understood that;

Each one is a Simurgh!

What are the seven valleys in Conference of the Birds?

In Sholeh Wolpé’s translation of the conference of the birds, these seven valleys are as such:

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 realizes that everything is connected and that the Beloved is beyond everything, including harmony, diversity, and eternity.

6. Valley of Wonderment, where, entranced by the beauty of the Beloved, the Wayfarer becomes perplexed and, steeped in awe, finds that they have 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 the past and the future.

What is the message of the Conference of the Birds?

The hoopoe, the guiding bird in “The Conference of the Birds,” symbolizes a Sufi mentor, and the valleys represent the spiritual levels that the Sufi is supposed to pass through.

Each of the other birds represents various human characteristics.

For example, the nightingale represents someone who is possessed by worldly things and forgets their creator.

The parrot clings to worldly goods in fear of death.

The peacock is obsessed with the piece and misses the whole.

The partridge cannot reach its main goal due to its worldly ambitions.

Moreover, the story shows us that the actual journey is the journey to oneself.

Simurgh is somehow symbolized with God, and where one can find God is in the heart of its own.

As the hadith shows us:

“I did not fit in the universe, in the sky, but the heart of the believer.”