Bird Priests
Dublin Core
Title
Bird Priests
Collection Items
Doorway of An Jia's Tomb
Over the doorway of An Jia's tomb, one can see dual bird priests wearing padams and performing some sort of Zoroastrian fire ritual. H. 66 x W. 128 cm. This was excavated in Xi'an in 2000.
Simurgh on Silver Plate
With the body of a dog and the wings of a bird, this creature shown on a Sasanian silver plate comes from Iranian mythology.
Huma Mosaic
This mosaic of the Iranian mythological Huma (most famously discussed in Sufi traditions) is located in Uzbekistan. Most interestingly, it features dual birds, much like the Sogdian examples of bird priests.
Kurdish Tribal Rug Featuring Mythical Bird (Possibly the Simsiyar)
This is a Kurdish tribal rug depicting some sort of avian mythological creature. It looks more consistently bird-like than Simurgh like, as there are no canine features, so it is possible it is the mythological Simsiyar bird, which is said to live…
Mullah Kurgan Ossuary
This ossuary depicts two priests with highly birdlike beaks (padams). It is probably a reproduceable mold.
Sasanian Silver Plate
This silver plate depicts a Sasanian king, either Peroz or Kavad. Like many other examples, this silver plate shows the king in a hunting scene. We are most interested in the scarf which denotes royalty and the soul.
Bird Priests on Sarcophagus of Yu Hong
These bird priests have a distinctly Sasanian style, and the scarves are even more pronounced here than on the tomb of Shi Jun.
Nebuchadnezzar I Boundary Stone
This boundary stone far predates the other bird priest objects in our collection, but it links to them through the interesting image of the half man, half bird archer depicted alongside the cuneiform. It it notable for showing a bird man hybrid…
King Marduk-nadin-ahhe Boundary Stone
This is a boundary stone with ceremonial purposes. It shows Babylonian King Marduk-nadin-ahhe. Significant to us is the depiction of a king as an archer, much like the image from the earlier boundary stone.
Bamiyan Buddha Mural
This mural was overhead the Eastern Buddha in the Bamiyan Valley. It shows two bird man hybrids in symmetry. The mural was destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.