Digital Map
To navigate the map above, start by pressing the small Earth icon on the left to view all three points. To view the visual depiction of the bridge connection described in the Space section of the exhibit, you may toggle the view on the right by selecting the Stamen Terrain layer.
Through mapping the journey Sheikh San’an and his disciples take forms a connection between Mecca and Constantinople, there are no other stops depicted along the way, nor any other attention to geographic space offered in the text itself. When looking at the mapping visually, you hence see a straight line at first glance, and two distinctly parallel lines if you zoom in closer to the details of the map itself. The visual depiction mirrors a bridge, connecting the holy centre of Mecca to the cosmopolitan centre of the Byzantine empire in Constantinople. The contrast between both spaces is distinguished through the lived experience of the Sheikh in each city, where in Mecca he began as a distinguished ‘revered elder of his era whose wisdom and virtue surpassed all description’ (Norton, 369), till he arrived in Constantinople and he ‘sold his soul’s welfare and purchased his own shame’ (Norton, 371). Yet, as the story continues, the journey circles back to Mecca after the Sheikh has rid himself of his disgrace and found his way back to the path.
Earl McKenzie writes about Journeys in Poetry, specifically in the Conference of the Birds, expressing how the notion of ‘human destiny’ lies central to poetry of Attar’s nature, specifically influenced by the direction of spirituality (McKenzie, 50). In ‘The Conference’, Attar uses the symbolism of the Path’s hurdles through the valleys which each bird must cross in order to reach God himself, the Simorgh in this case (McKenzie, 50). This movement is essential to our understanding of the Path as being an amalgamation of experiences one must surpass in order to reach the final goal. When you pay close attention to the mapping of the text between the three points above, you notice that the journey begins and ends with Mecca. In the same way, the journey presented in the entirety of The Conference begins and ends with the birds who find out that, collectively, they form the Simorgh (Norton, 367). This notion of completing your journey in full circle is fundamental to the Path which Attar’s work advocates for. Through mapping the Sheikh’s journey, we see a vivid projection of the contrast: what seems from afar as a straight line is, when zoomed into, a full circle that brings us back to the beginning. In some ways, this can be mirrored to the beginning and end of our lives, brought into this world by God, or the Beloved as Attar refers to, and returned to God after completing the trials and tribulations that face our path, ensuring that our faith remains above all in God through each challenge.
When considering the use of metaphysical spaces explored through this exhibit, the visual representation of the path from Mecca to Constantinople also reflects the symbolic connection between the Beloved and the individual which exists through the Path. This connection is direct, like the shape of the lines between Mecca and Constantinople. The digital mapping of this journey is symbolic of how direct the relationship between the Beloved and the individual can be; through assessing the power and influence of the dreams the Sheikh and the Christian girl have, along with the experience the wise disciple has with the Prophet, communication is direct between the individual and the higher power and the creation of metaphysical spaces around this asserts how important that connection is. Whilst it is possible and often indulgent to stray from the path, the power of this connection is reaffirmed through the direction of the Sheikh’s travel, concluding where he began, despite having strayed from the Path as his dream had directed.
In understanding the symbolic representations this digital mapping of the Sheikh’s journey uncovers, one of the most important things I learned through completing this assignment is that digital mapping can extract meaning and understanding of spaces that may not necessarily be understood without these tools. From being able to see the visual representation of the Sheikh’s Journey, my understanding of directionality has elevated my conclusion of the allegorical meaning behind The Conference of the Birds and the Parable of Sheikh San’an, expressing the power within ourselves to hold our faith to our own deity or sovereign as human beings. Attar’s sufism points to moral truths about morality and its frailties, incorporating the inward search for higher power as a mystical experience (Heck, 256). The journey itself holds significance in understanding the nature of inward searching through lived experience and direct communication with your faith, holding on to it no matter what as Sheikh San’an did till he was granted redemption: “If a hundred tests rain down on you, don’t panic; expect them on this hard journey” (Norton, 369).