Faridoddin Abu Hamed Mohammad Attar Nishapuri, better known by his pen-names Faridoddin (فریدالدین) and Attar of Nishapur, or simply Attar, was an Iranian poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer from Nishapur who had an immense and lasting influence on Persian poetry, on poet Rumi, and on Sufism. He wrote a collection of lyrical poems and number of long poems in the philosophical tradition of Islamic mysticism, as well as a prose work with biographies and sayings of famous Muslim mystics. The Conference of the Birds, Book of the Divine, and Memorial of the Saints are among his best known works. 1145 – May 3, 1221; died at about 76. Alive at the same time as Genghis Khan, Francis of Assisi, Zhu Xi, Fibonacci, and Rumi. Wiki link