"It was in China, late one moonless night,

the Simurgh first appeared to mortal sight.

He let a feather float down through the air,

and rumors of his fame spread everywhere."

These lines belong to the Persian masterpiece "The conference of the birds" written by celebrated Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar in 1177 AD in modern-day Iran. This stunning work of literary genius is an allegorical tale of a conference of birds to choose their next leader and a series of obstacles that must be overcome in their search for the truth. It is a beautiful tale filled with metaphors and riddles explaining some of the common beliefs of Sufism. The piece itself contains Persian text written in Jali Diwani script.