Meshed, also Mashad, city in northeastern Iran, capital of Khorasan Province in the Kashaf Rud Valley, near Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. One of the largest cities in Iran, it is an important transportation, commercial, manufacturing, and religious center situated in a productive agricultural region. Carpet manufacturing, based on local wool supplies, is a traditional industry; other products include textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and processed food. The burial place and shrine of the early 9th-century religious leader Ali ar-Rida, regarded by Shiite Muslims as one of Iran's holiest places, draws many tourists and pilgrims every year. The grave of the caliph Harun ar-Rashid is also in the shrine. Meshed University (1956) was established here, and the ruins of the ancient city of Tus are nearby.
Meshed gained prominence as a religious center in the 9th century. Shah Abbas I (reigned 1588-1629) beautified the city, and it prospered under Nadir Shah as the capital of a great Iranian empire. Population (1986) 1,463,508.
Ferdowsi
Khayam.

    Attar-e Neyshaburi Farid Od-din Attar Neyshaburi was one of the greatest muslim mystical
poets and thinkers of the 12th century. He has written at least 45,000 distichs (couplets) and many
brilliant prose works.

Attar travelled extensively, visiting egypt, syria, arabia, india and central asia and finally settled in his
native town neishabour, northeastern iran, where he spent many years collecting the verses and
sayings of famous muslim mystics.

The greatest of his works is his well-known 'manteq ot-teyr' (the conference of the birds), which is an
allegorical poem describing the quest of the birds. his other works include 'elahinameh' (divine book).

From the point of view of ideas, literary themes and style, attar's influence was strongly felt not in
persian literature but in other islamic literatures.

His grand book of Tazakor-ol-Oliah is in prose and his most famous works in verse include:
Asrarnameh, Elahinameh, Mosibatnameh, Manteq-u'ttair, Bulbulnameh, Heydarnameh, Mokhtarnameh
and Khosrownameh among which Mantegh-u'ttair is unrivaled in mastery and composition.

Manteq-u-ttair or the Conference of Birds, sung in iambic hexameter, is an elegantly versified book.
Following Solomon's tradition the poet puts tongue in the mouths of the birds and enables them to
warble his theme and fly high and high towards Mount Ghaf in search of the invincible Simorgh or
Phoenix which he ascribes to the Almighty God, and by this metaphor Attar brings his episode to a
surprising climax. Led by the unwavering hoopoe or Hod Hod, thirty birds out of many thousands
manage to cross the seven fatal valleys in the Path and arrive at the majestic court of the Prince of
Universe on the verge of annihilation.

What they see in amazement there is an enormous phantom mirror of a thousand molten planets which
reflects their own shapes and purified selfs. Here they dissolve in the mirror and join the enternity.

The poet opens the conference by praising hoopoe, Solomon's herald and other chosen birds each
representing a mystic metaphor: Hail to you, oh hoopoe, our nimble guide, A messenger that at ev'ry
bower fly and glide, Bid by King Solomon to far Sheba you were gone (Solomon to whom the language
of birds was known); You hold Solomon's diadem on your head, And converted the Queen of Sheba to
his faith.