“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.”

—  Farid ud-Din Attar, ‘The Conference of the Birds’, edited and translated by Sholeh Wolpé

Originally a birthday gift for a dear friend, the gouache painting titled "The Simorgh" represents the artist's personal interpretation of the magnificent creature from Persian Mythology bearing the same name. According to legend, the Simorgh is an ancient being that has witnessed the creation and destruction of the universe three times, granting it profound wisdom and insight into the cycles of existence. Its lifespan supposedly spans 1,700 years before it bursts into flames, only to be reborn from the ashes, becoming the blueprint for what we know today as the Phoenix.

This particular depiction draws inspiration from the Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar's tale, "The Conference of Birds." In the tale, the birds of the world gather to choose their king, and the wisest among them, the Hoopoe, suggests seeking the Simorgh as their leader. Each bird represents a human fault hindering humanity's path to true enlightenment. Embarking on a journey through seven valleys - Quest, Love, Understanding, Independence and Detachment, Unity, Astonishment and Bewilderment, and Deprivation and Death - the birds set out to find the Simorgh. Ultimately, only 30 birds reach the dwelling of the Simorgh, where they realize that they are divine reflections of the magnificent creature and that they are, in the end, one in the same.

This profound collective epiphany is depicted in the artwork, with 30 small birds forming the image of one magnificent and fiery creature soaring above seven rows of mountain ranges, symbolizing the seven valleys they journeyed through.