Detail of “Shaykh Safi Interprets Verses by Distinguished Poets”

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In this illustration, Shaykh Safi is expounding on a poem by Farid al-Din ‘Attar (d. 1221). ‘Attar is best known for his long allegorical poem Mantiq al-Tayr (“The Conference of the Birds”). A page from an illustrated copy of Mantiq al-Tayr can be found in the Aga Khan Museum Collection.